Gary Phillips spoke to people with the Yankees about the incessant noise at Yankee Stadium and the team said they want an “arena atmosphere,” similar to an NBA game. Several players, including Aaron Judge, said they want it louder. This is absurd. I have yet to speak to a fan who enjoys this and we don’t have to care even a tiny little bit about what the players want. The stadium experience isn’t for them. I didn’t go to any games this weekend but I heard from a few folks that the noise wasn’t as loud as usual, which I guess is better than nothing. I just wish it would go away entirely. Anyway, here is today’s post.
1. Weekend thoughts. God bless the AL Central. The Yankees are now 31-8 with a +90 run differential against the Royals since 2021, postseason included, and 11-0 against the Royals since Jazz Chisholm Jr. said they “got lucky” winning Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS. This weekend was exactly what the Yankees needed. Three wins, including two stress-free laughers that were over early.
“These are nice, for sure,” Cody Bellinger told Bryan Hoch after Saturday’s blowout win. “We’ve had a few close ones recently. Had a crazy series against the Angels.”
Cole Ragans took a line drive to his pitching thumb two starts ago and he’s walked 12 batters in 10.1 innings since. Sunday he became the first pitcher to walk eight batters in a game since old pal James Paxton in 2024. Ragans is the first pitcher to walk eight Yankees since Carlos Martinez on April 15th, 2017. Three of the walks came around to score. The other five put a lot of stress on Ragans.
Water finds its level, and the Yankees now rank third in home runs and fifth in wRC+ despite that sluggish stretch, offensively. The Yankees still have a few underperformers too (looking at you, Jazz). It feels like there’s more room for improvement with the offense than a chance to slide back. Great weekend. A needed sweep, it was. Here are a few thoughts on the Royals series.
Rice at leadoff
Okay, maybe Ben Rice should start against lefties. Benny Barrels has gone deep in four straight games and his last six plate appearances against lefties have gone homer, ground out, homer, walk, homer, walk. He’s up to .338/.476/.800 (245 wRC+). Rice and Yordan Alvarez (238 wRC+) are the only qualified hitters with a wRC+ in the 200s. As expected, the best hitter in baseball wears pinstripes.
“It’s just quality at-bat after at-bat. It doesn’t matter who’s on the mound or what the situation is when he’s going up there,” Aaron Judge told Hoch about Rice. “It’s been impressive to see him just take his walks when he can, come up with the big hit when we need it, and keep passing that baton.”
Rice hit leadoff Sunday and I hope it wasn’t a one-off. I’m very much a “bat your best hitter leadoff” guy, and normally that’s Judge, but Rice works just as well. He’s cool with leading off – “I like leading off. It's something I'm comfortable with,” he said Sunday (video) – so let’s do it. He works long at-bats, gets on base a ton, and can give you a quick 1-0 lead with a leadoff homer. The ideal leadoff guy.
Look at the teams that go to and win the World Series. They don’t have Luis Arraez/Steven Kwan types hitting leadoff. Their leadoff hitters are guys like Shohei Ohtani, peak Jose Altuve, peak George Springer, Corbin Carroll, Kyle Schwarber, etc. Dudes who can really, really bang. They’re giving their best hitters the most at-bats. The Yankees should do that. Stick with Sunday’s lineup …
1. Ben Rice2. Aaron Judge3-9. Everyone Else
… and let Rice and Judge cook. I say that as a Trent Grisham believer too. But he’s not Rice or Judge, and I want those two to hit as often as possible. If Rice and Judge hit 2-3 in either order, fine, it’s not the end of the world, but I would rather go 1-2 because that’s what I would not want to see as an opposing manager. This is my only batting order take these days. Just put your best guy in the leadoff spot.
Warren embracing his sinker vs. LHB
Against an admittedly unimposing Royals lineup, Will Warren was terrific Saturday: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 11 K, 1 HR on 93 pitches (video). The two-run homer came on his 86th pitch and with the game well out of hand, so who cares? A garbage time shot through and through. The 11 strikeouts tied his career high and it was only the second time in 43 career starts that Warren completed seven innings.
“When he’s in the zone, he’s lights-out,” J.C. Escarra told Hoch about Warren, who’s lowered his walk rate from 9.1% last year to 5.7% this year. “It makes my job easy.”
Before the season I dug into a few ways Warren could improve and one of them was pitching lefties inside a bit more, including with a front-door sinker. And you know what? Warren’s doing exactly that. Last year he threw lefties 7.1% sinkers. It’s 17.6% this year. When he’s ahead in the count against lefties, it’s 21.0% sinkers, up from 4.4% last year. Look at Warren’s sinker locations against lefties:
Last year Warren was down and away with the sinker consistently against lefties. This year he’s landing it in the zone more often, and remember, Warren moved to the third base side of the rubber. If you’re a lefty batter, the crossfire action on that sinker must be a nightmare. It looks like he’s releasing the ball from the hole between shortstop and third base, it’s at your hip, then it runs over the plate. Nasty pitch, this is:
The added benefit of more sinkers to lefties is more ground balls. Warren has a 47.2 GB% against lefties this year, up from 43.4 GB% last year. His strikeout rate against lefties is up (19.9% to 30.5%), his walk rate is down (11.9% to 8.5%), and his xwOBA is down too (.350 to .331). I’m not ready to say Warren has solved lefties, but this is encouraging. More sinkers on the inner half has really helped him.
“I think of myself as both,” Warren told Hoch when asked if he considers himself a strikeout pitcher or a ground ball pitcher. “The sinker is going to generate a lot of ground balls … If I can go out there and throw three pitches and get three ground balls, I love that. You go deeper into the game.”
It’s only been five starts and we’re not even in May yet, so we have to qualify everything with “it’s a small sample and it’s too early to know if this is real.” There’s a definite change in approach though. Warren is throwing more sinkers to lefties (and more fastballs in general) and locating them more in the zone, and that’s notable. If nothing else, Warren was tremendous Saturday. Great start, Will.
Rosie’s pop
Amed Rosario is the best bench player the Yankees have had since who, Mike Tauchman in 2019? That’s hard to suss out because Rosario is a platoon guy more than a true bench piece, and good bench players often find themselves getting more playing time (like Tauchman in 2019). Whoever it is, Rosario’s been awesome this month: .267/.306/.533 (132 wRC+) with three homers already. Last year he didn’t hit his third homer until June 4th.
Saturday’s homer (video) was a no-doubter and, at 112.1 mph, it was the hardest hit ball of Rosario’s career. Not by a little either. Here are his top exit velocities. This includes the minors, Spring Training, the regular season, the postseason, whatever. Everywhere we have Statcast:
1. 112.1 mph (April 18th, 2026)2. 111.5 mph (July 31st, 2021)3. 111.4 mph (April 14th, 2026)4. 111.1 mph (Aug. 13th, 2021)5. 110.9 mph (April 17th, 2026)
Three of Rosario’s five hardest hit balls (and his three hardest in the last five years) have come in the last week. This is not a fluke. When we learned the Yankees might re-sign Rosario in December, I mentioned he had trained at Driveline the last two offseasons, and saw big gains in his bat speed and exit velocities. Those gains have continued. This is 2024 to 2025 to 2026:
Bat speed: 71.2 mph to 73.2 mph to 74.5 mph
Fast swing rate: 16.7% to 29.9% to 51.8%
90th percentile EV: 103.1 mph to 106.1 mph to 107.3 mph
Barrel rate: 4.6% to 6.0% to 13.2%
Rosario has 49 plate appearances this year and those rates will come down with more playing time, but this is a player who set out to improve his bat speed and hard-hit ability, and has done exactly that. The gains are showing up on the field. Rosario’s a great clubhouse guy, he mashes lefties, and you can put him at second, third, or in right field. He’s a star in his role.
The Yankees will see two more lefties in Boston this week and of course Rosario will be in the lineup. He has to play against every lefty. After that, it’s conceivable the Yankees will only see 5-6 lefties in their next 23 games, and it could be fewer than that. I don’t want to give Rosario more playing time against righties, that’s a recipe for overexposure, but he’s been awesome so far. An A+ offseason move.
Miscellany
Good for Ryan McMahon having a moment Friday. He came off the bench for defense in the seventh and wound up hitting the game-winning homer in the eighth (video). I thought it was a routine fly ball off the bat, but it carried out. McMahon went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts Sunday, so the homer wasn’t the start of a hot streak, but he’s working through some mechanical things behind the scenes. Maybe he’ll pull a 2010 Curtis Granderson and go from terrible to 40-homer guy almost literally overnight … Double and a triple for J.C. Escarra on Saturday (videos). He also reached on a three-base error in the third inning and I thought it was ruled a triple initially (three-base error is the correct call there), and looked up a bunch of stats before realizing it was an error. Might as well dump them here anyway:
The last Yankee with two triples in a game was Brian Roberts on May 14th, 2014.
The last Yankee catcher with two triples in a game was Butch Wynegar on July 8th, 1983.
The last catcher for any team with a two-triple game was Yan Gomes on July 20th, 2023.
So there you go. Nice afternoon, J.C. … Cam Schlittler was great Friday even if he did issue his second and third walks of the season: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K (video). His 2.9 BB% is the lowest among qualified pitchers. Ryan Weathers was even better than Schlittler on Sunday: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (video). I will say though, the Royals looked pretty checked out after the Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the first. Seven-game losing streak and a getaway day will do that to an offense. Anyway, here’s a fun leaderboard:
Location+ (min. 20 IP)1. Ryan Weathers: 1202. Will Warren: 1163. Cam Schlittler: 1144. George Kirby: 1145. Michael McGreevy: 114
Stuff+ measures the quality of a pitch based on velocity, spin, movement, etc. Location+ measures the ability to put pitches in the right places, and is adjusted for the count and pitch type. Your fastball may grade out well based on the pitch traits, but if you throw it middle-middle, what good is it? The Yankees and Mariners lead baseball with a 110 Location+. No other team is over 105. More fastballs and top of the league Location+, eh? Seems to me the Yankees are ahead of the curve with something here … And finally, McMahon’s home run Friday leaves Jazz Chisholm Jr. as the only regular without a homer. His 83 plate appearances without a homer aren’t the most in baseball, but he’s up there. Jazz has gotta get going, man. For his sake (free agency) and the Yankees’ sake (more good hitters).
Injury updates and roster moves
Gerrit Cole (elbow) started his rehab assignment with Somerset on Friday: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR on 44 pitches (video). We don’t get public Statcast from Double-A, but an opposing scout said, “I’d be very encouraged,” per Brendan Kuty (subs. req’d). Cole said he felt good the next day and that’s really all that matters. He’ll make another rehab start this week … Carlos Rodón (elbow, hamstring) threw four innings and 58 pitches in live BP against Somerset on Saturday. He’s expected to make a rehab start this week. Aaron Boone said he expects Rodón back before Cole even though Cole’s made a rehab start and Rodón hasn’t … Anthony Volpe (shoulder) is 4-for-11 (.364) through four rehab games (he also hit against Rodón on Saturday). He played seven innings at shortstop Sunday, up from five innings in his previous three rehab games. Somerset is on the road this week and Scranton is home. Volpe will play with the RailRiders this week for sure. I assume Cole and Rodón will as well. I wonder who will buy the spread?
Up next
A nine-game road trip through Boston and Texas. A Red Sox to Astros (to Rangers) road trip will be tough, but it would have been a nightmare a few years ago. Neither team has started well and the Red Sox have hit 13 homers in 22 games. Power was a concern coming into the season and it shows. Here’s what coming up between now and Friday’s post:
Tuesday at Red Sox: RHP Luis Gil vs. LHP Connelly Early (6:45pm ET on YES, TBS)
Wednesday at Red Sox: LHP Max Fried vs. LHP Ranger Suárez (6:45pm ET on Amazon, MLBN)
Thursday at Red Sox: RHP Cam Schlittler vs. RHP Brayan Bello (6pm ET on YES, FOX)
More lefties. The Yankees faced one lefty starter in the first 11 games and this will now be nine in the 13 games since, including four straight. At least the Yankees won’t see Garrett Crochet this week. He hasn’t been himself this year (7.88 ERA and 4.96 FIP), I know, but I don’t think Crochet is Actually Bad now. I’d rather avoid that dude and take my chances with almost literally anyone else.
Sonny Gray left Monday’s start with a hamstring issue after 2.2 innings. Seven relievers had to cover 6.1 innings, and the Tigers put together enough of a rally in the ninth to force Aroldis Chapman into the game. Good job, Tigers. No one was extended though and only Rule 5 Draft pick Ryan Watson has pitched back-to-back days. Boston's bullpen is in okay shape, but they are coming off a long day.
Thursday will be Schlittler’s first start in Fenway Park and his first time facing the Red Sox since Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. He told Joel Sherman (subs. req’d) he and his family have gotten death threats, though he didn’t consider them serious enough to go to the authorities. Still, that’s messed up, man. It’s just sports. Don’t take it so seriously. You’ll never make it out alive.
2. Prospect thoughts. For the second time in a week, Double-A Somerset faced a rehabbing Zack Wheeler on Sunday, and SS George Lombard Jr. took him deep for a leadoff homer (video). A veteran like Wheeler isn’t bearing down during a rehab starts, it’s basically Spring Training for him and he’s just getting work in, but still, pretty cool for Lombard. Here now are a few thoughts on a few prospects. (Here are my Top 30 Prospects, for reference.)
Jones on a hot streak
After a slow first two weeks, OF Spencer Jones is in the middle of one of his hot streaks: 8-for-23 (.348) with three homers in his last seven games. That’s brought his season line up to .254/.363/.552 (138 wRC+) through 19 Triple-A games. And yep, his contact rates are still unplayably bad:
Strikeout rate: 37.5% (Triple-A average: 23.6%; MLB average: 22.5%)
Swinging strike rate: 22.1% (Triple-A average: 12.2%; MLB average: 10.9%)
In-zone contact rate: 66.0% (Triple-A average: 81.8%; MLB average: 85.4%)
I guess the good news is Jones’ numbers are trending in the right direction. When I looked about 10 days ago, his in-zone contact rate was around 49%. For reference, Joey Gallo had a 69.9% in-zone contact rate as a Yankee, and Jones is under that in Triple-A. This is what a 66.0% in-zone contact rate looks like:
I always get a kick out of the contact rate heat maps that clearly show the hitter’s bat path. Jones has a grooved swing geared for pitches down (fastballs up have always given his trouble). Up and up-and-away, forget it, he’s been hopeless this season. You can have a good career as a low ball hitter, but it’s hard to be impactful that way. There is a big, exploitable hole in that man’s swing.
I don’t want to belabor the point. Jones has contact issues. We know that. Beyond that, I’m just not sure where Jones fits long-term. I guess the Yankees could let Trent Grisham walk and put Jones in center next season, and hey, maybe that’s the plan, but I think that would get ugly. Trading him is a fine idea except for the fact other teams know about his contact issues and extreme risk. This isn't some secret.
Jones is still using his Shohei Ohtani inspired toe tap and maybe – hopefully – that will fully take hold in the coming weeks and he’ll get his contact rates to an acceptable level. He doesn’t need even a league average contact rate. Getting it to below average would be a big improvement and acceptable as long as he’s mashing taters. Jones has begun to heat up. May it last until at least the trade deadline.
Miscellaneous notes
It’s still too early in the season to really dig into anything and pretend these sample sizes are meaningful, so here are a few quick hit prospect notes instead. Players are alphabetical.
RHP Jack Cebert: Last year’s 15th rounder and my No. 13 prospect has a 1.26 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 26.4 K% and 3.8 BB% through two High-A starts (video). He went 7.1 innings and 93 pitches in his first start, and seven innings and 86 pitches in his second start. There have been only 14 seven-inning starts in the minors this year and Cebert is the only guy with two. Several of the other 12 were thrown by veteran journeymen too (Jason Alexander, Casey Lawrence, Cal Quantrill, etc.). Cebert was mostly a reliever in college, but he has a deep arsenal and the Yankees are starting him. He’s been pitch-efficient and the Yankees are letting him go deep into games.
LHP Allen Facundo: My No. 23 prospect is still working as a starter even though profiles as a reliever. Might as well, right? Facundo has missed a lot of time with injuries (99.1 innings from 2022-25) and starting gets him on the mound more often. He’s been awesome in two starts and 10 innings in Low-A: 1.80 ERA (2.08 FIP) with 47.2 K%. Things look okay under the hood:
Facundo, 23, has spent parts of the last three seasons with Tampa around his injuries. He’s one of several guys who probably belongs in High-A but is stuck in Low-A because Hudson Valley’s pitching staff is overstuffed at the moment. I expect Facundo to move up pretty soon and perhaps make the shift into the bullpen full-time once his innings total begins to approach 100 or so.
RHP Rory Fox: Last year’s sixth round pick has given up nine runs on 15 baserunners in 9.2 innings in his two High-A starts, though he did strike out seven batters in a row at one point on April 11th (video). That was cool.
RHP Ben Grable: Grable was last year’s 11th rounder and one of my Not Top 30 Prospects. The Yankees cut right to the chase and put him in the bullpen, and Grable has been dominant with Hudson Valley: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 15 K. That’s a 55.6 K% (also a 55.6 GB% for some nice symmetry). Grable gives off some Chad Green vibes as a guy with above-average fastball velocity and excellent carry on the pitch up in the zone. Here’s video. It’s straight up bully ball. Fastball after fastball, whiff after whiff. We’re probably not gonna learn much about Grable until he gets to Double-A. High-A hitters are overwhelmed.
RHP Carlos Lagrange: It’s been a Jekyll and Hyde season for Lagrange, who has two good starts and two starts with more walks than innings. Overall, it’s a 4.30 ERA (5.84 FIP) with 27.3 K% and 15.2 BB% in 14.2 innings. His 99.3 mph average fastball velocity is third in the minors behind two relievers and his 111 Stuff+ leads all Triple-A starters. It’s a huge arm. We know that. The control remains a work in progress.
IF Jackson Lovich: Last year’s 16th rounder is a .417/.485/.733 (232 wRC+) hitter in pro ball. It’s only 15 games and 68 plate appearances, but you can’t fake a 109.9 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. That’s second highest in the minors (again, we only have Statcast for Triple-A and Low-A). Lovich was one of my Prospects to Know. Offensively, he’s Spencer Jones lite. Enormous raw power with major contact issues. Defensively, he’s played all over the infield and is competent everywhere. Unique profile. Can’t ignore a dude who hits the ball like this even if the risk is extreme.
2B Marco Luciano: Once one of the game’s best prospects, Luciano is hitting .333/.404/.667 (169 wRC+) with three homers in Double-A. As much fun as the “former top prospect turned waiver claim finally makes good on the hype” story would be, I wouldn’t read anything into this. Luciano has big league time and 226 career games in Triple-A. He should destroy Double-A. Also, the 26.9 K% and 14.7% swinging strike rate suggest Luciano’s contact issues haven’t gone away.
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr.: The Yankees signed the prospect-eligible Martinez to a minor league deal over the winter. He hit a 116.4 mph home run (video) last week off Mets RHP Jonah Tong, who is a top 100 prospect. Just a ridiculous homer. It looked like it got no higher than about 25 feet off the ground. It’s the third hardest hit ball in the minors this year with the caveat that we only have Statcast for Triple-A and Low-A. Still, what a shot. Martinez, 26, is sporting a .274/.333/.574 (134 wRC+) line with Scranton, albeit with a 31.8 K%.
RHP Elmer Rodríguez: Big Glue has a 1.15 ERA (3.89 FIP) with 23.3 K% and 10.7 BB% in three starts and 15.2 innings with the RailRiders. The small sample Stuff+ numbers are okay more than great:
Scranton’s had a few rainouts recently. Brendan Beck’s rotation turn is up today, so the Yankees would have to skip Beck and start Rodríguez tonight to keep him lined up with Luis Gil. It will be extra rest for Rodríguez. That’s not an issue. But we’re just gonna find out how committed the Yankees are to keeping Rodríguez lined up with Gil. If he starts tonight, it will mean they’re skipping Beck to make it happen.
Shewmake traded to Astros
The Yankees made a minor trade over the weekend, sending IF Braden Shewmake to the Astros for Double-A RHP Wilmy Sanchez. Houston has some injuries (Jeremy Pena’s hamstring, Nick Allen’s back, etc.) and little depth in Triple-A. They could’ve claimed Shewmake on waivers when the Yankees DFAed him in February, but they didn’t need him then. So, a trade was made, and Shewmake was called up Monday.
(Braden Shewmake and Wilmy Sanchez are two excellent baseball names. Fun trade for that reason alone. Not sure who the Yankees are gonna get to make their shews now though.)
Depending which site you read, the Astros have either the worst or second worst farm system in baseball, and Sanchez was not ranked among their top 30 prospects anywhere. I mean, it’s Braden Shewmake. How much can you expect in return? James Fegan had Sanchez as an honorable mention in his Astros prospect list in March. Here’s the write-up:
Sanchez is a compactly built righty with a hoppy mid-90s four-seamer that misses bats, but he didn’t perform quite as well at Double-A last year, and after walking 51 in 61 innings, it might be 30-grade command.
Sanchez, 22, has a 1.29 ERA (3.15 FIP) with 29.6 K% and 14.8 BB% in seven Double-A innings early this season. He’s repeating the level after throwing 61 innings with 6.05 ERA (4.78 FIP) and 25.8 K% and 17.5 BB% in Double-A last year. The Yankees traded the fifth or sixth guy on their shortstop depth chart for a Double-A lottery ticket reliever. Not exactly the most exciting trade, but a trade it is.
As for that shortstop depth chart, this is what it looks like at the moment (everyone here is in Triple-A or the big leagues):
1. Anthony Volpe (rehabbing from shoulder surgery)2. José Caballero3. Ryan McMahon, apparently4. Max Schuemann5. Paul DeJong (can opt out on April 27th)6. Oswaldo Cabrera7. Jonathan Ornelas
Cabrera’s having a tough start in Scranton, unfortunately: .149/.205/.269 (20 wRC+) with 26.0 K%. If the Yankees need an infielder at some point, I assume Schuemann’s at the front of the call-up line, not that he’s been great himself in Triple-A (.203/.351/.305 and 86 wRC+). Maybe DeJong will stick around, maybe he won’t. I don’t think it’s a big deal either way.
Lombar is hitting .365/.433/.654 (178 wRC+) in Double-A at the moment and he played 108 games at the level last season. After a similarly scorching start last season, the Yankees promoted him from High-A to Double-A in early May. With Shewmake traded and DeJong possibly opting out soon, methinks Mr. Lombard might find himself in Scranton in the not-too-distant future.
Injury updates
Too many Top 30 Prospect pitching injuries already. RHP Ben Hess was placed on 7-day IL on Saturday. No word on the injury. He’s had several over the years (back in high school, flexor in college, hip last year) and he had five walks and two hit batters in 2.2 innings in his last start, so who knows … LHP Pico Kohn threw 5.2 innings and 84 pitches in High-A on April 3rd, was played on the 7-day IL on April 9th, and was moved to the 60-day IL on April 16th. I don’t know what the injury is, but obviously the tests came back bad if he was put on the 60-day … LHP Henry Lalane threw seven innings in two Low-A appearances and is now on the 7-day IL. Not sure what it is, but he’s had shoulder issues for three years now. Statcast says his fastball was down about 1 mph in his second start from his first, when it was down from a few years ago … And finally, still no word when SS Dax Kilby (hamstring) will make his season debut. All I keep hearing is “soon.”
3. 2026 draft slot values. The 2026 draft is about three months away (July 11-12) and the Yankees will have a $7,342,800 bonus pool this year, per Jim Callis. That’s the fourth smallest in baseball. The Yankees have a late first round pick and didn’t add any picks via free agent compensation or trades, hence the small bonus pool. Here are their slot values by round:
1st round (No. 35): $2,826,7002nd round (No. 63): $1,451,7003rd round (No. 99): $792,3004th round (No. 127): $603,5005th round (No. 160): $437,2006th round (No. 189): $341,8007th round (No. 218): $270,0008th round (No. 248): $223,1009th round (No. 278): $203,50010th round (No. 308): $193,000
The Yankees received the No. 25 overall pick for having the best record among Division Series losers, then luxury tax penalties pushed that back 10 picks. That No. 35 pick falls in Competitive Balance Round A even though it is technically a first round pick. The rest are in their “normal” rounds. Every pick in rounds 11-20 has a $150,000 slot value, and every dollar over $150,000 counts against the bonus pool.
Here are MLB Pipeline’s top 100 draft prospects. There are still 11 trade-eligible Competitive Balance picks out there. Those picks can only be traded once for whatever reason, and four were dealt in the offseason. I have them in front of me, so I might as well list them:
Competitive Balance Round A29. Guardians30. Royals31. Diamondbacks32. Cardinals33. Rays (from Orioles in Shane Baz trade)34. Pirates35. Yankees (first rounder that was pushed back, not tradeable)36. Phillies (first rounder that was pushed back, not tradeable)37. Rockies
Competitive Balance Round B67. Red Sox (from Brewers in Caleb Durbin trade)68. Cardinals (from Mariners in Brendan Donovan three-team trade)69. Tigers70. Reds71. Marlins72. Cardinals (from Rays in Brendan Donovan three-team trade)73. Athletics74. Twins
I wonder about the Pirates and the No. 34 pick. They spent money in the offseason (relatively speaking) and have started the season well (13-9). The Brewers and Cubs have a lot of injuries. The NL Central is kinda up for grabs. If we get to June or July and the Pirates are still in it, would they move the No. 34 pick to help the MLB team? Why wouldn’t they? They haven’t been to the postseason since 2015.
The Rays traded the No. 37 pick for Bryan Baker, a good but not great reliever, last summer, just to give you an idea what these picks are worth by themselves. The Yankees have only traded for one pick* since Competitive Balance picks became a thing. I’m sure they would love to add one (who wouldn’t?). I’m just not sure if they can match up with one of those 11 teams. I guess we’ll find out before July 11.
* They got the No. 38 pick in the Sonny Gray trade with the Reds and used it on lefty T.J. Sikkema, who they later sent to the Royals in the Andrew Benintendi trade.
I’ll get into my usual draft coverage (i.e prospect profiles) soon. I’ve heard from readers who like them and readers who skip right over them, which is perfectly fine. I don’t read every single word of every newsletter I subscribe to either. I’m gonna keep doing them because some people do read them, and because they help me get familiar with the draft class. I’ll start on them soon-ish.
4. Rapid fire thoughts. The Padres are on the verge of being sold for $3.9 billion. That will be, by a mile, the most ever paid for an MLB team, topping the $2.42 billion Steve Cohen paid for the Mets. The Padres are unique because they’re the only pro sports team in town and no one expects another California team to hit the market anytime soon, which inflated the price. I assume this puts an end to any Fernando Tatis Jr. trade speculation, which seemed like a long shot anyway. $3.9 billion for the Padres, eh? I can’t imagine what the Steinbrenners would get for the Yankees at this point. Anyway, the owners are gonna cry poor and lock the players out in seven months. Feel the excitement.
(Send your questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for if/when it returns.)