It seems like the mantra around the Yankees has been the same for several years now: they’re too reliant on the home run, and have a lineup too stacked with right-handed hitters who fall closer to a “three true outcomes” mold than an all-around player.
That was, unfortunately, evident in the postseason, where the Yankees scored a majority of their runs via the long ball, but it’s also something that GM Brian Cashman said during his end-of-season press conference Friday that the Yankees are endeavoring to change.
“Exhibit A was what we did to retain that contact-oriented offense by keeping Anthony Rizzo, signing DJ LeMahieu to a long deal, trading for Andrew Benintendi,” Cashman said. “Two of those guys came off the board that were important pieces to a contact-oriented approach. Boxes were checked, but then things changed when we lost certain key guys in the postseason.”
Cashman called it “frustrating” and “unfortunate” what happened to Benintendi: he literally re-grew a bone that wasn’t fully removed and then broke it again, but “did everything he could to try to get back.”
Benintendi is now a free agent, though, and Rizzo might be, but the plan remains the same as they look to either replace or re-sign them, Aaron Judge, and anyone else.
“One of our areas of interest is dealing with the strikeouts, and we touched on why it was important to get guys like Rizzo and Benintendi,” Cashman said. “We want great players that are capable of doing it many different ways. That’s basic form of what we’ve always tried to do, so we’ll continue to look at stuff like that and continue to augment.”
One thing that could complicate matters: the new rule changes taking effect in 2023, specifically the ones that ostensibly ban the shift and institute a pitch clock.
“It’s certainly on the table for discussions, and has been already for anyone we’d acquire that’s under control for 2023,” Cashman said. “If you’re dealing with ground ball pitchers or hitters, knowing what tendencies are and how the shift will help or hurt any individual profile…our team is factoring that in. Clearly, the changes will get raised on how it affects certain individuals, and we have to project what players will look like in the new environment.”
That’s something the oft-heard about but seldom heard-from analytics department will be tasked with.
“They’re charged with collecting, streamlining, and simplifying info for us to digest, and they’re really good at what they do,” Cashman said. “The interpretation and sharing of it, certain people gravitate towards certain things, but all our personnel are evaluated constantly.”
And even without a contract of his own, as his last one expired Monday, Cashman is already
“I haven’t focused on (a contract), I’ve been thinking about us, and our meetings and conversations…but I’ll see if I get check on the 15th,” Cashman joked. “It’s not like when the season ends the way ours did, you can grab a player at 3 a.m. and ask about things, but I’m doing that now, and have been asking people about their experiences here and elsewhere. You grab as much info as you can to help formulate what’s real versus what’s noise, and you like to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
