SSTN Mailbag: Murakami, A Blockbuster Trade, And The Craziest Play I've Ever Seen!

I'm back on US soil...and I've realized quite certainly that I wasn't ready for Yankee baseball to be over. I had a pretty strong feeling that the Yankees would lose the ALDS after I saw Game 1 against the Jays, but the fact that I didn't get to commiserate with my fellow Yankee fans through the end of their playoff run leaves me with the feeling of unfinished business. It was a short series, and I wasn't here for most of it, so it doesn't quite seem real that the Yankees' season is over.

Of course, we got our annual Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone post mortem state of the union address, which provided nothing of interest beyond some significant injury updates. On the plus side, we now know that Aaron Judge is likely in the clear for forearm/elbow surgery. On the downside, both Anthony Volpe and Carlos Rodon had surgery immediately following the season, and I was right about both of them.

Numerous times this year, I noted the before-and-after statistics for Volpe this season when he felt a "pop" in his non-throwing shoulder, and now that we have a cortisone shot timeline, we know that he had a bump in performance each time a shot was administered. Brian Cashman now acknowledges that the cleanup of Volpe's shoulder was more significant than what the MRI results showed, but we had significant performance analysis to show that the injury was impacting Volpe's ability to play at a big league level.

I noted my concerns about Rodon last week. His velocity dip beginning at mid-season was significant, and it was clear that he just didn't have the extra gear we've seen from him throughout his career. Rodon had loose bodies removed and a bone spur shaved in his pitching elbow. That is worrisome in someone whose injury history is littered with shoulder and elbow problems. Hopefully, doctors caught this issue before it has an adverse effect on the replaced ligament in Rodon's elbow.

In any case, for all of the non-updates that came from yesterday's press conference, the injuries necessarily mean that next year's Yankee roster will look different, at least for a little while. Yankee baseball can't come back soon enough, regardless of how the roster looks.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll discuss a high-profile Japanese free agent, a potential blockbuster trade, and I'll answer a question about the craziest baseball play I've ever seen! Let's get at it:

Yankeerudy asks: What do you think of the impending Japanese posting for Munetaka Murakami? He's a 25 year old lefty slugger and walk machine, but is a middling 3B/1B. Should we pursue him?

Regardless of whether or not I'm interested in Murakami, we know for absolute certain that the Yankees have had significant interest in Murakami since he was a teenager. The Yankees have had scouts in-person at Murakami's games for years. In fact, after Murakami swatted 56 homers a few years ago, most scouting outlets discussed Murakami's eventual trip stateside as a Yankee like it was a foregone conclusion.

On the surface, what's not to love: a left-handed hitter with light-tower power who can play both infield corners and has moonlighted in both outfield corners. Murakami burst onto most Yankee fans' radars at a time when the Yankees really didn't have a ton of left-handed power in the lineup. Those same fans have drooled over the possibilities ever since.

However, the realities are slightly more complicated. Murakami is an absolute butcher at 3B from my looks at him; I'm sure someone might squint and see a way to keep him there for a bit, but I don't think he's a big league caliber 3B. The Yankees already have Ben Rice at 1B, and I think Rice is at least as likely as Murakami to be an impact bat. Murakami himself also has some issues. Until this season, Murakami had struggled to replicate his stunning 2022 campaign at the plate. Murakami has struggled on the international stage with high velocity, and even within the NPB, Murakami has exhibited way too much swing-and-miss in his game. This season was a return to form for Murakami, but it was a season marred by injury, another concern for prospective teams.

However, Murakami's power tool is not in question; I think that's for real. I just think he's going to have a real adjustment period to the US game. Of interest though is the fact that he's played some LF in recent years. The Yankees were not as 100% committed to Jasson Dominguez in the season-ending press conference as I expected. I really wonder if the Yankees might make a run at Murakami to play LF, a position that is far more likely for him at the MLB level.

I would make a run at Murakami and figure the rest out later; the Yankees need impact players. Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong about his ability to field at 3B. That said, I wouldn't get into a bidding war for Murakami now that the Yankees have their first baseman.

Fuster asks: assuming that the Yankees pay a chunk and sign Bellinger

would they then have a reasonable case for trading Wells or Rice as part of a package for a young, outstanding starting pitcher?

I think that given all of the uncertainty that injuries have created in the rotation, the Yankees need to absolutely consider a trade for a high-end starting pitcher this offseason, and that won't be cheap. Based on the team's seeming commitment to Ben Rice, I highly doubt that he will be on the block this offseason. Teams have been calling the Yankees off the hook about Rice for over a year, and the Yankees have held on to him. I don't see that changing now.

If you gave the Yankees truth serum, I think they'd tell you that they're disappointed with Wells' offensive performance in the Majors. That said, catching is hard, and he does it quite well. I'd be very reluctant to deal Wells for more pitching for that reason alone.

I think if the Yankees want starting pitching, they are going to need to dip into their significant store of prospects and possibly another young player with potential on the roster to make it happen.

David asks: The play in the Brewers game the other night was wild and it got me thinking: what is the wildest play you've ever seen in a baseball game?

That's an awesome question. I'll give you one in the Majors, and one from personal experience. In the Majors, watching a ball shatter Vinny Velasquez's pitching arm on a comebacker was cringe-inducing, but watching him sprint to the ball and throw the runner out by an eyelash with his non-throwing arm was incredible.

When I played in a men's league, we had a centerfielder who was the fastest human I've ever seen in person. We were playing a game where there was no fence to dead-centerfield. I gave up what had to be a 440+ foot bomb to center. Our centerfielder didn't just catch it; he was standing under it like he had time for a cup of coffee. I've never seen anything like it.