TAMPA — Heaven knows, even after they finally re-signed Cody Bellinger, the Yankees endured their share of naysayers this winter for bringing back essentially the same 94-win team that tied the Blue Jays for the most victories in the American League last year.
It never seemed to dawn on their critics that none of the top-tier free agents — Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber or Alex Bregman — fit into their payroll structure or was a position need. The closest would’ve been Bichette, who is no longer a fit at shortstop, and wound up signing with the Mets for maybe the most ridiculous contract in baseball history, three years, $126 million in which they could wind up paying him $5 million if he decides to leave after this year.
What Brian Cashman did do this winter after holding his ground at five years, $162.5 million for Bellinger, was execute a kind of under-the-radar trade with the Marlins of four lower-level prospects for high ceiling (but much injured) lefty Ryan Weathers, and then filling in around the edges on his bench with the signings of righty bats Paul Goldschmidt and Randal Grichuk.
But If as they say, “pitching is 90% of the game” (or is it 80%?), it may well be the trade for Weathers could turn out just as pivotal in the Yankees’ success this year as the re-signing of Bellinger. For even with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon starting the season on the injured list and not available until May, the Yankees, in large part due to their player development system, are looking at a wealth of starting pitching at some point this year.
Granted it was only one start against mostly Nationals minor leaguers, but Weathers’ five-strikeout, no runs, one-hit first appearance last week impressed not only the Yankee brass but also the visiting scouts — as did the five-strikeout, two-hit, three-inning debut performance by 2024 No. 1 draft pick Ben Hess against the Pirates. Though they haven’t come out and said it, the Yankees envision Weathers filling one of the two rotation spots of Cole and Rodon, but they will proceed cautiously because of his history of injuries that limited him to only eight starts with the Marlins last year.
Right now the opening season rotation looks like Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Wil Warren and Weathers. But there is another “comer” who bears watching this spring and that’s Elmer Rodriguez, the 22-year-old Puerto Rican right-hander Cashman obtained from the Red Sox two years ago for catcher Carlos Narvaez. When Narvaez emerged as the Red Sox’s No. 1 catcher last year, it appeared the Red Sox had gotten the better of the deal, but the scouts think that may soon change.
“Almost any other team, Rodriguez is in their rotation right now,” said one scout following the Yankees this spring. “I absolutely love this guy. He’s got great command, with impact stuff [176 strikeouts in 150 innings at three levels of the minors last year] and he knows how to pitch. At some point, they’re gonna have to find a place for him. He’s too good for Triple-A.”
The same scout had near equal praise for the 6-5, 255-pound Hess whom the Yankees took with the 26th pick out of Alabama in the 2024 draft.
“Hess started to really come on when they moved him up to Double-A last year,” he said. “He’s the real deal, worthy of a No. 1 pick. They’re saying he’s gonna start out at Double-A again this year but from what I’ve seen they may have to amend that projection. He’s another one, if they get hit with more injuries in the rotation, could make it this year. He’s not that far away.”
So it’s understandable if Cashman feels comfortable about his rotation matching up against that of the Blue Jays, who added Dylan Cease for a mammoth $210 million deal to team with Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, lefty Eric Lauer, Jose Berrios, and now Max Scherzer, signed last week on a one-year, $3 million deal. Most baseball people think the Cease contract was a gross overpay on the Jays’ part — “Number 1 money for a guy who’s a Number 2 at best” is the way one exec put it — while Berrios is coming back from bicep and elbow issues that ended his ’25 season prematurely. Yesavage will be brought along slowly after a career high 98 innings at all four levels last year, and the 41-year-old Scherzer is on his last legs.
“It’ll be interesting for them when Cole and Rodon come back,” the scout said. “I can’t ever remember the Yankees having so much really good young starting pitching.”
IT’S A MADD, MADD WORLD
Arte Moreno has said and done a lot of dumb things in his 23 years as owner of the Angels, but last week’s pronouncement that Angel fans don’t care about winning was downright senseless. In a media session at Angels camp Friday, Moreno said: “The number one thing fans want is affordability [at MLB games],” Moreno said. “Believe it or not, winning is not their top priority. Winning is not even in their top five.” Needless to say, Moreno’s remarks did not go over well — with his players or his fellow owners, although one could argue the Angels, under Moreno, have lost their focus on winning. The last time they finished over .500 (98-54) was 2014. They’ve gone to the World Series only once during his tenure beating the Giants in 2002, and are coming off their second straight last place finish in the AL West. Meanwhile, on the occasions Moreno has spent on players, it’s mostly been bad money — with three of the worst contracts in baseball history: Ten years, $240 million for the back end of Albert Pujols’ career; Seven years, $245 million for Anthony Rendon; five years, $125 million on drug troubled Josh Hamilton. Seems to me — and I’m sure his fans who DO want to win would agree — it’s time for Moreno to get out of baseball.
