Yankees
- C Adley Rutschman 20 + farm+2yr 2022
- 3B Jose Ramirez. CLE 49 2024
- OF Lawrence Butler ATH 10 2024
- CR Royce Lewis MIN 10 2023
- DH Jhonkensy Noel CLE 10 2024
- P Luis Gil NYY 6 2024
- P Tanner Houck BOS 10 2024
- P Mason Miller ATH 10 2023+Farm
- P Bailey Ober MIN 10 2023
- P Ben Joyce LAA 7 2024+Farm
- P Will Warren NYY 5 2025
- C Adley Rutschman 20 + farm+2yr 2022
- 3B Jose Ramirez. CLE 49 2024
- OF Lawrence Butler ATH 10 2024
- CR Royce Lewis MIN 10 2023
- P Luis Gil NYY 6 2024
- P Tanner Houck BOS 10 2024
- P Mason Miller ATH 10 2023+Farm
- P Bailey Ober MIN 10 2023
- P Framber Valdez HOU 33 2024
- P Ben Joyce LAA 7 2024+Farm
- P Simeon Woods Richardson 7 2024+Farm
- Chase Hampton NYY
- Will Warren NYY
- Colt Emerson M SEA
- Dylan Beavers M BAL
- Dustin Harris M TEX
Draft Day Tomorrow
Well, Draft Day 2025 is tomorrow, and I am in no way ready. The worst part is that the start of the draft is in the Eastern Time Zone, and I am in the Pacific Time Zone at the moment. This means I have to be ready to go at 6AM. And my team is already in trouble, with Luis Gil, Royce Lewis, and just today José Ramirez down with injuries. I have a bad feeling.
While I would like to “live blog” my draft, I may not be alert enough to do so. But I am thinking about providing some live updates. Probably a waste of time, considering no one is interested in how my draft will turn out, but perhaps it will allow me to think things through as the draft progresses. How many $1 players will I lose out on, I wonder?
Quick Roto Update
Final Keeper List for 2025:
Will Warren was added to the Yankees 26-man roster so I had to protect him. I traded for Jhonkensy Noel for a little more power at the expense of Simeon Woods Richardson. Framber Valdez was too expensive. José Ramirez might also be too expensive, but what a player! Draft Day is this Sunday March 30th. I have to be ready by 5:30 AM Pacific Time to join the Eastern Time draft. Sucks to be me.
Quick Roto Look
I play in an old-fashioned rotisserie league that dates back to about 1991 or so. 5X5 keeper league, 10 teams, AL only. $290 auction budget, last three players chosen by $10 snake draft. R, OBP, HR, RBI, SB on offense; W, ERA, S+H, K, WHIP on the pitching side. Salary and contract year. Standard 3-year contract, can extend for 2 extra years @ $5/yr. Farm players cost $5 when activated, $7 second year, $10 third year and can be extended.
This is my potential keeper list for 2025 (11 max):
11 Players for $172
FARM
If Will Warren makes the rotation, I will probably cut Valdez. I may do that anyway, as he’s too expensive right now. I could extend Miller another year. Final list has to be in by March 25th. Draft Day is March 31.
Three Questions
More Catching Up
Not been paying as much attention as I’d like to spring training. Haven’t even seen a game yet. They start at 11AM here before I even know what I’m having for breakfast. Just read that Jazz Chisolm is at 2B and Jasson “The Martian” Dominguez is having a tough time out in LF. So far, spring training has been just a little rough. No more info on Giancarlo either. I’m taking a “wait and see” attitude. Spring training is exactly for this - finding out where the rough spots are and making decisions. But one thing it clear - the team on paper that the Yankees thought they had may be shredding just a little bit. Oswaldo Cabrera at 3B hitting .111 at the moment. Judge will finally get in a game March 1.
Yanks tie Phils today 7-7. Rodón with a pretty bad outing. 2.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 57 pitches (34 for strikes), ERA 10.13. For the Phillies, Zach Wheeler threw two innings, threw 30 pitches (18 for strikes), allowed one hit, struck out 4, and had an ERA of 0.00. Notice the difference?
Another Two-Year Boone-doggle
American League East Standings Prediction
2025 NYY Preview - The Bench
2025 Yankees Overview - The Bullpen
I know I said I was going to discuss the Yankee bullpen in my next post, but this article does so much better than I ever could, so I am just going to refer you to it. I will just make a few observations here.
Adding Devin Williams is probably the best move of the off-season IMO. Clay Holmes was, statistically, a decent reliever, but his 13 blown saves last season proved to be too much to take. Luke Weaver was effective in the closer role, but apparently the Yankee brain trust seems to believe he slots in better as a set-up guy who can throw multiple late innings. Devin Williams appears to have a genuine closer mentality with great swing-and-miss stuff, so his addition is a positive move all around.
2025 Yankee Overview - Pitching
Weak Sauce
I really get frustrated when GM Brian Cashman signs rehabilitation projects as depth. Carlos Carrasco is insurance for if and when he can trade Marcus Stroman, which I am not sure is possible. He’s scheduled to be paid $18M this season, and Cashman and Hal desperately want to dump as much of that salary as they can. They needed any kind of lefty in the bullpen, and Tim Hill is any kind of lefty. If he can repeat his Yankee 2024 season and not his White Sox 2024 season, he’ll be cheap enough.
2025 Yankee Overview - The Offense
In about 10 days or so, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to their spring training camps, followed a week later by position players. The first spring training game is scheduled for Thursday February. 20th, when the Cubs meet the Dodgers. Feb. 22 brings a full slate of games, so I think it’s time to get rolling with the writing.
The largest looming question for me is - what do I think of the 2025 Yankee team? Honestly , not much. I think the best I can say is that regardless of what I think of the makeup of the team, there isn’t yet another contender in the AL that is clearly and substantially better than them. Before I make a definitive pick, however, I will have to take a closer look at what the Astros have done over the off-season. They are the only legitimate competition this season, it seems. But despite my misgivings, on paper the Yankees look positioned to repeat as AL pennant winners, largely I think by default.