I work at an ed tech company by day, where goodness of fit is key to driving new business and scalability. The Yankees need to do both and, in this case, they need to audit who they have in their inventory of bats, defense and pitching, and where they can grow in the same three areas. And the team to deal with for the Yankees appears to the be the Oakland Athletics, for more than just inventory that will fit the Yankees needs, but also to showcase a full reboot of their franchise in a different state and city.
"The Yankees need a lefty-hitting first baseman and the A's have Matt Olson, a 39-homer guy with Gold Glove defense. The Yankees need a mid-rotation starter who fits the sinker/changeup profile they've prioritized under pitching coach Matt Blake the last two years, and the A's have Frankie Montas, a sinker/splitter guy with big velocity. It fits," reported CBS Sports.
Now you heard me preach about Matt Olson over the last several weeks, including this Wednesday in LOCKOUT LEADS TO LANDING OF MATT OLSON. But you have not heard much from me with regards to Montas, who could be a sleeper and great acquisition for the Yankees.
Montas is 29-years-old and had a great second half of the 2021 season. He's "a pitcher that seems to be entering into his prime with a nice strikeout rate (10K/9), a very nice ERA and FIP (3.37). His control was actually decent last year (2.7 BB/9), and he went deep into games, throwing 187 innings in his 32 starts," reported FanSided.
The Yankees need to beef up a number of areas, two of which can be fulfilled with Montas and Olson donning pinstripes. As CBS Sports points out, the A's are also looking to have a full out reset, new team in a new venue away from hometown Oakland.
"With the trade Oakland kick-starts its rebuild -- I'm not sure we can call it a rebuild as much as a scorched earth effort to get a new ballpark, even if it means moving to Las Vegas -- and the Yankees address two pressing needs with players who are under team control through 2023. The dots are very easy to connect. Montas and Olson are ideal fits for New York."
But...all of this is just banter at this point because the two sides of the lockout are nowhere near coming to an agreement to enable the 2022 season to begin. The screeching halt of the trading and free agency frenzy has left teams like the Yankees and the A's with so much to do and very little time.
Bottom line, the Yankees are seeking goodness of fit options. Montas and Olson are ideal for them. Once the lockout lifts, the A's and Yankees are likely the first teams out of the box. Hopefully, a deal involving Montas and Olson can happen and the Yankees can begin to address some of the weaknesses ailing their club; moving the needle in the right direction for future bids to the postseason beyond Wild Card and Division Series.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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