SSTN Mailbag: 3B Trade, Weathers, And Wells!

Next Man Up Yankees, Part 2? It's beginning to look that way. The Yankees have managed to keep rolling even with the significant injuries they've faced since the calendar turned to May. This is a real difference between the 2023 Yankees, who cratered when they lost Aaron Judge, and this year's team. Even those among us who are highly critical of Brian Cashman have to admit that he's done an admirable job of building and acquiring depth both on the big league bench and in the minors. Where would this team be right now if it couldn't plug Dominguez and Jones into the outfield? How would they handle the top of the lineup without Goldschmidt? How about the quietly effective platoon at 3B with McMahon and Rosario? And how could we forget the ability to move Caballero all over the diamond?

Whatever else you think about Brian Cashman, he deserves very real credit for assembling a versatile, deep team. Does it have gaps? Yes, but the reality is that almost all teams do. I look around the league, and I really don't see any team other than the Yankees that can match up with the Dodgers in a short series. That will be even more true after the trade deadline, when the Yankees will presumably get both internal and external roster supplementation. We talk a lot around here about what a championship caliber roster actually looks like. I think this club is close.

Before we get to this week's SSTN Mailbag, I need to get to a bit of housekeeping. I very rarely do this (in fact, I'm pretty sure I can count on two hands the number of times I've missed a Mailbag in the 8+ years this feature has run), but there will be no Mailbag next week. I will have an incredibly frantic international travel schedule next week that will almost certainly keep me from devoting the appropriate time to answering your questions. Please keep sending your questions in, though; if I get enough good ones, I'll likely do a super-Mailbag from my last hotel before my journey home just before the 4th of July. I hate missing the Mailbag, but this time it's necessary.

Without any further ado, as always, thanks for your questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about a potential trade for a 3B, Ryan Weathers' homer problem, and Austin Wells' outlook! Let's get at it:

Fuster asks: bad deal in terms of dollars, but would it make any sense to trade Volpe and a pitching prospect

for Matt Chapman?

I've been waiting for someone to ask about Chapman, and Fuster obliged. Let's dispatch the elephant in the room upfront: it's an awful contract. Chapman's contract is not underwater...yet. He remains a powerful hitter, and while he's not the all-world defender he used to be, he remains above-average defensively. He also bats right-handed, so it fits on a lot of levels.

However, Chapman is owed $25+ million for 4 years after 2026. Given that we have no idea what the next CBA will look like, I have a hard time imagining that the Yankees will want to take on a large contract at this CBA without some offsetting money going the other way. Enter Anthony Volpe. Volpe will start to get more expensive after this year as he enters his arbitration years. The Giants have Willy Adames, who has suddenly become one of the worst defensive SS in baseball this year. I am sure the Giants would love to have an infielder/outfielder as they begin a likely rebuild.

In principle, I think I would be okay with acquiring Chapman. He's really hitting since a slow start, and though McMahon has come around, Chapman is a pretty obvious upgrade, and as a righty hitter, he would really help balance the lineup as it transitions to the bottom. In a season where the Yankees have a really good chance to make it to the World Series, even incremental upgrades are welcome.

The only way I see this working is if the Giants eat $5+ million per year on this contract, which they might actually be willing to do if it means they get real pieces in return. With the money being closer to equalized (though still far off), I expect that the cost for a player as good as Chapman would hurt some. The league knows Volpe hasn't hit, but it wouldn't shock me if another team both believes they can fix him and believes he has value even if he doesn't hit due to defense.

I see this as a larger deal. The Yankees also need a right-handed catcher, one who is better than Ali Sanchez. The Giants have Eric Haase, who is a solid defender, with above-average raw power, and a recent history of hitting left-handed pitching. I'd propose the following:

Giants Trade: Matt Chapman, Eric Haase, $8 million per year for 4 years after this one

Yankees Trade: Anthony Volpe, Spencer Jones

I don't think that will happen, but in terms of real value, I think that's close. It feels like an overpay, but it would almost certainly make the Yankees better this year. I guess it really depends on priorities and what you think of Jones long-term. I do not believe Jones is a plus player long-term, so I'd be willing to deal him for an impact player.

Brian asks: What do you make of Ryan Weathers' home run problem? He's been getting burned lately and it's really tanking his starts. Can it be fixed?

The simple answer is twofold. On the one hand, Weathers' arm has looked a bit tired to me prior to last night. His fastball velocity was down a little bit and his stuff just hasn't looked quite as crisp. The second answer is finding a way to get guys off of his fastballs that catch too much of the plate. I think he is still working on finding a pitch mix and sequencing with which he's comfortable.

I really thought leaning into his sinker more this season low in the zone while working with the 4-seam fastball up would eliminate the home run problem. He's been working with that plan, but it hasn't worked as intended so far. I think he needs to throw more change-ups to keep hitters honest, which will help the fastballs play up. That said, it's not like Weathers has been bad overall; all pitchers go through lulls in a long season.

I feel good about Weathers after watching him last night. His fastball was live, and though he gave up another homer on a sinker, he was really sharp otherwise.

Charles asks: Austin Wells is on a rehab assignment and hit two home runs. Is he changing anything down there that gives you hope?

If he isn't, he should be! The honest answer to that is, yes, Wells noted in an interview that he's working with the Yankees' minor league hitting director to make some much needed changes. Maybe it's bearing fruit, but I think it's too early to tell.

The reality is that catching in the big leagues is hard. I think he's gotten himself into a mechanical rut, and it's hard to devote enough energy to the hitting side of it when his duties in managing a pitching staff are as significant as they are in the modern game. Part of Wells' value should be his bat though, so the Yankees need to give him an extended runway to try to find it again with less pressure. I expect the team to give him an extended rehab assignment to try to get some feel back at the plate. It can only help the Yankees in the long run, and the reality is that there likely isn't another catcher they can acquire with Wells' upside.