The White Sox have shipped right-handed reliever Ron Marinaccio to the Padres, the teams announced Friday afternoon.
After being designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for free agent Martín Pérez, Marinaccio's future in Chicago was short-lived. Rather than risk losing him on waivers, the Sox found a trade partner in San Diego.
As you may remember, Marinaccio made a name for himself during three solid seasons with the Yankees, putting up a 6-5 record, a 3.22 ERA, 1.186 WHIP, and 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings, with a career WAR of 1.8. His rookie year in 2022 was especially impressive: a 2.05 ERA, 1.045 WHIP, and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings over 40 appearances. Yankee fans appreciated the dependable right-hander who showed flashes of real potential.
Baseball, though, is a business. After a quick stop in Chicago, Marinaccio is now heading to the sunny shores of San Diego.
Best of luck in the new digs, Ron—you’ll always have fans rooting for you!
The writing has been on the wall a long time for Dennis Santana. It's nothing personal, but he didn't fit in on this team. The Yankees designated him for assignment yesterday, so the Yankees have seven days to either trade him or attempt to pass him through waivers.
I've never felt very confident when Santana made an appearance in a game. I felt even more uneasy when he appeared in Friday and Saturday's games against the Dodgers. The last thing I would want to see is Santana coming in to play against the Dodgers. That's just a bad combination, not a good time for the bullpen to be short. So when Santana was unable to get out of the top of the ninth and they had to bring in Oswaldo Cabrera for the final out, that was the end of Santana's Yankee tenure.
Santana signed a minor league deal over the winter, which quickly turned into major league playing time when Jonathan Loaisiga hit the Injured List. Santana looked okay in May, but once June arrived hitters started feasting off of him at the plate and his ERA skyrocketed to 10.97. The Yankees can't continue to roll with Santana out there. He's a decent reliever, but not one that should be relied upon this often for a contending team.
So now Ron Marinaccio has been called up. Honestly, I never liked that he was sent down to begin with, I really liked what I saw when we played Houston back in May. When you compare Santana and Marinaccio, it made no sense to keep Santana up. The Yankees have performed better than I expected this far into the season. I've been sitting here playing scenarios out in my head about what Yankees should get by the deadline and the fact that we have relied so much on Santana shows us this may be our biggest area of opportunity.
A reliable arm to bridge the gap to Clay Holmes will make this team stronger. Santana was never meant to be that arm, but it will only make the Yankees a tougher team down the stretch. Santana is a decent relief pitcher and could have a spot on a decent team's roster but shouldn't have been relied upon this much for a team predicted to be a World Series contender. The Yankees will be buyers at the deadline and should start looking for the difference maker in their bullpen.
So, this was a good move by the Yankees. It goes to show that having depth is important. Marinaccio never deserved to be demoted anyways, and honestly, I trust him more.
" Utilityman Jon Berti has been placed (retroactive to April 11) on the 10-day injured list due to a left groin strain, and left-hander Josh Maciejewski was also designated for assignment."
And finally, Ron Marinaccio, we all love Ron, he was called up. Good.
Last night the Yankees couldn't do a thing offensively against the Blue Jays. Let's hope today being a new day brings some change.
Last night Luis Severino went down after pitching 70 pitches. He said that he felt like someone shot him. It's clearly an injury which makes a ton of sense if you saw him grimace last night.
An emotional Luis Severino describes the pain he felt on the mound: "I feel like somebody shot me." pic.twitter.com/7XCvgPqnfF
Here's the report from MLB Trade Rumors. One of our arms has been called up to replace him:
"As expected, the Yankees placed Severino on the 15-day IL, and called up right-hander Ron Marinaccio from Triple-A in the corresponding move. The specific nature of Severino’s injury isn’t yet known, as the club announced he was sidelined with “a left upper body injury (pending further results).”
I will never understand how Aaron Boone makes game time decisions. He's either looking at a binder full of metrics that really don't matter, or he's throwing guys bones because he feels bad. Either way, it's the most pathetic display ever. I have said it once and I will say it again... when times are tough, when hard decisions need to be made, he doesn't know how to make them. He's not a confident manager, he is a manager that plays the role of acting confident. Yelling at umpires in front of a team may rile up a fan base, but that gets old when the Yankees continuously lose... and that's where we are right now.
Last night against the Rangers was a disappointment and it's all Boone's fault. Now I hate recaps, you all know this, but I need to point out why we lost.
For me, the biggest flop was his pinch-hit decision. You're in the 10th inning, DJ LeMahieu is at second base and McKinney is supposed to come to the plate. McKinney has been hot as hell these days, literally doing everything we could ask for of him. But hold on, what's this? He is pinch hit for the worst hitter in the league right now, Josh Donaldson.
At that point the Yankee world was outraged and should have been. To be honest, I don't even think Josh Donaldson thought he could hit a baseball in that spot let alone a beachball. The guy is lost at the plate, and everyone knew it... except for Aaron Boone. Now this knucklehead can sit there and say, "Well I knew Donaldson was struggling and I wanted to get him going", but the truth is you don't do that then. You can't feel bad for struggling players and throw them bones in a must-win situation. What Donaldson did next was nothing, literally taking the breath away from the Yankees. As Luke Baquero of Fansided wrote:
"This season, McKinney is 3-5 with an RBI single vs left-handed pitchers.... McKinney has been great in his run with the Yankees. Slashing .318/.348./.636 with a .984 OPS, and over 160 wRC+ is way too valuable to be pinch hit for in a situation for an ice-cold Donaldson. "
The other bad move that Boone made was the relief situation in the top of the tenth inning. Boone chose Michael King instead of Ron Marinaccio. I know it's a guessing game at this point for many, but you have to review 2 ways, statistics and the eye test. The gut reaction alone in a must-win game would have been Marinaccio if the decision was made by any other manager on the planet. But not Boone.
The New York Post writes: "It was Rangers cleanup man Adolis Garcia who blasted Yankees reliever Michael King’s first pitch of the 10th inning into the left field bleachers to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead and eventual victory at Yankee Stadium."
The post game was the worst. Boone just can't take responsiblity and blame for making bad decisions. He just doesn't have a grasp on anything when it comes to failure. Here's the thing, if a team is losing this bad, it usually means leadership isn't leading. Now you can sit there and suggest that we are waiting it out until Aaron Judge comes back, but 1 man does not make a team. Boone needs to step up.
The classiest move of the night goes to IKF. This guy made a costly error in the 4th. Was the loss his fault though? No. Why? Cause it happened in the 4th. The loss happened because of Boone's bad decisions in the 10th. IKF took the high road claiming he was responsible for the loss, but he wasn't.
.
IKF gets kudos from me.
Look, there is no way the Yankees can continue at this rate. They are not supported by their manager who makes bonehead decisions, they are clearly going through the motions and have no true leadership like the days of Jorge Posada or Paul O'Neill. They're lost.
Hal Steinbrenner needs to stop being confused on why the fan base is mad and have a hard look at who he brought in to make a mess of this team. This Boone experiment needs to be over already.
I like Ron Marinaccio. Many do. I know the Yankees do. When he came up last year, he did some good things for the Yanks. The biggest thing was he impressed our team and we began to trust the guy in tough spots. He's solid, he has a great work ethic, and he can be dominant, and that is really what we need going into 2023.
As the New York Post writes, it was a good start for Marinaccio.
"...among the encouraging aspects of the Yankees’ season-opening shutout win over the Giants at the Stadium on Thursday was the performance from Marinaccio, who finished the game with two shutout innings.He walked just one batter — the only baserunner Marinaccio allowed in the outing — and reminded people just how valuable he can be to a bullpen that might be lacking in star power, but has some valuable arms...
“They need him to do what he did last year and he’s got the stuff to repeat that success,’’ said an American League scout that saw him in the spring. "
I really look forward to seeing Ronnie do great things this year! One can hope.
Starting pitching just got even more important for the Yankees who will finish up their final home game against the Orioles this afternoon and head out to Arlington for the last regular season series with the Rangers. The Yankees need three reliable starters to get them through six innings before handing things off to an equally consistent bullpen. We saw Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes and even Jameson Taillon pitch some great baseball over the last couple weeks, making them seemingly a critical part of the rotation anchored by Gerrit Cole. Having all four of those pitchers in que will help the Bombers significantly as they will likely not see Clay Holmes or Zack Britton on the hill anytime soon. It is going to be a tough postseason and pitching will be key to the Yankees' success.
Source: CBS Sports
"Boone announced Friday that All-Star closer Clay Holmes is dealing with a shoulder issue and is unlikely to pitch the rest of the regular season. He received a cortisone shot but will not go on the injured list, because it would make him ineligible for the ALDS," reported CBS Sports. Furthermore, the Yankees likely saw the last of Britton who "exited Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, his former team, with left arm fatigue, the Yankees announced. He was placed on the 60-day injured list Saturday, ending his season."
Besides Britton and Holmes there are question marks around whether or not Aroldis Chapman or Wandy Peralta will be part of the roster for the start of the postseason. With all of these guys out or questionable, the Yankees are missing one key ingredient in the bullpen- a consistent reliable closer.
Now, I am not undermining what Ron Marinaccio, and Lou Trivino have been to this team over the last couple of weeks. They have been stellar—throwing hard strikes and getting key outs for the Yankees. Some are calling Trivino the Yankees' postseason right handed specialist, whatever that means. Bottom line, late in the game, Trivino and rookie Marinaccio have given the Yankees the much needed consistency, showing that likely the bullpen closing role will rotate among them and likely Clarke Schmidt.
Following the Yankees Friday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles, the Houston Astros have clinched the American League No. 1 seed, locking in the Yankees as the No. 2 seed. And after their win on Saturday, New York is 97-60 with just five regular season games remaining. It is going to be a tough postseason for the Yankees, and pitching in the stretch will be key. I hope the current staff can stay healthy and remain consistent both in the starting and closing roles. Otherwise, things will go south very fast for this Yankee team.
"The Yankees have designated reliever Shane Greene for assignment, per the team. The move creates an open roster spot for Ron Marinaccio, who has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
The veteran Greene has made just two appearances on the season, one for the Dodgers and one for the Yankees. "
In his one appearance with the Yanks he pitched 1 inning, gave up 2 runs, a homer and walked 1. He also struck out a batter. ERA? 18.00.
The Yankees have been playing from their knees during these last two series since coming back from the All-Star Break. The first was a doubleheader with Houston, where they failed miserably. And they are in the midst of the second, against Baltimore, which has been a horrible showing for this Yankee team. To add salt to the Yankees' wounds, hitting them while they are down, Michael King suffered a season-ending, hard-to-watch pop in his elbow on Friday night. What does this injury and King's absence down the stretch mean for the Yankees? Here are my insights.
Source: New York Post
"Before the injury, the 27-year-old was having a breakout season and was a pivotal part on the back end of the Yankees bullpen, posting a 2.29 ERA and a career-high 66 strikeouts through 51 innings pitched. As the Yankees seek to continue rolling throughout the season, MLB’s upcoming trade deadline could be the time to find another relief pitcher. With King’s absence, the Yankees called up Clarke Schmidt from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Schmidt had posted a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings in MLB this season," reported SI.com.
Although many contemplated that the Yankees would go for another bat and outfielder to fill the gap for their non-performing peers, they are going to be forced to find two great arms to take the helm for King and the floundering Aroldis Chapman. Chapman simply cannot pitch and King will be unable.
Prior to last night's news that King would be sidelined for the rest of the season with a fractured elbow, Sports Illustrated predicted, "The Yankees are World Series contenders and are on pace to win 111 games, but King’s injury could impact New York’s position heading into the playoffs if he’s unable to pitch again this year."
So who is available for the Yankees to pick up in a hurry, before the looming trade deadline in August? According to MLB Insider,"Reds right-hander Luis Castillo is the best starting pitcher available on the market, and certainly won’t come cheap. Regardless, the Yankees rotation has recently experienced some turbulence, and lost Luis Severino to the IL with a low grade lat strain. That’s why MLB insider Buster Olney believes Castillo should be the big move that they make ahead of the deadline." That could solve the starter issue but there is still the gaps in the bullpen. Sure the Yankees can try to plug that hole with current prospects but so far, that approach has been lackluster.
Are the Yankees in trouble? Yes, without a doubt. They have the rubber game in Baltimore and they have an upcoming short series with the Mets this week, in Citifield. King's injury coupled with Severino, Miguel Castro, Ron Marinaccio and very early on Chad Green, has put the Yankee in a very challenging position. Could Zach Britton be back? How about Deivi Garcia? These are still questions for the Yankees. Do the Yankees have another diamond in the rough out there? If so, I would like to know.
Yes. The Yankees have depth. I know. Right. I am complimenting the stack the Yankees are piecing together in an intentional way. Let's take a deeper look at how the 2022 Yankees have the depth that will serve them well.
The Yankees will carry 16 pitchers into the first series of the season with longtime rivals The Boston Red Sox. Besides the obvious ones, the Yankee pitchers will include right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Ron Marinaccio and lefty JP Sears. The Yankees will likely drop back to 13 pitchers when the expanded roster ends on May 1st. This expanded roster gives teams some flexibility due to the shortened spring training.
"Schmidt, 26, went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three appearances (two starts) this spring. He led all Yankees pitchers with 11 strikeouts and 9 1/3 innings pitched. Schmidt is a former first-round pick (16th overall) of the Yankees in the 2017 Draft," reported MLB.com
Schmidt will likely be used in a variety of roles this season. He could be a long reliever, a starter. [Maybe] a day where he gives us some serious length," Boone said. "But there may be a scenario where he is in an inning-plus situation as well. You never know how the games unfold."
In addition to the talent and versatility in the Yankee pitching, there are the hard-core utility players. The standout is switch-hitting Marwin Gonzalez. "Gonzalez will be part of the three-man bench after hitting .375 (9-for-24) with three home runs and 10 RBIs this spring. However, his ability to play several positions in the field will be even more useful to the Yankees early in the season than his bat," reported MLB.com
"Marwin's versatility gives up pretty good coverage everywhere," Boone said before an exhibition Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers. "Just early on, got to make sure we protect and build up the arms properly. We'll make it work, and if we have to change on the fly a little bit, we'll do that," reported ESPN.
The Yankees were scheduled for a 1:05 PM start on Thursday at the Stadium, but Mother Nature is not in agreement. Game 1 of 162 is postponed to Friday as the rains won't let up enough for the start of the much anticipated 2022 season. Better for our pitchers honestly, but I know we all were looking forward to having baseball back. On the bright side, the Bombers' depth could serve them well this season. Let's hope they can really use this depth as an opportunity to rise above rather than a stop gap for injuries.
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