Mike Moustakas Archives - River Avenue Blues

Friday Links: Machado, Moustakas, Pitch Clock, London Series

February 22, 2019 by Mike

Manny heading to the Left Coast. (Harry How/Getty)

The first Grapefruit League game is less than 24 hours away. Thank goodness for that. As for the Yankees making further additions, it’s possible, but don’t expect anything big. “We’ve been offering (minor league contracts) out like Chiclets,” Brian Cashman told Joel Sherman. How exciting. Anyway, here are some notes.

Yankees would’ve gone to $240M for Machado?

The Yankees never did make Manny Machado a formal offer before he signed with the Padres, but, according to Jon Heyman, during their December meeting the Yankees indicated they were willing to offer him $220M to $240M. A lowball offer, clearly. They wanted Machado on their terms and at a discount or not at all. My guess is that $220M to $240M would’ve been spread across eight years rather than ten, and included opt-outs and all that good stuff.

Bryce Harper signing a short-term contract never seemed all that likely and the Machado contract all but guarantees it won’t happen. I have to think Harper and Scott Boras are licked their chops in anticipation of negotiating with the desperate as hell Phillies. I know it’s not going to happen but dammit I can’t help but hold out hope the Yankees are laying in the weeds here ready to swoop in a la Mark Teixeira years ago. Would be cool. Oh well. Maybe the Yankees will sign a 26-year-old superstar next offseason.

Yankees “briefly” considered Moustakas

According to Andy Martino, the Yankees only “briefly” considered making a run at Mike Moustakas earlier this offseason. Moustakas returned to the Brewers on a one-year deal worth $10M guaranteed earlier this week. The Yankees had interest in Moustakas as a first baseman at the trade deadline last year, before he went to the Brewers and before they acquired Luke Voit. Can’t get mad about how that series of events turned out.

Moustakas, 30, hit .251/.315/.459 (105 wRC+) with 28 home runs last season. He’s a lefty with a tendency to pull the ball in the air, so he would’ve fit nicely in Yankee Stadium. The Brewers are apparently going to play Moustakas at second base. The Yankees could’ve done that and shifted Gleyber Torres to short. Or they could’ve just put Moustakas at third base, moved Miguel Andujar to DH, and put Giancarlo Stanton in left field. Eh, whatever.

Pitch clock coming to Spring Training

You will see a pitch clock when the Yankees open their spring schedule tomorrow. Earlier this week commissioner Rob Manfred told Mike Fitzpatrick a 20-second pitch clock will be used during Cactus League and Grapefruit League games. No decision has been made about the regular season yet. Manfred and MLB want to give players and umpires a chance to get used to the pitch clock just case it is used during the regular season, so we’ll see it this spring. There will be warnings at first before ball-strike penalties take effect depending whether the pitcher or hitter is late.

“We’re still hopeful that we’re going to make an agreement with (the MLBPA) on pace-of-play initiatives. I just think that whether it’s by agreement or otherwise, the only prudent course for us at this point is to be in a position to proceed if in fact we have an agreement or decide to do it,” said Manfred. Manfred can unilaterally implement a 20-second pitch clock this year and it sounds like he will do exactly that if MLB and the MLBPA are unable to agree to a new set of pace-of-play rules. I am pro-pitch clock. Let’s do this. You won’t even notice it’s there in a few weeks.

MLB cracking down on high-tech sign-stealing

As expected, MLB is cracking down on high-tech sign-stealing following incidents in the postseason last year, reports Tom Verducci. An Astros employee was caught recording the Indians dugout during the ALDS last year, though the employee claimed he was monitoring Cleveland to make sure they weren’t stealing signs, and was later cleared by MLB following an investigation. There was also the Apple watch incident with the Red Sox two years ago.

According to Verducci, teams are now banned from using non-broadcast cameras from foul pole to foul pole in the outfield, and there are tighter restrictions on in-house video. Specifically, dugout and clubhouse monitors will be on an eight-second delay, and a designated official will monitor communication between the video replay room and the dugout. Penalties include loss of draft picks and international bonus money. There are no rules against stealing signs! MLB just doesn’t want teams using high-tech gadgets to do it. Given how much technology is in the game today, this was an inevitable and necessary step.

Yankees, Red Sox will wear home uniforms in London

The Yankees and Red Sox will both wear their home uniforms during the London Series later this summer, reports Pete Abraham. The Red Sox will be the home team for the two games but the Yankees will be out there in pinstripes. Why? Marketing. Can’t send your marquee franchise overseas in an effort to grow the game and not have them wear their iconic uniform, you know? Imagine sending the Yankees overseas and making them wear their road grays. Good grief. Anyway, the London Series will be played at London Stadium on June 29th and 30th.

Trade Deadline Rumors: Eovaldi, Hand, Moustakas, D’Backs

July 10, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Nasty Nate in your area. (Rich Schultz/Getty)

We are now three weeks away from the 2018 non-waiver trade deadline and the Manny Machado rumors have arrived. It feels like a foregone conclusion the Yankees will do something before the deadline. I’m not sure what, exactly, but I’d bet on adding a starting pitcher. Anyway, here’s the latest batch of trade deadline rumors.

Yankees scouting Eovaldi

The Yankees were among the teams with a scout on hand for Nathan Eovaldi’s most recent start, reports Marc Topkin. Eovaldi took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Mets on Sunday and finished the afternoon with one hit allowed in seven shutout innings. He struck out nine. On one hand, that’s undeniably excellent. On the other hand, it was the Mets, so yeah.

Eovaldi, now 28, has a 3.35 ERA (4.16 FIP) with very good strikeout (24.3%), walk (3.3%), and ground ball (48.8%) rates in eight starts and 48.1 innings back from his second Tommy John surgery. He’s on a cheap ($2M) one-year contract and it is all but certain the Rays will trade him before the deadline. Tampa has Eovaldi using his cutter more, which could explain his effectiveness. The Yankees know Eovaldi well, if nothing else. He’s worth a longer look outside a rumor roundup setting. Stay tuned.

Yankees interested in Hand

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are among the teams with interest in lefty reliever Brad Hand. Hand is signed affordably through 2020 with a $10M club option for 2021. The Yankees have a very strong and deep bullpen already, but there’s always room for another quality reliever. Swap out Chasen Shreve for Hand and the bullpen would be even better.

Hand is probably the top reliever on the trade market right now and the price tag figures to be very high given his performance and contract. He’s not too dissimilar from Andrew Miller circa 2016. The Yankees had interest in him at last year’s deadline and adding another reliever does make some sense. Adding Hand won’t solve the rotation issues but he would make the Yankees better, and that’s the name of the game, getting better. Especially in a division race this tight.

Yankees, Blue Jays still discussing Happ

According to Buster Olney (subs. req’d), the Yankees and Blue Jays are “continuing conversations” about left-hander J.A. Happ. The two sides are said to be “haggling over the price tag.” I guess the Yankees have not been scared away by Happ’s recent performance. It’s not just his dud against the Yankees over the weekend. In his last four starts Happ has allowed 20 runs and 38 baserunners (and six homers) in 22.2 innings. He has a 4.44 ERA (3.97 FIP) for the season.

The Yankees are not prone to small sample size (over)reactions. They’re a big picture organization. That doesn’t mean they’ll ignore Happ’s recent struggles, but if they’re comfortable with the medicals and their scouts and analytical folks think this is just a bump in the road, they could pursue Happ anyway. The trade deadline pitching options don’t look all that appealing right now. Happ, even with his recent struggles, may be the best bet the rest of the season. I’m not surprised the Yankees are still involved.

Yankees considering Moustakas for first base

Just put anyone at first base how hard could it be. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)

The Yankees are considering longtime Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas for first base, reports Jon Morosi. This sounds more like an idea the Yankees are kicking around rather than a “the two teams are talking” rumor. Moustakas has played a handful of games at first base this year — he’d never played a position other than third prior to this season — and he’s on a cheap ($6.5M) contract.

Greg Bird is maybe kinda sorta starting to hit a bit — he is 7-for-29 (.241) with five walks (.371 OBP) in his last eight games and his at-bats have been much better — but he’s still hitting an underwhelming .203/.324/.398 (100 wRC+) overall. Moustakas is hitting a slightly better .251/.308/.464 (106 wRC+) overall, including .207/.270/.393 (77 wRC+) since the day Bird made his season debut. Plus he hasn’t played much first base at all. Like I’ve been saying, if Bird isn’t hitting by the All-Star break, go get a first baseman. An actual first baseman, preferably.

D’Backs, Rangers, Phillies scouting Yankees

The Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Phillies all had scouts watching Triple-A Scranton over the weekend, reports George King. The Reds and Royals continue to scout the Yankees as well. Most of the RailRiders’ best players (Brandon Drury, Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade) were in the big leagues at the time, but Billy McKinney is still down there, and over the weekend pitching prospects Justus Sheffield, Josh Rogers, and Chance Adams all started for Scranton.

The Rangers stink and are going to trade Cole Hamels before the trade deadline, so it makes sense that they’ve got eyes on the Yankees. What about the D’Backs and Phillies? They’re contenders! They’re not just contenders, they’re in first place! I suppose Arizona could be doing due diligence in case they collapse and decide to trade Patrick Corbin? Unless the Phillies make a young starter like Nick Pivetta or Zach Eflin (or Aaron Nola!) available, I’m not sure they match up well with the Yankees for a trade.

Jason Kipnis, Mike Moustakas, and the ongoing search for a veteran infielder

February 5, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Pitchers and catchers report next week and still so many free agents remain unsigned. There are over a hundred of them, but as far as legitimate big leaguers go, there’s maybe 50 free agents out there looking for a job. That’s a lot! They should all be signed and preparing for the start of camp by now. Instead, they’re still unemployed. Crazy.

The Yankees have about $22M to spend under the $197M luxury tax threshold, though when you remove the $10M they’re planning to set aside for midseason additions, it’s more like $12M. That’s a lot! And with the free agent market moving so slowly, the Yankees still have an opportunity to spend that money on a quality player. Usually by now all the best free agents would be signed. Not this year.

We know the Yankees want another starting pitcher. They went after Gerrit Cole, Chris Archer, Michael Fulmer, and Patrick Corbin at various points this winter. The Yankees don’t just want another starter, they want a really good starter. Even in this free agent market, I’m not sure that $12M is enough to land a quality starter though. Would Alex Cobb or Lance Lynn really be available at that price? If so, why haven’t they signed already?

Aside from a starter, the Yankees could also add an infielder given their second and third base openings. In fact, Jon Heyman recently reported the Yankees are considering free agent infielders Todd Frazier, Neil Walker, and Eduardo Nunez, and at some point last week they checked in on Mike Moustakas as well. On the trade front, the Yankees have shown “on-and-off” interest in Jason Kipnis according to Ken Rosenthal, “but for now it seems mostly off.”

On one hand, “considering” a free agent is meaningless. Every team considers every free agent at some point. On the other hand, these reports indicate the Yankees are monitoring the market in case something comes together at what they consider a bargain price. That’s usually how Brian Cashman & Co. operate. If something is available on their terms (see: Stanton, Giancarlo), they’ll pounce. If not, they’ll stay the course. A few things about the infielder search.

1. Kipnis might come surprisingly cheap. Even as successful as they’ve been the last few years, the Indians are notoriously cash-strapped, and Kipnis’ contract is standing in the way of other moves. He’ll make $13.5M in 2018 and $14.5M in 2019 before a $16.5M club option ($2.5M buyout) comes into play for 2020. That’s a minimum of $30.5M from 2018-19. He’s not cheap, especially for the Indians.

The Yankees are seemingly more concerned about the luxury tax payroll than their actual payroll. Kipnis has $30.5M in real money coming to him the next two years, but his luxury tax hit is a much more palatable $8.75M based on his six-year, $52.5M extension. That fits nicely under the luxury tax threshold and still leaves the Yankees about $13M total to spend on whatever. A pitcher, the trade deadline, whatever.

Kipnis will turn 31 in April and he hit .232/.291/.414 (82 wRC+) with 12 homers in 90 games around a series of hamstring problems last season, so you can understand why the Indians might be worried his best years are behind him. If they can unload Kipnis and his salary, they can put Jose Ramirez at second and Giovanny Urshela at third, and spend the savings on whatever else they need. Given his salary, the Indians might be willing to part with Kipnis for something less than a big return. Based on the Dee Gordon salary dump, three low-to-mid-range prospects might do it.

What would the Yankees do with Kipnis? Well, use him as a stopgap at second base, for starters. He’d make it easier to send Gleyber Torres to Triple-A to ~~shake off the rust after elbow surgery~~ buy an extra year of control. And I guess the Yankees would also hope Kipnis can play some first and third? He’s never played either position, but he does have a little outfield experience. Teaching a player a new position(s) on the fly is never easy, but it’s not impossible. Kipnis’ lefty bat would balance the lineup and allow him to take aim at the short porch. There’s a fit. Not a perfect fit, but it could work.

2. Am I wrong in not wanting Moustakas? I feel like the reality of Mike Moustakas isn’t as good as the perception of Mike Moustakas. He’s a good player, no doubt. But I don’t consider him a top ten third baseman in baseball (Steamer agrees) because he’s never gotten on base (career .305 OBP) and his mobility in the field was compromised last year after tearing his ACL in 2016. Now, that said, Moustakas is a left-handed hitter who pulls a lot of balls in the air …

… and that makes him a wonderful fit for Yankee Stadium. Is that enough to a) block Miguel Andujar, and b) give up two draft picks (second and fifth rounder) and $1M in international bonus money to sign him? Maybe it is. The Yankees are trying to win the World Series and Moustakas’ certainty might be better than Andujar’s upside. I dunno. Anyway, if Moustakas ends up taking a one-year contract, other teams figure to outbid the Yankees given the luxury tax plan. If the Yankees are going to sign a veteran, I’d prefer Frazier, who’s a better defender than Moustakas, going to post similar OBP and power numbers, and won’t cost draft picks and international bonus money.

3. Get an infielder, but don’t block the kids. The Yankees have been going young pretty much wherever possible, which is the main reason we kinda have to believe them when they say they are willing to start the season with Torres at second and Andujar at third (or Tyler Wade, or Thairo Estrada, etc.). That doesn’t mean they won’t add a veteran, but it stands to reason they’ll want to add a veteran without blocking the kids. That’s not easy.

How do you do that, exactly? If they trade for Kipnis, what happens when Torres (or Wade or Estrada) is deemed ready? If they re-sign Frazier, how do they made room for Andujar when the time comes? I’m a “just get the talent and it’ll work itself” guy, so I don’t consider this a huge deal. For the Yankees though, they have to keep this stuff in mind. Where does Kipnis fit after Torres gets called up? How do Frazier and Andujar co-exist? They don’t have to have an answer right now. It’s just something to keep in mind.

4. Versatility is important. This ties back to the last point. If Kipnis can handle first and/or third base, then he could become something of a super utility guy when Gleyber and Andujar arrive. He provides protection behind the kids and backs up Greg Bird. Frazier can’t play second. (He says he can, but I’m not buying it.) It’s first or third only for him. Moustakas is third base only. Walker played first, second, and third last year, and he switch hits!

Another reason versatility is important: The pitching staff. The Yankees went with an eight-man bullpen for long stretches of time last season, which means a three-man bench, and one of the three is the backup catcher. You need players who can play multiple positions. The Yankees might also go with a six-man rotation at times this year, even if they only call up a sixth starter for one day to make a start before sending him right back down. They’ve played with a short bench quite often the last two or three years, and I have no reason to believe that will end this season. The more versatile the veteran infielder, the better.

* * *

The Yankees have $12M or so to spend under the luxury tax threshold before we even get to their $10M buffer for midseason additions, and that $12M is going to get spent. I’m sure of it. The Yankees will do what they always seem to do this time of year. They’ll see which free agents (or trade candidates) slip through the cracks and become “value buys.” Last year it was Chris Carter and hey, that didn’t work out. Doesn’t mean you stop trying though.

You could make a case any of the available infielders makes sense for the Yankees. Kipnis is a lefty bat with a luxury tax friendly contract and some versatility. Moustakas will cost nothing but cash and he’ll abuse the short porch. Frazier is available for nothing but cash and he brings energy and production. Walker is a switch-hitter and versatile. Nunez makes gobs of contact and is versatile. Josh Harrison brings energy and versatility. They all make some degree of sense in their own way.

Torres and Andujar are the future though, and any move the Yankees make will be made with those guys in mind. I would be stunned if the Yankees signed, say, Moustakas to a three-year contract that leaves Andujar with no place to play. Same with Walker at second base. I expect a short-term deal only. Balancing winning now with breaking in Torres and Andujar won’t be easy! But this is a good problem to have. The Yankees are in position to get a good deal on an infielder, and if it doesn’t happen, well they’ll just go with their top 100 caliber prospects.

Mike Moustakas: a Yankees extravagance

December 24, 2017 by Joe Pawlikowski Leave a Comment

Make no mistake: Mike Moustakas fits well with the 2018 Yankees. Not perfect by any stretch, but well enough that, should the right situation present itself, the Yankees should seriously consider signing him. Until this point in the off-season, however, that did not seem feasible.

Given how slowly the hot stove has unfolded, it is only natural that we’ll hear speculation about certain players taking pillow contracts. If history is any indication, most of those players will end up with long-term deals. How many times have we heard that Scott Boras overplayed his hand, only to secure a meets (or exceeds) expectations contract in January?

At the same time, baseball is at a strange juncture. The Dodgers and Braves just worked out a junk swap that allows Los Angeles to manipulate the luxury tax situation. The Yankees, as we well know, have a mandate to stay under the $197 million luxury threshold so they can reset their rate. Might it be worth the whiles of players such as Moustakas to sign one-year deals this year in order to cash in when at least two big-market teams are ready to spend?

Ultimately, I’d guess that Moustakas lands a multi-year deal for high eight figures sometime in January — something like five years, $85 million. But until that happens, there is no shame in speculating. And Buster Olney got us started down that path.

Before we start imagining Moustakas popping baseballs over the wall in right, let’s be clear about one thing: The Yankees can’t make this work with Jacoby Ellsbury’s full contract still on the books.

I mean, by the most technical definition they could. According to our latest Yankees payroll update, they have roughly $24.5 million left to spend. The above-guessed contract has an AAV of $17 million. Even if we go with that number and don’t go to, say, $20 million to help justify the short commitment, that leaves the Yankees with $7.5 million left. That’s close to the amount they’ll likely retain heading into the season so that they can make mid-season maneuvers.

Do they really want to go down that path?

By all indications, they’re trying to add another starting pitcher. Unless they land Michael Fulmer, that pitcher will cost them more than $7.5 million. They could trade a reliever, but Mike argued pretty solidly against that idea. Looking around the roster, if it’s not an expensive reliever changing jerseys it’d have to be Ellsbury.

Practical considerations aside, adding Moustakas’s left-handed power to the lineup would create a run-scoring bonanza the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1931 Yankees*. The 2017 home run total for the projected starting lineup is 252 — which is more than any other team in 2017 including the Yankees themselves.

*And since none of us saw that, we should probably say the 1999 Indians. But, you know, Yankees Only.

Another advantage to adding an established third baseman such as Moustakas: it’s much easier to justify opening the season with Gleyber Torres at second. Opening the season with two inexperienced players in the infield? Not out of the question, but also not ideal. Adding a third baseman such as Moustakas, however, makes that decision easier. It also gives Miguel Andujar a season to take reps at third at Scranton. You know, just in case they don’t get Manny Machado. Which is the entire idea behind finding a stopgap third baseman.

To reiterate, were I a betting man I wouldn’t bet against Boras getting Moustakas a good multi-year deal this off-season. That’s largely because I’ve learned not to bet against the best in the biz, but also because Moustakas is a good enough player that he should get a decent contract. That’s out of the question for the Yankees, for good reason. But if we’re imagining the possible, it’s easy to dream on a 275-homer team.

Mailbag: Tanaka, Sabathia, Solarte, Moustakas

May 16, 2014 by Mike 35 Comments

Got eight questions for you this week, some with long-ish answers and some with short answers. If you want to send us anything, mailbag questions or otherwise, use the Submit A Tip box in the sidebar.

JoeyA asks: How much would TANAK get on the open market RIGHT NOW. My guess: more than 7/155.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure Masahiro Tanaka would fetch more than seven years and $155M right now. He’s legitimately pitching like an ace (2.17 ERA and 2.81 FIP) because he doesn’t walk anyone (1.09 BB/9 and 3.1 BB%) and he misses a ton of bats (10.24 K/9 and 29.5 K%). Tanaka’s been durable throughout his career, he’s adjusted to the different ball and five-day schedule just fine, and he’s only 25 years old. Plus he’s a stone cold killer on the mound. Absolutely nothing rattles him. He would be a seriously hot commodity on the open market now that he’s shown he can handle MLB.

Tanaka’s contract (not counting the release fee) is already the fourth largest pitching contract in baseball history. I don’t think he’d get Clayton Kershaw money (seven years, $215M) if he was a free agent right now, but Felix Hernandez (seven years, $175M) and Justin Verlander (seven years, $180M) money seems very doable. That said, none of those three were free agents, they all signed extensions. Tanaka would be able to create a bidding war, so maybe $200M isn’t out of the question. I think Max Scherzer’s headed for $200M this winter and he turns 30 in July. Wouldn’t you rather have Tanaka’s age 25-31 seasons over Scherzer’s age 30-36 seasons?

Stephen asks: CC Sabathia’s xFIP is 3.14, good for 21st in the bigs. Since the purpose of xFIP is to normalize home run rates, do you see a large regression coming for the big guy? How is it possible for a guy with his peripherals to be this bad? Tanaka is actually leading the xFIP leaderboard, due to his bloated HR rate. Is it possible that he’s going to get even better as the season progresses?

I am absolutely not a fan of xFIP because it does normalize homer rates to the league average. Why are we doing that, exactly? We know pitchers give up homers at different rates so why would we expect them to regress back to the rest of the league? You’re better off comparing a pitcher’s homer rate to his recent performance.

For example, Sabathia has a 23.3% HR/FB rate this year, which is way higher than last season (13.0%) and the last three seasons (11.3% from 2011-13). At the same time, he’s given up some serious bombs this year — Hit Tracker says eight of Sabathia’s ten homers allowed were “no doubters” or had “plenty,” basically meaning they were crushed. One was “just enough” and barely got over the wall. The other was Wil Myers’ inside the park homer — and that indicates hitters are squaring him up well. The 23.3% HR/FB rate is insane (would be the highest in MLB history by a mile) and I would expect it come down some, but given the swings hitters are taking against him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a true talent 15-16% HR/FB guy now, especially in Yankee Stadium. The AL average is 9.4% this year and it feels like it would take a miracle for Sabathia to get his homer rate down that far at this point of his career. Long story short: I’m not an xFIP fan at all.

Spencer asks: I know it’s a tad premature, but how does the contract Yangervis Solarte has work? Does he become a free agent this year? Also, suppose he has the same slash line as he has now at the end of the season what would you sign him for?

This is the first time Solarte has been in the big leagues, so the Yankees still have his full six years of team control. Assuming he never goes back to the minors, he’ll earn something close to the league minimum from 2014-16, then go through arbitration from 2017-19. Solarte can not qualify for free agency until after the 2019 season at the earliest, when he will be 32 years old.

As for signing him long-term … I think it might be too early for that. Solarte’s been awesome, don’t get me wrong, but given his out of nowhere emergence from mediocre minor league journeyman to impact big leaguer, I think you need to see if he does it again next season before committing real money to him. If he’d agree to something like five years and $10M after the season (say $550k, $750k, $1.5M, $2.9M, $4.3M from 2015-19), then hell yeah, do it. He might jump at the guaranteed payday after toiling in the minors so long. At worst he’d be an expensive bench player four years down the line. The Yankees have a ton of money and can roll the dice by waiting a year to see if this is the real Solarte though.

Chris asks: Any thoughts at a run at Mike Moustakas? He’s off to an awful start and they are talking of sending him back to the minors.

I think the Yankees should call and ask, sure. Moustakas is off to a dreadful start (53 wRC+ going into last night’s game) and he simply can’t hit lefties, either this year (.198 wOBA) or throughout his relatively short big league career (.267 wOBA), so he’s basically a platoon player. He does have left-handed pop and he’s made himself into a strong defender at the hot corner, plus he is only 25 and it wasn’t that long ago that he was considered one of the ten best prospects in baseball. Maybe hitting coach Kevin Long can help him take him to the next level like he did Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson (and Solarte?).

The Royals are not the cellar-dwellers they once were, or at least they aren’t acting like that anymore. They’re trying to win right now, this year, before James Shields leaves as a free agent. I don’t think they’ll trade their starting third baseman — they have some internal candidates to replace him, so trading Moustakas is not necessarily a crazy idea — for a handful of prospects. They’ll want help for the big league team in return. Kansas City could probably use another outfielder and another starting pitcher. There’s no way I’d give up Brett Gardner for Moose Tacos and I doubt Zoilo Almonte or Ichiro Suzuki would cut it. As for the pitching, hah. The Yankees have zero to spare. He’s worth a phone call but I’m not sure there’s a good trade fit at this moment.

Mike P. asks: Under the new replay system, let’s say the HQ in New York tells the umpires a batter is safe at first, but the umpires watch the scoreboard replay and think he’s out. Do they have to follow the call from NYC or can they make their own judgment?

It’s all done in the Midtown office, the reviews and the decision. They just relay the call through the headsets. I don’t believe the on-field umpires have the authority to make the call either once it goes to review, that would defeat the purpose.

Daniel asks: You mentioned being sort of iffy on the decision to give Tino Martinez a plaque. Are there any of the other plaques or retired numbers that you disagree with or that at least are strange to you?

Here’s the list of monuments, plaques, and retired numbers. None of them stand out to me as odd but most of those guys played or managed or whatever long before my time. I think there’s a “feel” element to this stuff. You can’t just set some arbitrary WAR threshold and say guys over this number get a plaque, guys over this number get their number retired, so on and so forth. The guy has to feel like he belongs in Monument Park. You know I mean. Tino was awesome for the Yankees for six years, but was he an all-time great Yankee? Not a chance. I think others like Willie Randolph, Bobby Murcer, and Joe Gordon (Hall of Famer!) are more deserving of plaques. That’s just my opinion though. Everyone is welcome to feel differently.

Dan asks: Do you think Peter O’Brien has reached his top level this season? He got a quick promotion. If he keeps hitting like he did in High-A could he make it to AAA this year?

O’Brien was promoted quickly because he spent the second half of last season in High-A as well, it wasn’t just a few weeks early this year. That said, yes I definitely think another promotion may come later this season. Not right away, O’Brien needs some time to catch his breath and get comfortable in Double-A, but in August or so? Sure, bump him up if he’s still raking. Guys like him — drafted as a college senior, ton of power, lots of strikeouts, never walks, still trying to find a position — are the ones teams should promote aggressively because you’re not going to know what you have until he gets to the highest levels of the minors. He’s not someone like, say, Luis Torrens, who is trying to learn to catch high-end velocity and get through the grind of a full season. Give O’Brien like two months in Double-A then see where he’s at.

Kevin asks: Why not try Gary Sanchez at third at least part-time? They seem pretty set with Brian McCann and John Ryan Murphy behind the plate.

Sanchez still needs to work on his catching and I mean just about everything. Footwork, receiving, throwing, the whole nine. I think they should let him focus on improving behind the plate because that is where he’s most valuable. Who’s to say McCann won’t be a full-time DH and Murphy won’t be a bust by time Sanchez is ready? We’re still a long way away from worrying how he fits onto the roster and I think the odds of him being traded are much higher than the odds of him wearing pinstripes for more than a few weeks. When he gets to Triple-A and it looks like he might be ready to help the MLB team, that’s when I’d worry about his position. For now, leave him behind the plate and let him learn.