CASHMAN HAS A PLAN FOR THE YANKEE CATCHING SURPLUS

I've been focused on two areas all winter. First, the need for more quality starting pitching and the second is more complex. My second concern is how to "fix" the same lineup from last season that couldn't hit with Juan Soto as the notable exception. I still think about these areas, but right now Brian Cashman is not.

Opening Day will be here before we know it and I am still thinking about the starting rotation and the offense. I know I am not alone, many of you reading this have said the same thing. Brian Cashman on the other hand, he's trying to spin something crazy. 

The Yankees have some roster questions to figure out as Spring Training winds down, read what the New York Post had to say about it HERE. The Yankees have five catchers on the 40-man roster, which is an interesting dilemma to have. The Yankees are familiar with Jose Trevino and Austin Wells has impressed the Yankees both defensively and offensively. I've liked what I've seen from Wells also. But what about the other three?

Agustin Ramirez and Carlos Narvaez need more time but have promise. The Yankees also have Ben Rortvedt and we've talked about him a lot. He's got potential. He was groomed to be a strong defensive catcher, but Wells has looked sharper lately and Rortvedt still needs work. I wasn't impressed to watch Rortvedt check out behind the plate with a ball five feet away from him that allowed two runners to score this weekend. Not a good time to make that kind of error. Pair that with his lack of offensive pop and he's not standing out as an easy add for the Opening Day roster.

So where do the Yankees go from here? Ben Rortvedt may need more time, but he is out of minor league options. So the Yankees either need to take a leap of faith and give him a spot, or expose him to waivers where someone will scoop him up. Cashman of course is trying to take advantage of this scenario and turn into a salesman. Here's what he had to say:

"It's certainly an area of depth. Everybody's actually done a great job showcasing their abilities, not just for us but for others. So clearly a dam is going to break one way or the other toward the end of camp, so we’ll see how we navigate that," said Cashman.

So, Cashman is waiting for someone to pay up for a catcher....and get what out of it? Who knows, but Cashman is definitely trying to drum up more interest than he has right now. His choice of words also makes me laugh at him hysterically.

I do like his dam analogy for something else though....I am sitting, hoping and waiting for his dam of failures to finally break and get washed away from the Yankees. Let Hal Steinbrenner fire him. Let him get carried away to somewhere else far, far away. I know I won't get that lucky though soon enough. 

The Yankees catcher situation will be solved before Cashman goes away. It's unfortunate but, a girl can dream. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

PINCH ME! BEN RORTVEDT IS REAL & BACK IN ACTION!

You may have forgotten that Ben Rortvedt exists, and if you did I can't say I blame you. We've talked about him for so long, but never got to see him in action. Now we have physical proof he exists!

It's been the longest wait ever but after being traded to the Yankees during the 2021-2022 offseason, Rortvedt made his incredibly long overdue Yankees debut and he did not disappoint. I will gladly take two for four with a run scored in his first appearance. It may not sound exciting, but hey for the longest time nobody truly knew if he existed! It's a step in the right direction.

Now that Jose Trevino is on the Injured List, Rortvedt will get some time behind the plate when Kyle Higashioka needs a day off. Baby steps for a guy that did not get to play at all in 2022 and has the potential for the everyday catcher the Yankees have been missing for a long time.

I salivate when I think about a left handed hitter, because we always need those. But add in a guy that has great defensive capabilities and I'm ready to do some backflips. Rortvedt may not have the Jorge Posada pop that I always loved and miss to this day, but he has the arm that I would love to see throw out runners and make exciting jaw dropping plays. Oh and the fact that he can frame and block pitches doesn't hurt either. He's the opposite of Gary Sanchez and after that nightmare, I love the change.

I'm looking forward to the future. This is just the first step, but I like that his first game back in the big leagues and all of the potential that is there. For now, Trevino and Higashioka still stand behind the dish, and Rortvedt will still need seasoning in Triple-A, but I can't remember the last time I was this excited about the third catching option.

I can't wait to see more. Good to see ya back in action, Rortvedt!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

GIO URSHELA HAS DEVELOPED INTO THE REAL DEAL, HERE'S WHY

The Yankees have Josh Donaldson. The Angels have Gio Ursehla. Now we all know it didn't start that way. In the beginning, it was the Yankees with Urshela, and we were bringing the guy into the mix because he dazzled with the glove.  But what happened next was something wonderful. Gio Urshela was also able to hit and proved that to the Yankees while he was in the Bronx.

Next came this ridiculous deal. The Yankees, desperate to send off Gary Sanchez traded him to Minnesota for what really appears now to be a bag of rocks.  Josh Donaldson is about as broken down and inconsistent as we get, IKF just isn't major league caliber when he's on the Yankees level of performance and I honestly don't even think Ben Rortvedt exists. I don't think the guy ever set foot on the field since being in pinstripes. Talk about a no-show job, Tony.

Now... we as Yankee fans are seeing what we don't have. 

Gio Urshela is beloved by the Angels. In fact, when it came to a guy names Andrew Velazquez (remember him?), Gio even took his spot because he is so fabulous in the field.  By the way... to a point where the Angels are thinking about Urshela at shortstop for a few days a week. Can you imagine? I mean we're fumbling over ourselves here in New York wondering if guys like Volpe or Peraza could be the everyday Shortstop, meanwhile Urshela might have been the guy all along. But what do Yankee projectionists really know about our players anyway? Not much clearly.

NJ.com writes:

"That convinced the Angels to bring in... Gio Urshela in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. And that depth eventually sent the switch-hitting Velasquez to the minors on Friday, when the Angels optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Urshela, 31, sparkled with his glove at third base for the Yankees — and eventually was traded to the Minnesota Twins along with catcher Gary Sanchez. Many Yankees fans, frustrated by the hitting struggles of Josh Donaldson last season, longed to have Urshela back. He will start the season as a utility infielder, but he could bite into Luis Rengifo’s playing time at shortstop if he’s hitting.

Angels manager Phil Nevin — a former Yankees bench coach from 2018-2021 — said Urshela could play shortstop “once or twice a week” during the season, with the possibility of him playing even more if he’s hitting."

Ain't that something.  I don't know if you do it, but I do this for sure. I root for Urshela. I was always a fan of this guy.  He's passionate, a hardnosed ball player, and he's proving it again with the Angels. Damn right.

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHERE THEY MIGHT PUT IKF NOW!

We are one week away from Opening Day and the Yankees have no idea where Isiah Kiner-Falefa fits in on this roster. The competition for roster spots is still underway, and so is the Yankees quest to find a purpose for IKF. What a mess.

The shortstop competition has been the center of attention this spring. Both Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza's impressive spring seems to have pushed IKF out of the shortstop position, which is no surprise. The Yankees have also experimented with putting IKF in the outfield, which I just don't see. Now the Yankees have a third potential position for him, which might make more sense. Maybe....

On Wednesday, IKF had catcher's gear on him as he prepared to get some work in behind the plate. It's rare to have a utility player who can catch as needed, but the Yankees could benefit from this idea and it sounds like IKF suggested it. "I think they expected me to bring it up when I did," Kiner-Falefa said of the team’s reaction when he mentioned doing some catching drills. "If I’m gonna do this, I want to be the best utility player I can be. I don’t want to do it halfway." read more HERE. 

I will say this, I do love his attitude with this. "I just want to win. That’s all I’m worried about right now. I am ready for whatever I need to do," he said. At least he is embracing his new role as a utility player. In this case, maybe a multi-purpose super utility player. 

Either way, this could work. It might make more sense than throwing a guy with a below average arm in the outfield where he has less experience. IKF has some experience catching, he last played behind the plate in 2019 with the Rangers and started in 31 games. He's caught 73 games in his MLB career.

The Yankees are lacking some catching depth right now. Jose Trevino is battling a wrist injury and Ben Rortvedt and Austin Wells are both also hurt. That leaves Kyle Higashioka the only healthy catcher so IKF could provide some needed depth there. At least he has some experience.

The Yankees need to find ways for IKF to contribute and IKF wants a chance to contribute and win. This may work. Guess we will have to wait and see how and where he fits into this lineup. What a crazy spring.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

DONALDSON SAYS HE'S NOT DONE & I BELIEVE HIM!

Josh Donaldson proved that he's not that great anymore when he came to New York.  In fact, not to get too bogged down, but the Twins sent us 3 players that have kind of shit the bed. Josh Donaldson, IKF and Ben Rortvedt, whom, let's face it, I don't even think really exists. But that's a post for another time.

But Josh Donaldson is still in a Yankee uniform and still trying to prove the doubters wrong, and I have to say, I admire and like it a lot.  Defensively, I will always take Donaldson at third. I just think that he's terrific in the hot corner.  Offensively it is clear that he has slowed down.

Now if you know anything about me, I understand this game is hard and being in the majors and STAYING in the majors is even harder. That is one thing that Marci Hensley and I, (Ty Hensley's mom) have in common. We understand the grind, we respect it, and we root for the underdog and for hard work in this game. Ty Hensley was a perfect example of that. He worked very hard for a lot of years, injury after injury, he still managed to be in the public eye and tried his best to get one top. Sometimes time runs out and that's OK too. As long as you have a solid foundation, that stuff doesn't matter.

But back to Donaldson and back to never giving up. While most Yankee fans can't stand this guy, I admire the fight. He recently made a very bold statement as far as his future and what he expects from himself. Check this out. ClutchPoints writes:

"Josh Donaldson could have called it a career this past offseason...However, Donaldson decided against that. And the reason behind his decision to keep playing is rather simple. Donaldson believes he is still capable of producing at a very high level in the MLB.

“If I felt like I didn’t have anything left to offer the game, I wouldn’t have reported to camp,” Donaldson told The New York Post. “I feel like I have [something] in the tank or I wouldn’t show up. Obviously, I feel like I do. That’s why I’m here. And I’m going to give it everything I have.”

And for me, a true baseball fan and someone that believes in the grind and what hard work is about, I am thrilled to hear that.  Donaldson put up with a lot of fan bullshit in the fall last season, so the courage to come back is enormous, but he's here and he's doing it.  

For that, I admire him.  Go get after it, Josh!

YANKEES GRAB YET ANOTHER CATCHER

 As if we didn't have enough good catchers on our team already with dudes like Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka, the Yankees went after another one. This one however is for a minor league deal.  Who cares. When it comes to stockpiling arms and backstops, I am always fine with it. When it comes to this Yankee team, many of our backup and minor league catchers are all hurt right now. Austin Wells, Ben Rortvedt and Josh Breaux. So this just makes sense.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Yankees have signed catcher Nick Ciuffo to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker ...

Since the start of 2018, he’s appeared in 167 minor league games with a batting line of .247/.299/.381, walking in just 6.8% of his plate appearances while striking out at a 28.8% rate. He’s also appeared in 21 major league games over that time, hitting .188/.259/.292 for the Rays and Orioles. Ciuffo spent last year in Triple-A with the White Sox but was punched out in 31.1% of his trips to the plate."

Bring it Nick! Bring it.

35% off everything right now!

SHOULD BEN RORTVEDT'S LATEST INJURY BE A CONCERN FOR THE YANKEES?

If you have been anxiously awaiting the debut of Ben Rortvedt, you will have to wait a little bit longer. How much longer? That's a really good question that I wish we knew.

I've been really intrigued with Rortvedt since we acquired him with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the trade that sent Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez to the Twins last offseason. His glove could be a golden ticket for the Yankees....if we get to see him in action. He hasn't had any big league action since 2021 where he played in 39 games for the Twins.

So how much longer do we wait to see him in pinstripes? At least a month, bare minimum, read more HERE. Rortvedt had surgery yesterday for a finger ailment that doctors spent days trying to figure out, but couldn't. Ultimately, he saw a specialist who was able to determine that he had an aneurysm near the posterior in his left shoulder, which had impacted the circulation in his hand and fingers. Yikes!

Is anyone else having flashbacks from 1996? All I can think about is David Cone's aneurysm that led to him losing feeling in his fingers. Talk about a flashback. For now, we will continue watching Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka and see what happens over time.

I really hope Rortvedt gets some action in pinstripes, but he hasn't been healthy since we acquired him, and that is a concern for me. First it was an oblique injury and then he had knee surgery to clean up his meniscus. It feels like it's one issue after another with him and he's only 25 years old.  

Hard to ignore the injuries here, but I am trying to think about the promise he has with his glove. I've always loved a good, strong defensive catcher. Question is.... will he be ours? 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

YANKEE NEWS ON THE TRANSACTIONS WIRE!

The Transactions wire is where all the news starts for these teams and goes to the writers. I mean sure, you can look at Twitter and guys like Jon Heyman and Jon Morosi will tweet something about a team, but typically they know this stuff just because they got to the transaction wire before everyone else that day.  

Now there are times where guys get an inside scoop and that often comes from highly respected guys like Jeff Passan and Jack Curry, but for the most part, that's how it works. 

I remember feeling really cool back in 2015 when I got a scoop early about Clay Rapada. I remember at that time when I was the first to report on Clay Rapada signing with the Giants, a minor league deal. MLB Trade Rumors took it upon themselves to report who got it first and of course, botched it.  It was Greedy Pinstripes who gave them jazz on our behalf, (Love those guys) and it was soon corrected.  

Here's that story, one of my victories from back in the day.

MLB Trade Rumors has always been top notch and that's the business they are in. I'm not in that game... I'm just telling you how the Transaction wire works.

That being said, here's some Yankee news you need to know about. The Yankees have activated Domingo German, Greg Weissert and they invited Catcher Carlos Narvaez.

In 2022, German had a 3.61 ERA in 15 games.  I was never a big fan of Weissert when he first showed up in pinstripes, but he's growing on me. Weissert is from Bay Shore, so there's that hometown feel with him, and it appears the Yankees like him.

When it comes to Narvaez, he's a catcher, something we always need and he's working his way up the ranks. Yanks go Yard has a great write up on him:

"In terms of halting the running game, Narvaéz is the best in the Yankees' system below the surface.

Second place throughout the system goes to Antonio Gomez, the 21-year-old who ranks No. 5 on Keith Law's latest surprising list of top prospects, and who got his season back on track midway through en route to looking like a 2023 breakout candidate. He caught a nothing-to-sneeze-at 30.6% of runners last season, but Narvaéz, a surprise name on very few radars, cleared him by a nice margin.

Hopefully, subbing in Narvaéz in the late innings of the Yankees' spring training showdowns becomes standard practice -- you know, baking in the now-guaranteed Ben Rortvedt injury."

Yankee Spring Training is right around the corner. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited! Let's GO!!

YANKEE FANS HOPE TO GET A GLIMPSE OF BEN RORTVEDT THIS WEEKEND

Quick note. With Jose Trevino leaving the Yankees on paternity leave, they needed an extra catcher right? So it makes sense that we grab one.  Turns out Ben Rortvedt will be that guy. He's with the team right now in case you didn't see that in last night's game.

WFAN Radio New York writes:

"Rortvedt has heated up in Triple-A, slashing .294/.385/.647 with three home runs over his last 10 games."

Don't forget, this guy was recovering from knee surgery when the Yankees got him, so it will be nice to see him finally play in pinstripes. Hopefully we see him this weekend as Trevino lives in Texas and most likely will miss this entire series while on leave.

That's all I got. Stay tuned.

YANKEES GRAB A NEW CATCHER FOR MORE DEPTH

Source: Paul J. Bereswill NY Post

And just like that...the Yankees make another deal with the Texas Rangers. This time they pick up another catcher to add more depth to the position. Jose Trevino, a 29-year-old from the Rangers, heads to the Bronx in exchange for once-promising right-hander Albert Abreu and minor league lefty Robert Ahlstrom, a 2021 draft pick. I can't argue with more depth in a position where this team had none, but with Kyle Higashioka playing the way he is and Ben Rortvedt in tow, should we have invested in this kind of trade when we really need starting pitching?

"Trevino and Higashioka are both right-handed hitters, making for more of an imperfect platoon fit than the Higashioka/Rortvedt combo, yet the first priority still seems to be defense considering Trevino’s lack of offensive pop. Over his 516 career plate appearances with the Rangers, Trevino has batted only .245/.270/.364.  Framing-wise, Statcast considered Trevino to be among the best in baseball last season," reported MLB Trade Rumors. Rotvedt is out with an oblique strain and will likely start the season in Triple-A with a trajectory toward the MLB Club. As far as starting pitching, where are the Yankees in that camp?

According to SI.com, "There's still a possibility that New York could make some sort of trade in the next six days, addressing their pitching staff. Boone said he is focused on this organization's internal options, though." The Yankees standout pitching-wise this spring has Manny Bañuelos. Bañuelos was stellar against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, throwing three scoreless innings. In addition, the confident 31-year-old is up to six scoreless innings this spring with seven strikeouts, giving up only two hits.

Aaron Boone said that pitcher Michael King with also be with the team as they head north in just about a week as spring training wraps up. He has been having a good spring as well. With Luis Severino still not 100% it will be interesting to see how the team handles the first week of the season. 

Source: NY Daily News

So the Yankees addressed the catching and shortstop positions this offseason with trades with the Texas Rangers. It is still are unclear how their starting rotation will play out. I mean everyone is sort of in the same boat. Even the team across town who has a stacked rotation has seen the likes of uncertainty as Jacob deGrom suffered a stress injury in his right shoulder, making him questionable this season. We will see new faces and hopefully exciting baseball this coming week. Let's hope the moves are enough to give the Yankees a chance to make some positive noise early this spring. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

RUMOR: YANKEES HAVE CHECKED IN ON YET ANOTHER CATCHER

The Yankees just made a trade with the Twins that brought Ben Rortvedt to the Bronx and kicked Gary Sanchez to the curb. Rortvedt was the bet defensive catcher in the Twins system and after Sanchez that's a huge plus. So....why are the Yankees still interested in other catchers?

It's a fair question. I'm not surprised by it but Twitter has been buzzing about it. Even if you overlook that Rortvedt has an oblique injury that Aaron Boone confirms will not be healed by opening day there are other reasons why the Yankees are making calls.

I love that Rortvedt is strong defensively, the Yankees need more of that behind the plate and I hope he develops more and turns into the strong catcher the Yankees believe he will be. He's got a lot of promise, but Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka are the only catchers on the 40 man roster. After that the Yankees have Rob Brantly and he's not a viable option. The Yankees need depth.

It's also hard to overlook that Rortvedt is only 23 years old, has played in 39 games and has a .169BA. A tandem of Higashioka and Rortvedt is not a safe bet for an entire season. The Yankees need more depth and proven, reliable catcher. The Yankees aren't willing to trade good defense for lackluster offense and they shouldn't. We already know how challenged our offense is, so the Yankees need a catcher who can give some offense.

So that's why the Yankees have checked on Willson Contreras availability with the Cubs, read more HERE. If I were the Cubs, I would wait for an overwhelming offer because when it comes to Contreras, they are in the drivers seat. The Cubs may be in rebuild mode, but their catcher is probably the best piece they have left and he's a pretty damn good catcher. He's a free agent at the end of 2022 and he has been rumored to be on the trading block all winter.

I like the idea of Contreras in pinstripes, it definitely makes us stronger but even if he is available, I don't think the Cubs move him right away. If I were the Cubs I would sit back and wait until summer. If they are far out of the postseason picture then it makes sense to sell to the highest bidder. 

I don't think Contreras will be as affordable as some people think. Yes, he's about to be a free agent BUT he's also a good high in demand catcher and there just isn't a lot of supply out there. I wonder what the Yankees would be willing to give up to get him....

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj