Game Day: Wednesday, June 17th
Rain all day and it's likely a rain out for the Pickstreak blog. My current station requires sunshine to complete the research and the picks so likely no pick today. I can come up with something for Game Day off the top of my head. Let's see what bubbles up.
Let's talk about the Yanks. The Yankees are on top of the AL East and look like a team that can run away with this division. The Rays have played admirably and Tampa has a soft schedule into July but they don't have the depth and they aren't likely to keep pace with the Yankees into September.
Baltimore, Toronto and Boston haven't put it together this season. All three teams are well under .500 and they don't seem to have what it takes to string together a long winning streak.
The Yankees look like a lock to win the AL East.
The rotation has been without Max Fried for a month now but has weathered the storm. Garrett Cole is well rested and his arm is live. Carlos Rodon is one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game. Rookie Cam Schlittler has a 1.82 ERA in 89 innings this season and is the front-runner for the AL Cy Young award. Will Warren is also an ace from my perspective. When Fried returns, the Yankees will have five aces in the rotation down the stretch.
That potentially moves Ryan Weathers into the bullpen. Veterans Luis Gil and Clarke Schmitt could also make an impact when they return from the IR later this season. Adding those three arms to David Bednar, Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick and Camilo Doval, the Yankees' bullpen will be formidable.
It leaves players like Paul Blackburn, Jake Bird and Ryan Yarbrough without a job. What are the Yankees going to do at the trade deadline to improve this team? They have a stack of players to trade but there isn't an easy solution.
They are strong as can be in the rotation, around the outfield, at the DH and at 1B.
With a healthy Aaron Judge in the lineup, the Yanks have an outfield group of Judge, Bellinger, Grisham, Jones and Dominguez. It's the best group in MLB. Their tandem of Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt at 1B is the best in MLB.
The Yanks haven't had Rice at catcher all season and there is reason to believe that it isn't in their plans. With Rice locked in at 1B, ideally Goldschmidt is getting everyday at-bats as the primary DH but that creates a Giancarlo Stanton problem.
Giancarlo Stanton was raking before he went on the IR. A Stanton trade is difficult because he has had injury issues and he has a big contract but there would likely be a number of teams interested. The Yankees could move Stanton and trading Stanton alleviates some tension in the Yankee dugout but if there is a trade for the righty slugger will the Yanks make the move and is it a good trade for the team?
The Yanks are certainly interested in a catcher. Shea Langeliers of the Athletics would cost them significantly. Ryan Jeffers of the Twins isn't the hitter that Langeliers is but would be an improvement on Austin Wells. The Yanks don't want a glove first catcher in the lineup. They want a big bat at the catcher position but are they willing to part with Carlos LaGrange, Elmer Cruz and Jasson Dominguez to land Langeliers? That would be the A-side of the trade. Austin Wells would be heading to Sacramento with a pair of low-level prospects in a trade that would approach the return the Padres sent to the Nationals in the Juan Soto trade. Langeliers is as valuable as Juan Soto if you ask me about it. He has a cannon for an arm and is a great defensive catcher. He is hitting .283 and is in the Top20 in OPS (on-base plus slugging) in all of MLB. Langeliers in that lineup would be ridiculous.
How about adding Luis Arraez at the top of the lineup? The best leadoff hitter in the game is also a pretty good defensive second baseman. Arraez setting the table for Rice, Bellinger, Judge and Goldschmidt would be an awesome top5. Langeliers hits sixth in that lineup. It would be Grisham, Chisolm and McMahon in the 7,8,9.
That is the kind of potential the Yankees have down the stretch. As good of a situation as it seems to be, it is sort of precarious as well. An injury and a slump or two with Stanton and Dominguez out of town could leave the Yankees with a hole or two in the lineup.
The Yanks are stacked and the scary part is that they have potential to improve. They have some very interesting players and prospects that could be available for trade in Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells and Jasson Dominguez. Carlos LaGrange, Ben Hess and Elmer Cruz are top100 pitching prospects.
I'd keep Stanton and Dominguez and trade for Jeffers and Arraez. That is the sensible route. Ben Hess would be nice on the A-Side for Arraez. Cruz would be a strong A-side for Jeffers. Langeliers is too expensive and Stanton can sit his ass on the bench in the case that the Yanks need him in the lineup because there is no way they should be taking at-bats away from Paul Goldschmidt.
It's going to be very interesting to see how the Yankees look in August. One thing is certain, the Yanks are the clear favorites to win the AL East and are a good bet to do so.
That's it for Game Day on Wednesday. The clouds have passed and the rain has stopped. There is still an opportunity to get a pick in tonight and I like Rodon when he is pitching at Yankee Stadium. I'm going to try and get a pick in before post time. Two hours to research.
Let's see how it goes.