March 21st, 2025: Schmidt, Carrasco, Bellinger, Bullpen, Mailbag

Opening Day is next Thursday and my annual bold predictions will run Monday. I’m gonna break them out into their own post. It’s just neater that way. Also, here are the new Yankee Stadium concessions for 2025. I will report back on the dumplings whenever I get around to finding one of the stands. The new concessions announcement is the surest sign we’re in the stretch run of Spring Training. Let’s get to today’s post as we get yet another reminder you should never hesitate to trade your pitching prospects.

1. Grapefruit League observations. Another home run for Ben Rice on Wednesday (video). He has the five highest and six of the eight highest exit velocities of his career this spring. That’s MLB, minors, Spring Training, regular season, postseason, whatever. “He’s banging. He’s killing the ball,” Aaron Boone told Gary Phillips. Please let this be real and not like the year Kyle Higashioka hit seven home runs in Spring Training and 10 the entire regular season. Here now are a few thoughts on the last few days. 

The plan for Schmidt

The Yankees finally acknowledged the obvious earlier this week and said Clarke Schmidt may not be ready to start the sixth game of the regular season as scheduled. An achy shoulder forced him to slow his throwing last week. Schmidt threw a bullpen Monday and 30-ish pitches in live BP on Thursday. The Yankees haven’t announced the next step. It depends how Schmidt feels the next few days.

“It just depends, do we want to keep building him up for another start or two?” Boone told Bryan Hoch when asked about Schmidt starting the sixth game of the season. “That’ll be the question we have to answer. Obviously he’s not going to be up to a (full) pitch level, so we’ll make that call here.”

Schmidt lines up to pitch the exhibition game against the Marlins at loanDepot Park next Tuesday. He could get up to what, 40 pitches that day? Start him in a regular season game after that and maybe you can get 60 pitches out of him, which is to say nothing of the effectiveness of those 65 pitches. Does Schmidt have feel for his mechanics/pitches? He’s barely been on a mound this spring.

The Yankees have three off-days in the first two weeks of the season and will need a fifth starter just once in the first 16 games. They’ll need a fifth starter on Saturday, April 5th in Pittsburgh, and not again until Tuesday, April 15th against the Royals. The Yankees might not want to do that, they might want to give the starters as much as possible in April, but they have the option of using their fifth starter only once in the first 16 games.

Put Schmidt on the 15-day injured list to begin the season and this could be his schedule:

• Tuesday, March 25th: 40 pitches (exhibition/sim game) (normal rest)

• Sunday, March 30th: 50 pitches (rehab game in minors) (normal rest)

• Friday, April 4th: 60 pitches (rehab game in minors) (normal rest)

• Wednesday, April 9th: 70 pitches (rehab game in minors) (normal rest)

• Thursday, April 10th: First day eligible to come off injured list

• Tuesday, April 15th: 80 pitches (MLB season debut) (extra rest)

There are countless other possibilities, including schedules with one fewer rehab start and a lesser build up before Schmidt’s season debut. Point is, the Yankees only need their fifth starter once the first 16 games of the season. And, given Schmidt’s injury history (both this spring and throughout his career), it is smart to slow play this, and not rush him into a game in early April.

First things first: Schmidt has to come through Thursday’s live BP feeling okay these next few days, then get on the mound in an actual game (or sim game, I suppose) sometime next week. If he comes through that in good shape, the Yankees will begin thinking about when to slot him into the rotation. This early in the year, a season-opening injured list stint with a few rehab games is the way to go. Schmidt is really important now. Do this right and build him up properly. No need to rush anything.

Carrasco’s final showcase

Given the injuries, it is a near certainty Carlos Carrasco will make the Opening Day roster, and nothing he did Wednesday hurt his chances: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (video) on 54 pitches against a Braves lineup that included every regular except Marcell Ozuna and Jurickson Profar (and Ronald Acuña Jr.). Carrasco went to the bullpen afterward and threw another 15 pitches to continue building up. It was his final start before Saturday’s opt out.

The slight velocity spike Carrasco showed early in Spring Training has faded now that he’s working longer outings. He was 90-92 with his four-seamer and sinker Wednesday, and at this point in his career, velocity is almost secondary. He’s a kitchen sinker. This is the plan now:

Spin over speed, prioritize missing barrels more than missing bats. Perhaps I’m being foolishly optimistic, but Carrasco gives me Freddy Garcia vibes. The Yankees signed Sweaty Freddy to a minor league deal right before Spring Training 2011, when he was coming off a terrible year and expectations were low. Six months later we looked up and Garcia had given the Yankees 146.2 innings with a 3.62 ERA (4.12 FIP).

Carrasco pitched to a 6.18 ERA from 2023-24, the highest in baseball (min. 150 IP), and like Garcia back in 2011, it looked like he was at the end of the line entering camp. Garcia had a rebound season because he brought the kitchen sink, he was a savvy veteran who knew how to exploit aggressive hitters, and he was fearless. He didn’t nibble or shy away from contact. He knew what worked for him and stuck to it.

It’s only Spring Training and I don’t want to go overboard. If Carrasco turns into Sweaty Freddy 2.0, I will absolutely take it. For now, my hope is he can be a competent No. 5 starter who helps the Yankees stay afloat until Schmidt and Luis Gil return. If nothing else, Carrasco’s given the Yankees no reason to run away. Injuries have opened the door, for sure, but if Carrasco is on the Opening Day roster, he will have earned it.

“Listen, I’ve had a lot of tough times in my life, so this is nothing. The only thing that I can control now is (how I) pitch every five days,” Carrasco, a cancer survivor, told Hoch after Wednesday’s game. “… It feels really good, getting those pitches back like I used to pitch four or five years ago. I know we had some rough years, and we learned from that.”

Bellinger’s spring

I don’t think I’ve said anything about Cody Bellinger these last few weeks even though he is 20-for-43 (.465) with five doubles, three homers, four walks and six strikeouts this spring. He hit a ball Wednesday afternoon in Clearwater that landed back in Tampa (video). Bellinger has 10 100 mph exit velocities on 32 balls in play this spring (31%). He had 55 on 432 balls in play last season (13%).

Bellinger’s had a monster spring and you know what that means, right? He’ll start the season 2-for-32 or something. The baseball gods are cruel like that. Being serious though, I’m high on Bellinger, not that I think he’ll recapture his 2019 NL MVP form. I think 30 homers are well within reach given his pulled fly ball approach and the short porch, plus he’ll do a lot for the Yankees defensively and on the bases.

There’s also something to be said for having played for a big market team, and experiencing incredible highs (2017 NL Rookie of the Year, 2019 NL MVP, 2020 World Series) and incredible lows (2021-22). He may only be 29, but Bellinger’s been through basically everything in this game. This isn’t a player who will come into Yankee Stadium and be overwhelmed. He’s played under the spotlight and with big expectations before.

Anyway, I just wanted to acknowledge Bellinger, because he’s having a great spring and I haven’t said anything about him yet. That he’s mostly flown under the radar this spring is good. He’s fitting in seamlessly. The Yankees don’t need Bellinger to be The Man because this is Aaron Judge’s team, though they do need him to perform. I’m bullish on Bellinger. I think he’s going to have a really great season.

A few quick bullpen notes and thoughts

Tim Hill, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams all appeared in Wednesday’s game. Weaver’s velocity was still down (and he gave up a home run) and it hasn’t ticked up this spring at all, so I guess we have to root for regular season adrenaline to kick in next week. Williams looked nasty. He threw seven Airbenders and got three whiffs on four swings. The other swing was a foul, not a ball in play. What a pitch, man.

Fernando Cruz also pitched Wednesday and got roughed up again. He’s had a bad spring (5.2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 9 K, 3 HR, 3 WP) and Boone told Hoch that Cruz is “starting to make some better decisions” on the mound, which is a bit curious. Better decisions with pitch selection? Location? Something else? I’m not sure what, but Cruz has had walk (and some home run) issues throughout his career. He’s the current favorite to be the reliever who makes us all pull our hair out this season. (There’s always one.)

Cruz, Hill, Weaver, and Williams all pitched Wednesday night and then threw live BP Thursday afternoon. There isn’t enough time left this spring for them to pitch back-to-back days in actual games, but they did check the back-to-back box earlier this week with an actual game Wednesday night and live BP less than 24 hours later on Thursday afternoon. The Yankees have two off-days in the first five days of the regular season. Those late inning guys will have plenty of chances to rest and regroup early on.

And finally, did an ABS challenge cost Geoff Hartlieb an Opening Day roster spot? Here’s the sequence of events that went down Tuesday:

• Hartlieb enters with one out in the fifth, retires the first four batters he faces.

• Hartlieb gets a called strike three on Kristian Campbell to end the fifth.

• Campbell challenges, call is overturned to ball four, inning continues.

• Masataka Yoshida follows with a second pitch two-run home run.

Without that ABS challenge and subsequent dinger, everyone’s talking about how sharp Hartlieb looked that afternoon. Now it’s like damn, the low power Yoshida touched him up, and Hartlieb’s struck out only three of the last 21 batters he’s faced after striking out five of the first 10. What’s that about? When you’re on the Opening Day roster bubble and need to perform well in Spring Training, every little slip up can cost you, and things didn’t go Hartlieb’s way after that ABS challenge Tuesday.

“You think you’re out of it and you let yourself get unlocked for a second because you think the inning is over. Then it’s not over and you have to get back to being locked in,” Hartlieb told Max Goodman after the challenge/dinger on Tuesday. “… You’re told to never let your foot off the pedal. When you see the guy give me the third out and it’s over in your head, your immediate reaction is an exhale. Once that breath has left you, it’s hard to pull it back in and immediately go back to who you were.”

Latest roster cuts (and a word on opt outs)

The roster trimming continued this week and it’ll be a busy next few days on this front as the Yankees work towards a 26-man Opening Day roster. Here’s who was sent to minor league camp this week:

• Catchers: none

• Infielders: Jorbit Vivas

• Outfielders: none

• Righties: Allan Winans

• Lefties: Brandon Leibrandt

Vivas, my No. 24 prospect, was given a fourth option and the Yankees are using it. He’s going to Triple-A Scranton. Vivas missed the first 1.5 weeks of the Grapefruit League season with a shoulder issue, then went 10-for-25 (.400) with two doubles once he returned. Frankly, he’s looked much better than Oswald Peraza at the plate, though Peraza’s out of options and is a much better defender.

I thought Winans had a chance to make the Opening Day roster as a long man, even if only until he gets used and sent down for a fresh arm, but this takes him out of the running. He and Leibrandt will anchor the RailRiders’ rotation in a “journeymen who can give innings” way. I bet we see both guys in the Bronx at some point this year. The Yankees have too many pitching injuries to not need them, you know?

With Opening Day six days away, I count 47 players still in big league camp, 11 of whom are injured. That leaves 36 healthy players in camp and a few of those 36 "healthy" players are banged up, but expected to be ready for Opening Day (Paul Goldschmidt, Mark Leiter Jr., etc.). Here are the 47 players still in big league camp (asterisk means out of options):

Reyes hit a home run Wednesday (video) and has had a very good spring (.324/.455/.441). I think he’s a better fit for the bench than Smith, especially if the Yankees are going to carry Escarra and Rice. Gómez has had a sneaky good camp and he’s gotten stretched out to 2.1 innings and 37 pitches. He’s clearly in the bullpen at this point, I think. The last spot could be Hartlieb, Headrick, De Los Santos, whoever.

As for the opt outs, Carrasco’s is coming up Saturday. Once he triggers it, the Yankees will have 72 hours to either add him to the 40-man roster, or let him go. Usually it’s 48 hours, but Phillips says it’s 72 for Carrasco, and I don’t doubt him. Either way, it’s hard to see the Yankees letting Carrasco go. They’ll add him to the roster. (Cole can go on the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot.)

Matzek and Smith also have opt outs coming Saturday. Matzek is out with an oblique strain. I bet he doesn’t opt out. I’m not sure what’ll happen with Smith. He’s having a good spring, though I don’t see the need for him with Rice and Escarra around. The Yankees can let him go. Another lefty first base only guy will be freely available later this year, possibly even Smith himself. We’ll see.

Miscellany

You’ll often hear players or former players say you want to peak at the end of Spring Training, and Jasson Domínguez is doing that. He is 10-for-31 (.323) with a double, a triple, and two homers in his last eight games. Please let it continue into the regular season … Max Fried carved up a Red Sox lineup that was admittedly light on regulars Tuesday: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 7/1 GB/FB (video) on 68 pitches. Fried is not a traditional ace who blows hitters away with a big fastball and a nasty slider. He’s more of a surgeon with a wide arsenal who picks hitters apart. There are different ways to dominate in this game. Fried and Gerrit Cole are the perfect examples … Carrasco and Marcus Stroman both started Wednesday and are lined up for the third game of the regular season. The Yankees could piggyback them in Game 3 since there’s an off-day the next day, but that would be very un-Yankees-like. The Game 4 start will go to whichever one the Yankees believe will benefit most from extra rest, and the other guy will start Game 3 … Non-roster righty Wilking Rodríguez leads the Yankees in average four-seamer (98.5 mph) and cutter (96.3 mph) velocity this spring, and his numbers are okay: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 HR. We’ll see him at some point this season, it’s inevitable. I wonder if it’s as soon as Opening Day. A fastball that flirts with triple digits could be a good tiebreaker … And finally, Oswald Peraza is 8-for-42 (.190) with one extra-base hit (a double) and an 83.2 mph average exit velocity this spring. He’s not a guy who will bang the ball around the yard, but you need to have some hard-hit ability, you know? As good as his defense has been (and it has been really good), Peraza’s been thoroughly unimpressive this spring at a time when I would have liked to see a strong showing that left little doubt he belongs on the Opening Day roster. If he wasn’t out of options and the Yankees weren’t negligent in addressing third base, I’d say Peraza’s making the decision to send him back to Triple-A easy.

Injury updates

Goldschmidt (back) went through a full workout Thursday, including hitting against Schmidt during his live BP, and is expected back in the lineup Friday. He says this is something that pops up a few times a year and it’s not a big deal, but still, Opening Day is next week. The Yankees don’t need any more injuries … Hamilton (infection) made his Grapefruit League debut Thursday and struck out three in a one-run inning. He looks fine-ish … Leiter (back) threw live BP on Wednesday and told Jack Curry he’s ready for the regular season. We’ll see. Leiter hasn’t pitched in a Grapefruit League game since March 6th because of back spasms … Matzek (oblique) threw bullpens Monday and Thursday, and has a few more scheduled before progressing to live BP. “I know that I have a few (opt outs) lined up early in the year, so I’d like to try being a Yankee first,” he told Phillips. Maybe I’m misreading things, but that doesn’t sound like someone planning to use his opt out Saturday … And finally, Braden Shewmake got into Wednesday’s game. It was his first Grapefruit League action since Feb. 26th. He was the DH in that game and Shewmake’s not much of a hitter. Whatever sidelined him isn’t bad enough to keep him from hitting but is bad enough to keep him from playing the field. I have spent entirely too much time writing about an up/down glove first infielder on the DFA chopping block.

Up next

The final weekend of Spring Training. The Opening Day roster should be set by Tuesday’s post, though it won’t be made official until next Thursday, when it has to be submitted to MLB. Here is the full spring broadcast schedule and here’s what’s coming up between now and Tuesday’s post:

• Friday at Tigers: Carlos Rodón (6pm ET on FanDuel Detroit, MLBN, Gotham)

• Saturday vs. Phillies: Cam Schlittler (1pm ET on YES, Gotham)

• Sunday vs. Rays: TBA (1pm ET on YES, FanDuel Sun, Gotham)

• Monday at Mets: TBA (1pm ET on SNY, MLBN)

Schlittler again, eh? Saturday will be his fourth Grapefruit League start. The last prospect who was ticketed for the minors (i.e. not competing for an Opening Day spot like Warren this year or Gil last year) to make four spring starts for the Yankees was Deivi García in 2020. García made three before the pandemic shutdown and one in Summer Camp. MLB.com’s Spring Training stats only go back to 2006 and I can’t find another non-MLB-ready prospect to make four spring starts for the Yankees. Hmmm.

Anyway, Fried will start Sunday. Rodón and Fried must be separated by a day because of the off-day after Opening Day. Carrasco and Stroman can pitch Monday and Tuesday in either order. I guess Warren will stay back in Tampa to throw a sim game Wednesday, then meet the Yankees in New York for Opening Day? That would keep him lined up for the fifth game of the regular season.

Sunday is the last day in Tampa. After that game the Yankees will travel across the state to play the Mets on Monday and the Marlins at loanDepot Park on Tuesday, then they’ll head to New York. The Rays will have five days next week to transform George M. Steinbrenner Field into their new home stadium. Ron Blum says the Y-A-N-K-E-E-S signage will be covered, new concessions will be brought in, etc.

The group that leaves Tampa will be the 26-man Opening Day roster and a bunch of Triple-A players. The RailRiders begin their season next Friday in Lehigh Valley. Those guys will fly north with the Yankees, then break off and head to Pennsylvania. Double-A Somerset, High-A Hudson Valley, and Low-A Tampa begin their seasons the following Friday, April 4th.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Several asked: What about Jordan Montgomery? How much would the Diamondbacks have to eat for the Yankees to jump in?

My guess is the D’Backs would have to turn Montgomery into a $5M or so player for the Yankees to even consider it. That’s Andrew Heaney/Martín Pérez money and yes, Montgomery is younger and (in theory) better than those guys, but I don’t think the Yankees will take on more money than that for any player. With the 100% luxury tax rate, a $5M player is a $10.5M player in real money to the Yankees.

The D’Backs eating that much money – Montgomery is owed $22.5M this year – is unlikely to start with, but, even if they are okay with it, a) other teams would have interest (they already do) and the Yankees would have to win a bidding war, and b) the Yankees would have to trade real prospects for him. Arizona’s not going to eat $17.5M and take nothing back just to shave a few bucks. The money is the single biggest obstacle to a Montgomery trade (and anything else the Yankees might consider right now).

(The Yankees don’t even have a contract to send the D’Backs in a money swap. Arizona has no need for Marcus Stroman, and they’re loaded with lefty hitting outfielders who play great defense (Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Alek Thomas, etc.), so Trent Grisham does nothing for them.)

I expected the D’Backs to trade Montgomery in the offseason first because ownership threw him under the bus, and then to shed money after signing Corbin Burnes. Neither happened. Arizona kept him and simply raised their payroll to accommodate Burnes. What a concept. Since there’s no apparent need to dump money, the D'Backs might as well keep Montgomery as overpaid but potentially high quality rotation depth.

Montgomery was slowed by a finger issue earlier in Spring Training and he’s done most of his build up in sim games (five runs, one out in his only Cactus League game). It sounds like he’s behind Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt in the No. 5 starter competition. Those two can go to Triple-A. Montgomery can not. Or will not, really, since he has enough service time to refuse a demotion, and those guys almost always do (Alex Verdugo did not).

Jon Heyman reported the Yankees talked to Montgomery about a heavily deferred contract last spring, so they like him as a pitcher. I just don’t think the money can work. The Yankees have put the clamps on payroll and I don’t get the sense they’re eager to trade the kinda prospects that will be required to get Arizona to eat most of Montgomery’s salary. I’d take him, for sure. I don’t think things line up though.

Adam asks: In one of your recent posts you floated the idea of a Cease + Arraez trade which I’ve really warmed up to, especially now that Cole is out for the season and with us (still) having a hole in the infield. What do you think it would take to get the ball rolling in talks with the Padres? Would a trade package along the lines of Roderick Arias, Rafael Flores, Cam Schlittler and Cade Smith be enough to get talks started? Might be a little light but given their contractual statuses (and the Padres stated interest in shedding salary) perhaps it’s not so unreasonable?

The Padres spent some money late in the offseason (Elias Díaz, Nick Pivetta, etc.) and their projected payroll is about $30M higher than last year, but also $20M or so south of 2023. Dylan Cease is still mentioned as a trade candidate because he’s their best chance to shed money and get back quality pieces. Luis Arraez may not fetch a ton and Mike King’s contract structure means he’s very cheap in 2025.

Trading with San Diego will be tough because I don’t think they want prospects. They’re still a postseason contender and will want MLB-ready pieces in return, and if you’re the Yankees, who can you offer? Trading Jasson Domínguez for one year of Arraez and one year of Cease could make sense from a “Domínguez might have growing pains and Arraez/Cease are sure thing contributors right now” perspective, but nah, the Yankees won’t do that. I don’t think they would, anyway.

I’m going to spitball an Arraez/Cease trade package. Remember, my trade proposal sucks:

• Marcus Stroman (salary offset, also a starter to help replace Cease)

• Will Warren (cheap MLB-ready starter, needed with Yu Darvish/Matt Waldron hurt)

• Ben Rice (cheap MLB-ready first baseman/DH to replace Arraez)

• Spencer Jones (essentially a reclamation project prospect)

• Ben Hess (good prospect to help replenish the system)

San Diego trades two rentals for a rental starter, a controllable starter, a controllable bat, two prospects, and $9.75M in savings. The Yankees add Cease to the rotation for a year and plop Arraez into the DH slot/leadoff spot for a year. Rotation-wise, the Yankees will have traded quantity for quality. Cease would join Carlos Carrasco, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and I guess Allan Winans in the rotation? They would have so little rotation depth leftover.

It seems like the Padres are no longer dead set on lowering payroll and will take Arraez and Cease into the season. The Darvish and Waldron (and Joe Musgrove) injuries leave them really short on starters. MLB-ready pitching would be a must in any Cease trade. They had to give Yuli Gurriel and Jose Iglesias minor league deals to cover the DH spot. Trade Arraez and they’re short another bat.

Cease is great. Of course the Yankees should pursue him. I was in favor of trading for Arraez in January, when we thought the Yankees would have to put him at second base because that was the only way to get him into the lineup. Quoting myself:

And let’s not kid ourselves. Giancarlo Stanton is likely to spend time on the injured list, freeing up DH at-bats. Goldschmidt had an 88 wRC+ against righties last year and his contact rates and production vs. fastballs suggest there’s a chance he goes full Donaldson, and becomes unplayable as a hitter. That would free up first base at-bats. Look at second base and the bench. Let’s not pretend there's no way Arraez can help the Yankees.

I absolutely would have traded for Arraez/Cease in January and would be very much in favor of it now, when the Yankees have an even greater need in the rotation and at DH. Matching up with the Padres will be tough if they’re not prioritizing lowering payroll and want MLB-ready players in return. If it’s a straight salary dump or prospect trade, I think the Yankees can swing it. In the real world, it would be tough.

(I have no idea what the Orioles are doing with Heston Kjerstad, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft. He just turned 26, he's proven all he can in Triple-A, and he's blocked every which way in the outfield. Just trade him for Cease already.)

Lynn asks: There seems to be a lot of thought that the Yankees need to manage Marcus Stroman’s innings so that his player option does not kick in for next year. However, wouldn’t it be better if Stroman pitched well enough for us this year to keep him in the rotation? This would be good for us this year and would increase his trade value next year when he will have only one more year remaining on his contract, making him a much more viable trade candidate.

Injuries happen, we all know that, but it’s still amazing how quickly the Yankees went from “Marcus Stroman is our No. 6 starter and we’ll salary dump him if we can” to “Marcus Stroman is our No. 3 starter,” isn’t it? The Yankees are pushing the limits of their pitching depth and we’re not even at Opening Day yet. I think that, if Stroman pitches well, the Yankees will keep him in the rotation and ride it out, and deal with the player option later. My guess is injury or poor performance will make avoiding the option easy, but we’ll see. I’m not sure how much Stroman can realistically increase his trade value this year. Enough that another team would take on his $18M player option and give the Yankees something of value in return? For that to be the case, he probably has to perform like a $25M+ a year starter, and do so in a way that convinces everyone he can do it again next year. And if Stroman does that, wouldn’t the Yankees just keep him for themselves? Gerrit Cole will miss the start of next season, after all. Realistically, the best case scenario is Stroman pitches well and forces the Yankees to keep him in the rotation all year, and they’re stuck having to figure out how to deal with an extra $18M on their books next year. I’m not sure it’s possible for him to pitch so well that he’ll have positive trade value next offseason. He’d have to turn the clock back to 2021, which is a lot to ask for a soon-to-be 34-year-old with declining velocity.

Mike asks: I hate to go down this path, but if the Yankees don't add another bat, would it make sense to plant Grisham in CF, move Bellinger to RF, and put Dominguez at DH? I don't want to do that to a young kid, but this is about winning in 2025.

I assume Mike means Cody Bellinger in left field, not right. Yes, that would be the best outfield alignment defensively. It’s pretty inarguable, really. Instead of Jasson Domínguez in the outfield and Ben Rice at DH, it’s Trent Grisham in the outfield and Domínguez at DH. There is a world where Grisham out-hits Rice (he did last year, right?), and this is an upgrade both offensively and defensively. I think that, coming out of the gate, you have to give Domínguez a chance in left field. He’s been fine the last few weeks. Had a few misplays early in camp and none since. Domínguez is the most talented young player in your system. You have to give him the opportunity to get better, and not just slam the door on his development because of a bad first impression. If his defense is still an issue in June or July, the Yankees can sit down and figure out if they have to make a change, but if they’re not willing to give Domínguez time to prove he can be better defensively, then they should’ve just traded him over the winter (for Kyle Tucker?). The leash has to be longer than March.

Bob asks: I am guessing the Yankees are hanging on to hope that D.J. has something left in the tank due to his remaining $30 million dollar contract. Can the Yankees restructure his contract to buy him out and stretch the dollars thereby helping their salary cap number?

Prince Fielder and Stephen Strasburg both restructured their contracts to help the team financially when they stopped playing, though insurance was involved there, and both guys retired because they were no longer cleared to play, medically. DJ LeMahieu has been hurt a lot the last few years, but it’s all muscle pulls and bad luck foul tips. It’s not one chronic injury like Fielder’s neck or Strasburg’s shoulder (or the nerves in his shoulder, more accurately). I answered a similar question recently about restructuring contracts to help the Yankees with the luxury tax payroll and everything I said there applies here. It is possible, yes. There’s no rule against it. It’s just a matter of LeMahieu being on board with it, agreeing to a new contract structure, and the MLBPA signing off on it.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)