Now that the Yankees' 2023 season has been over for a couple of weeks, the acrid taste left in my mouth has been diminished enough to watch some playoff baseball, and for a number of reasons, I'm glad that I have. For one, the playoffs have been really exciting! I'm not the biggest fan of expanded playoffs, but I have to admit that the current format certainly seems to have pepped up the October Classic while allowing fans in multiple markets even more exposure to great players around the league. That part has been a lot of fun for me.
The other reason I'm glad I've watched a bit of the playoffs is for some perspective. All of us around here have been incredibly frustrated by the Yankees. That frustration doesn't just come from 2023; for me at least, it's been building since 2021 as the team has proven unable to adapt the roster to maintain a real chance at winning the World Series without a lot of luck. For others, that frustration dates back further, but I argue that the Yankees were plenty competitive from 2017-2020. Regardless of when your frustration with the team began, we consistently compare the Yankees as an organization to perennial winners, or at least teams that are consistently in the playoffs and have won the World Series.
One of the teams most of us use as a point of comparison is the Dodgers. Since 2013, the Dodgers have made the playoffs in every season, played in three World Series, and won one. As Yankee fans, we would clearly trade our winning season streak for a World Series between 2009 and now, right? Clearly, the Dodgers are a more successful organization, right?
The only World Series that the Dodgers have won was in the strange, shortened 2020 season during which there were no fans in the stands, players were condemned to sudden IL stints at inopportune moments due to contracting COVID, and very few of us take the statistics generated from that season at face value. Without that World Series win, Yankee fans would likely consider the Dodgers to be in the exact same boat as the Yankees.
My point is this: is there randomness to World Series wins? Yes. Very few teams can say they've won multiple World Series while consistently making playoff appearances - really, only the Astros can make that claim. Boston wins a random World Series every 5-10 years and is barely passable in the years between; the Phillies lurk, but haven't gotten over the hump in a long time; the Braves are young, won one recently, but haven't proven they can sustain playoff success; and the Dodgers, for all of their playoff appearances and regular season success, have one random World Series win to show for their efforts.
I iterate these points to say that the Yankees' record isn't nearly as bad as it feels to us right now. Do the Yankees have a ton of work to do to put themselves in a position like the Astros? Yes, and I don't seek to minimize that fact. However, aside from the Astros, the Yankees' record in the last 5-7 years stands with just about anyone else in baseball. Winning a World Series is hard, and building a consistent winner is even more challenging. Looking around the league at the records of others makes me feel a bit less apathetic about where the Yankees stand this offseason.
As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about my favorite non-Yankees, look at the Yankees' trade fit with the Padres, and talk about Hal Steinbrenner's recent comments! Let's get at it:
Mark asks: I don't watch a lot of non-Yankees baseball during the season. Watching the playoffs, I love seeing players that I don't get to see very often. Who are your favorite non-Yankees to watch right now?
Great question! Baseball has more talent than it has likely ever had in its history right now, which is partly why building a dynasty is so challenging - everyone is good, objectively. Bryce Harper has always been a personal favorite - he has so much raw talent, always plays like his hair is on fire, and plays with serious edge. I love watching him (and desperately wanted to see him in pinstripes, but I digress).
Ronald Acuna Jr. is another guy I love watching, and don't see enough. The term "5-tool player" is way overused, but he is one of the few true 5-tool players in the game today. I stop to watch whenever Acuna is on TV.
Corbin Carroll is going to be a monster for Arizona. He plays a beautiful CF and his contact/speed profile is different from the mashers that proliferate the game today. Watching Carroll is like watching Brett Gardner if all of his tools were a grade higher (and I loved Gardy).
I love watching the two-headed monster of Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola in Philly. Two very different styles of pitching, but they are both artists in their own rights.
Oh, and even if I agreed with the trade (and still do from a process perspective), I still love watching Monty as much as I did when he pitched for the Yankees. A crafty lefty who also can kick it into the mid-90s is a fun guy to watch.
Ben asks: I see a lot of rumors about Juan Soto being a trade target for the Yankees and also that the Padres have to shed salary this offseason. Are the Padres a realistic trade partner?
Our own Cary Greene had a great post up the other day looking at a Juan Soto trade. I highly recommend checking it out. I agree with much of what Cary wrote in his post, but I'll give you my high-level overview. Baseball Trade Values is a great, fun site for getting a sense of trade value from a dollar-for-dollar perspective, but it is far from perfect. The site lists Soto's trade value at $21.8 MTV, which feels low even considering he'll likely get a record arbitration deal and only has one season of team control left. The Mookie Betts trade is the most recent comparison point for a Soto trade, but that trade was panned even at the time it was made for being a very light return, so while I believe the Yankees should absolutely be involved if Soto goes on the market, I just don't see it being anything other than a painful trade, and I'm not sure the Yankees can match the value another team will provide.
However, I think the Yankees and Padres are very interesting trade partners. The Yankees need guys all over the diamond, including a true centerfielder. With the Padres trying to lighten the payroll load this year, Trent Grisham is a guy they might look to move as he gets more expensive. He's got 2 years of team control remaining, and I'd imagine he'll make in the $5-7 million range this year. He's fantastic defensively and bats left-handed. While he's not known for his bat, he floats between being slightly below-average with the bat to slightly above while drawing walks at an above-average rate with speed and some pop. The Padres are losing rotation arms this offseason, so I wonder if there's a trade to be made with Grisham and Clarke Schmidt as centerpieces? It makes a lot of sense to me.
Brian asks: Did you see Steinbrenner's comments about subtle and not so subtle changes? Any reaction?
Steinbrenner's comments were word salad with almost zero outward meaning. Words are relatively meaningless at this point. The team needs action, not platitudes. The coaching staff needs to hold players more accountable for fundamentals and behavior; they need real change in how they transition good prospects from the minors to the Majors, as independent prospect evaluators like the Yankees' prospects, but they sour at the MLB level; they need to evaluate and modify their training regimen to keep guys healthier; and they need to modify their approach to statistical analysis in coordination with scouting and player development. Those are tall tasks, and until I hear direct plans regarding any of those facets of baseball operations, I don't really have any reaction to Steinbrenner's comments.
