SSTN Mailbag: Priorities, Recent Deals, Breakout MiLB Bats, And Spencer Jones!

A quiet offseason around the league turned into a whirlwind this past week. Free agent signings, major trades...lions, tigers, oh my! I would still largely consider this to be one of the sleepiest offseasons of recent memory, but at least the Yankees have a fighting chance of challenging for the AL East title after re-signing Cody Bellinger.

There has been a ton of hand-wringing about the team's inaction this offseason. Whether or not we agree with how the money is spent, I think that the Yankees proved that they are willing to spend to a level that is at least in the ballpark of other big market teams. While I've been frustrated by watching the Yankees lose in the same fashion year over year while the best player in recent memory obliterates the baseball in his prime, the front office sees upside in this lineup, and ownership supported their vision with money. Whatever else I have to say or opine about the methodology, I'm glad ownership is at least willing to spend commensurate with other teams. I think the bulk of the spending is done now, so it will be interesting if the Yankees have one more trick or two up their sleeves to improve the roster.

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 further offseason priorities, evaluate recent deals, pick a couple of breakout minor league bats, and discuss Spencer Jones' future! Let's get at it:

Brian asks: With Cody Bellinger back in the fold, how would you rank the following priorities in order:

1. Rotation

2. Right-handed bat

3. Bullpen

Bringing back Bellinger likely gives the team a strong offensive floor. I may not be as bullish on Bellinger as some others, but I still think he's a very good fit for this offense. I know there are a lot of smart people who believe that the Yankee offense has upside beyond last season with the parts that are currently in place, and I can see it. After the trade deadline, the Yankee offense was significantly better and matched up well against good teams better than they had previously. They had guys who could run (Dominguez, Caballero, Volpe, and Chisholm), platoon matchups against left-handed pitching, power, and solid defense around the diamond. This includes under-performance by some of the younger guys in the lineup; squint and it's easy to see how the lineup could be better this year.

However, I still think the lineup is light by one contact-oriented bat. I don't think that will be particularly easy to come by on the trade market, but that would be my number one priority: a right-handed contact bat who can play good defense. Maybe Caballero over-performs and fills that role admirably, but I'd love to get another starter into that position. That would be my first priority.

The second, and most realistic, priority to me is the bullpen. The bullpen is still short by one or two good arms. That could come from one of the guys in the rotation currently if everyone gets healthy, but that's a big "if." There are some bargain deals out there in free agency, but it's mostly guys you have to cross your fingers and hope on. With that point clear, I think there are bullpen arms that could shake free on the free agent market. I think that might be very interesting and realistic to explore.

The last priority is the rotation, and I know I differ from most on that point. I believe very strongly in the kids coming up to AAA this year, and I also really believe that the current healthy rotation has tons of upside. Yes, it's risky until reinforcements come in the form of Cole, Rodon, and maybe Schmidt (who I still think won't have time to come back as a starter this year), but there's a ton of arm talent there. I'm not as concerned that the Yankees missed out on Peralta and Gore. I believe that at least one of Schlittler, Gil, or Weathers will outperform both in the first half (you can take that for one of my big pre-season predictions).

Michael G. asks: Considering the relative light cost in recent trades( Robert arenando) and the unsually high and opt out heavy free agent deals (bichette tucker). Would you have done these deals?  And if none of them are worthy what deals are left to be made? Bellinger is the only major free agent left and he doesn't improve us just returns us to 2025

So, obviously the Yankees signed Bellinger, but the other considerations have merit. I don't think anyone other than the Dodgers would have pushed that far for Tucker. In fact, I think it's pretty clear that the Dodgers would have continued to run the price up if a bidding war persisted for Tucker. I consider that a moot point; Tucker was the best left-handed hitter on the market, but I don't think anyone was beating the Dodgers once they zeroed in on their guy, and he wasn't enough of a difference maker to warrant that kind of bidding war.

I would have done the Bichette deal in a heartbeat. I maintain that he was the best fit for the Yankees, particularly if he was willing to play 3B. As the youngest player on the market, I'm sure Bichette would have triggered his opt-out, and he may well have found a fit long-term in NY. It would have added a little bit of money to the budget, but the Yankees also seem largely opposed to adding significant deferred money to contracts, so maybe it wouldn't have worked anyway. In any event, I would have been willing to sign Bichette for the cost.

Otherwise? I never liked Arenado's fit in NY, and his performance over the last couple of years has proven me very right. I'd take McMahon over Arenado right now, and I'm not McMahon's biggest fan. I also didn't view Luis Robert as a fit for the Yankees, so his cost is a relative moot point as well.

The flip side is to look at the deals for Gore and Peralta. Both deals brought a significant cost to the Rangers and the Mets, respectively. Peralta is an expiring contract, and the equivalent deal from the Yankees is one centered around one of Elmer Rodriguez or Carlos Lagrange and George Lombard. I don't think I would have done that deal. The return for Gore was quantity over quality, but I don't think the Yankees matched up with a similar group of prospects. In any case, I am not as bullish on Gore as some others, so the fact that the Yankees didn't match up was fine by me.

In short? I think Bichette is the only move I see that I would have done were I the Yankees.

Alan B. asks: With one of my positional breakout candidates traded in the Weathers deal (Juan Matheus), who are your 2 or 3 positional players you think will break out in 2026? No pitchers Andy.

Matheus would have made my list also. He's just a touch of lift away from making serious offensive strides. I think he'll do well in the Marlins' system. The Yankees' position player list is fairly barren in the minors, but I'm going to give you a very common name and a real deep cut:

• Dax Kilby, SS

I was very impressed by Kilby's debut, and I think it's beyond clear (and it has even been intimated in some scouting circles) that Kilby was ranked way, way too low in the draft rankings. I think this might be the Yankees' best draft pick in some time, given how long they had to wait before their first pick. Kilby shows feel for contact, power, great hands, good feet, and strong baseball instincts, surprising for someone so young and relatively inexperienced. I think Kilby might race up prospect boards this year, beyond even what most expect.

• Francisco Vilorio, OF

Vilorio is an incredibly toolsy outfielder who has spent two seasons since signing in the Dominican Summer League. I expect him to come stateside at some point this summer. Vilorio has very strong hands, a very well-developed body, a solid arm, and feel to swing in different parts of the strike zone (from the limited video I've seen). The toughest part of his projection is his hit tool, as he chases a fair amount, though he cut his swing-and-miss a lot last summer as he worked to improve his swing decisions and shorten his swing. The power will come with his body type as long as he makes enough contact. He's the prospect I'm most interested in seeing move from the Dominican to the US In 2026.

Patrick K asks: Andy, do you think the Yankees fully intend for Jones to be the CF next year? It sure seems like it.

This is a team that values defense A LOT.

After the dust settled from the Bellinger signing, the more I thought about it, the more I'm beginning to agree with Patrick. To play devils' advocate, the Yankees really value defense...until they don't. Remember, if they see the opportunity to acquire a game-changing bat, they have no problem giving up defense (like putting Judge in CF to pair him with Soto). With that in mind, I think the Yankees want their cake and to eat it too: have the potential to put a good defender in CF who might also be a game-breaking bat.

Grisham is only on a one-year deal. Bellinger can play CF for now, but if his range drops a bit in the next year, I don't think it's all that certain that he'll be CF capable in 2027. There's also no good centerfielders available in free agency after next season. I think this is a good take; the Yankees might very well give Jones runway to earn the Yankees' CF job in 2027, even better if he pushes for it in 2026.