Yankees Notes and Opinions for 12/9

Other off-season pieces:
12/5/25
12/2/25
11/28/25
11/25/25
11/18/25
11/15/25
11/7/25
10/30/25
Japanese Free Agents
Rule 5 Primer

1. Don Mattingly falls short of the Hall of Fame

My opinion remains unchanged:  He is my favorite player. I don’t think he quite reaches the level of a Hall of Famer.

Jeff Kent was elected and will be a nice addition to the Immaculate Grid Hall of Fame category, given a career that included stints with the Blue Jays, Mets, Guardians, Giants, Astros, and Dodgers.

Kent is likely getting in based on a career that includes being the all-time home run leader among second basemen with 377. He is also third in RBI (1,518) and fourth in slugging percentage (.500).

All this said, he was not at the top of the list of unelected second basemen. Bobby Grich has one of the most underappreciated careers in history. Voters don’t love him because he “only” drove in 864 runs, but he played in an era where second base offense wasn’t plentiful.

Whitaker reached many of the milestones voters like (2,000 hits, 1,000 RBI, 1,000 runs).

Other non-Hall of Fame second basemen with better JAWS numbers than Kent include Willie Randolph, Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia, and Ian Kinsler. All of these players deserve(d) consideration from voters, but I personally wouldn’t cast a vote for any of them.

In a cruel twist, Alan Trammell was a member of the committee this year. However, Whitaker wasn’t nominated for election. One would think Trammell would have been a major advocate if the option was there.

In related news, Mattingly is close to signing on to be the Phillies’ bench coach.

2. Sonny Gray Drama

I graduated from high school in 1992. Next.

3. The Yankees are “interested” in Brad Keller.

Timing is everything. Luke Weaver had an uneven free-agent campaign. Meanwhile, Keller earned himself several million extra dollars with a big year out of the Cubs’ bullpen.

The 30-year-old pitched to a 2.07 ERA (2.93 FIP) over 69.2 innings with a 27.2% K, 8.0% BB, and 56.1% GB. Among pitchers who threw 60+ innings, his ground ball rate ranked 15th in baseball.

If you recognize Keller’s name, it’s because he spent 2018-2024 in the American League, mostly as a middling starter for the Royals. During his 2018 rookie season, he made an immediate impact, posting a 3.08 ERA over 140.1 innings in 41 appearances (20 starts). However, he was a high-contact, ground-ball pitcher who struggled to replicate that success. After compiling 4.1 bWAR during his rookie campaign, he would compile 5.0 bWAR over the next five seasons in Kansas City. Stints with the White Sox and Red Sox in 2024 didn’t improve his profile, though Boston had the right idea in moving him to a relief role.

In 2025, Keller was one of the biggest bargains in baseball. Signed for only $1.5 million by the Cubs, he used a starter mix in a short relief role.

Keller throws most of his stuff hard.  His averages last year:
4-seamer: 97.2 MPH
Sinker: 96.7 MPH
Slider: 86.8 MPH
“Change up”: 92.7 MPH

All four pitches graded positively.

Is there a reason for concern?  Sure. It was his first full season out of the bullpen, and it’s reasonable to wonder if he can duplicate the effort. He is young enough that you wouldn’t expect a rapid decline, but relievers are, and always will be, fickle.

The Yankees need a bullpen arm, however, and Keller’s contract should easily fit into the budget.

Joel Sherman suggested that the Yankees could shift him back into the rotation to start 2026, then return him to the bullpen once everyone is healthy. In the hypothetical where the Yankees sign him, I would rather not mess with a good thing. However, it isn’t a crazy idea.

4. The Yankees are “interested” in Trevor Megill

The Yankees traded for Devin Williams last winter. Now, they reportedly have interest in the pitcher who replaced Williams.

Megill has been dominant over the last two seasons in Milwaukee. Over 98 games, he owns a 2.60 ERA (2.80 FIP) over 93.1 innings with a 29.3% K and 8.3% BB. In 2025, he elevated his K% over 30% for the second time in his career.

The 32-year-old features two pitches, a 4-seamer that averaged 99.2 MPH and a knuckle curve that he uses 39.4% of the time.

If you have a keen eye, you will notice that Megill is averaging under 50 appearances over the last two campaigns. Injuries are a concern. In 2024, he missed time due to a concussion and back spasms. In 2025, he suffered a late-season flexor strain in his right arm. He was able to return for the playoffs, where he appeared in two games in the NLDS and NLCS.

Although he is 32, he didn’t debut until he was 27. Hence, he still has two years of team control.

Megill is a pure power arm who may remind you a bit of incumbent closer David Bednar, though Bednar features a third pitch in his arsenal (fastball, splittler, curve).

The Brewers are continually assessing their roster. They didn’t hesitate to trade Williams because they had Megill, who performed well as a closer when Williams was injured in 2024.

Keller costs money. Megill will cost prospects. The Brewers don’t have to trade him, as his projected $6.5M salary isn’t breaking their bank. However, just like last year, they have a built-in replacement with Abner Uribe, who was sneakily one of the top relievers in baseball.

The Yankees shipped Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes Jr. to the Brewers for one year of Williams. Megill has an additional year of control and will be priced accordingly. Additionally, if the Brewers were to place Megill on the market, expect there to be competition for his services.

Could Durbin’s season with the Brewers give the Yankees an edge if trade talks begin?

I’m not sure how much of an influence it would have, but it likely cast the Yankees’ system in a favorable light within the Brewers’ organization.

5. The Yankees are “interested” in MacKenzie Gore

Gore is an appealing arm with a reasonable price tag. According to Spotrac, he is estimated to earn $6.5 million and is controlled through 2027.

Entering his age-27 season, Gore was having a breakout in the first half of 2025. He pitched to a 3.02 ERA in 110.1 innings with a 138/35 K/BB. He held hitters to a .236/.299/.360 triple slash.

The second half didn’t go as well, which could partially be due to a shoulder injury. In 11 starts, covering only 49.1 innings, he compiled a 6.75 ERA and 47/29 K/BB. Over a four-start stretch coming out of the All-Star Break, he went 0-4 while allowing 23 runs over 15.2 innings. His second half triple slash spiked to .288/.381/.492. Essentially, he turned hitters into Jose Ramirez, who hit .283/.360/.503.  After back-to-back mediocre performances against the Mets and Yankees on 8/21 and 8/26, he missed two weeks due to that shoulder issue. Coming off that injury, he pitched well enough in his first two starts, but hurt his ankle in a start against Atlanta on September 22nd, which ended his season.

A first-round pick by the San Diego Padres in 2017, Gore was one of the main pieces sent to the Nationals for Juan Soto in 2022. A full breakout has yet to occur, but he has pitched well, compiling a 4.15 ERA (4.01 FIP) over 462.1 innings with a 25.9% K and 9.3% BB since being acquired.

Cheap, controllable starting pitching is among the most coveted things in the sport. Though Gore is not pitching at an ace level, he is going to command a high price on the trade market.

He is tantalizing, but I am inclined to pass. The acquisition cost will be high for a pitcher who may never take the next step.

6. Winter Meetings

Not much is happening at the Winter Meetings. As I mentioned before, the Winter Meetings can sometimes be unpredictable and chaotic. Other times, you wonder why they wasted money on airfare and hotel accommodations.

(Update: Right after I click “Publish,” news breaks that the Phillies have signed Kyle Schwarber to a 5-year, $150 million contract. Additionally, closer Edwin Diaz signed with the Dodgers. Isn’t that how it always goes?)

Late Monday night, the Rays announced the signing of left-handed reliever Steven Matz.  It sounds cliché, but like the Cedric Mullins signing, this feels like a Rays-type move.

So far, the Hot Stove Report has consisted entirely of interviews. Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone contradicted themselves in discussing Anthony Volpe, as Cashman was more willing to at least partially attribute Volpe’s struggles to his shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Boone said that he doesn’t believe the injury impacted the offense.

Cashman mastered the art of saying a lot without saying a thing years ago. You can attempt to read between the lines, but you won’t get far. He is correct that the Yankees need to add a versatile right-handed bat. If the Yankees don’t want to spend much on one, bringing back Amed Rosario is fine. The only negative is that he has never played first base, but you can give him reps in spring training.

Cashman mentioning the Michael Pineda – Jesus Montero deal raised my eyebrows. Ideally, from the Yankees’ perspective, they switch that this time around and unload a young pitcher for a young hitter. I have no idea what that would entail.

I don’t wish to give Jim Bowden the time of day, but let’s crush one of his proposals. The Arizona Diamondbacks likely would have interest in Elmer Rodriguez in a hypothetical trade for Ketel Marte. However, they would laugh in Brian Cashman’s face and ask him to go for an MRI on his brain if Roderick Arias was the second big piece in a potential package. Nobody wants Arias unless you are throwing him in as a fourth piece in a significant trade. His value is nil, and we have to stop pretending that it isn’t.