SSTN Mailbag: Fan Anger, Sevy, And Next Season!

It's a strange time to be a Yankee fan. The post-mortem we've come to expect from Brian Cashman sometime between late October and early November came in August this year, an acknowledgement that this season is over, at least as far as the team's playoff hopes are concerned. Cashman vowed that every level of the organization would be scrutinized, including his own work, though I doubt Hal (who has been conspicuously absent from the media since earlier this season) will pull the lever on Cashman's firing. Over the coming months, we'll come to know how true Cashman's words are; firing Aaron Boone as manager isn't enough. There are other real issues within the organization, and much harder decisions must be made. We'll have an entire off-season to talk about that, so I won't go much further now.

There is baseball worth watching in September. The Yankees will get 6 weeks to evaluate Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza in mostly full-time roles, an absolutely critical evaluation that will help shape not just next year's roster, but potentially the roster for the next 3-5 years and beyond. Austin Wells will almost certainly get the call when rosters expand in September, and while he likely won't play everyday, he'll play enough for us to get a glimpse of his bat and his play behind the plate (having watched him, I remain skeptical that he is a catcher, but I'd love for him to prove me wrong). Jasson Dominguez figured out AA, and will get 3+ weeks of playing time at AAA as a 20 year old, putting him firmly on-track for MLB arrival for at least a cup of coffee in 2024. Multiple young pitchers will get opportunities to make their mark in September, possibly announcing their candidacy for real roles on the 2024 roster. While hopes for this season may be lost, there's no reason we can't get a jump on the optimism that spring brings.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll discuss fan outrage, Sevy's most recent start, and the plan for next season! Let's get at it:

Cheryl M. writes: Media needs to call a live conference Hal and demand change..CASHMAN AND BOONE NEED TO BE FIRED. CASHMAN STILL GM AND BOONE FIRED NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE. BOONE NUMBER 2 WILL RUN THE TEAM AS A PUPPET

MEDIA NEEDS TO PUT PRESSURE ON HAL STEINBRENNER TO ANSWER TO THIS DEBACLE.

FAN THATS READY TO ROOT FOR A WINNER NOT A LOSER.

I've received an increasing volume of emails like this to the SSTN Mailbag since June, and it's peaked in the last couple of weeks. I'm including it on the offset chance someone in the Yankee organization reads Yankee-centric publications, because I don't think it can be overstated how angry the fanbase feels right now. I get the opportunity to interact with tons of Yankee fans through Start Spreading The News, and I can think of very few who think the organization as a whole is moving in the right direction, and I can think of more than a few who are downright despondent.

It clearly isn't hurting the Yankees' bottom-line right now, as corporate seats and contracts are likely already spoken for next year. However, if the organization continues down its current path, not only will the fanbase turn, but as the Yankees lose prestige, corporate interest will wane as well. The Yankees have shown over and over again that they don't care about you and me as fans, but they do care about their corporate alliances and sponsorships. If the Yankees are serious about keeping those streams of revenue, it behooves them to be proactive about fixing their current organizational issues.

More to the point though, the current Yankees continue to lose prestige with their fans. The organization as a business entity has been cold and unworthy of support for many years now, and with uninspiring teams like this one and even 2021, even diehard Yankee fans are getting restless. The Yankees need to be very serious about fixing their problems, or it will negatively impact their profits sooner than they realize, which is really all ownership cares about.

Jason asks: Severino finally had a good start against the Nationals, but he really didn't strike anyone out. Did he look better to you and is it possible he can turn it back around?

Sadly, I really didn't see much different about Sevy other than a slightly more consistent slider. Severino's mechanics are so terribly out of whack, I can't help but think that the pile of injuries he's fought over the last 5 years have finally caught up to him. I hope I'm wrong, and that an off-season to get his mind and body right can bring back some semblance of the guy we saw even last season, but I have very serious doubts.

Severino has always had an upper-body dependent throwing motion that didn't use his legs enough. That tendency has been exacerbated by arm injuries, to the point where his legs almost aren't used at all for leverage on his way down the mound. His stride foot steps in the bucket, causing him to use his arm with inefficient whip. My personal opinion is that even on days where the stuff looks good, hitters are seeing the ball for a lot longer with Sevy's current delivery, making it easier to punish mistakes. Adding to those points, Sevy's delivery is very unbalanced, likely leading to the loss of command within the strike zone we've seen this year.

I really hope Sevy proves me wrong; he's been one of my favorite Yankees since he was a prospect in A-ball. I'll always cherish the memory of cheering him at the Stadium down the stretch in 2018, dominating the Red Sox as Chris Sale faltered. I've always said that I'd take peak Luis Severino over almost anyone in baseball on a good day. I hope he finds that guy again, but I'm not optimistic.

Michael G. asks: Should they rebuild, reload or mostly run it back?

Which do you think they will do versus which you think they should?

Many fans seem to beating the drum for a rebuild, but the reality of doing that is tricky. The Yankees likely already have close to $230 million accounted for against the CBT next year (including health insurance, likely arbitration raises, etc.). Most of the biggest drains against payrolls are nearly unmovable, and even if they were to be moved (DJLM, Stanton), it would almost certainly require the Yankees to eat enough money that it wouldn't make a huge dent in payroll.

Fans may not want to hear this, but the 2023 season was basically the 10th percentile outcome. If the Yankees mostly ran it back, they would probably get a better result just based on the law of averages. It's a bad idea, and an effort that would likely barely be good enough to challenge for a Wild Card berth, but it is sadly a better path than a rebuild, just given the reality of where the roster stands today.

The best option is pretty clearly a reload. The next wave of Baby Bombers are on the precipice, and with proper supplementation and smart trades to re-shape the roster, I think the Yankees could effectively reload for 2024 with an aim to make steps forward with an eye towards fully competing for championships in 2025.

The Yankees won't rebuild; Hal won't stomach it. I don't honestly think they can run it back given current fan anger, but I've been surprised before. With Cashman in charge, I think a reload is the most likely response to the 2023 season.