Around the Empire: Yankees news – 2/14/24
A Snell prediction; Rodón is confident going into 2024; Reassessing the top 2017 prospects; Groshans claimed, Krook DFA’d
NJ.com | Bridget Hyland: Blake Snell is at a weird point in his free agency. It’s not clear what his group of suitors are, and he has still only received an offer from the Yankees, even if it was rescinded. Jim Bowden still thinks the Yankees will land Snell after this all plays out, but boy would that be a shock. According to Roster Resource, their projected 2024 payroll will be $295 million. Signing Snell will almost definitely take them north of $320 million. Yeah, they seem to be all in, but is Snell the right guy to take them that high?
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NJ.com | Max Goodman: Carlos Rodón spoke publicly for the first time since the end of 2023 and one thing is clear: he knows his strengths. For players looking to bounce back from poor seasons, it’s very important to know your blueprint. Rodón knows his and his work this offseason has centered around getting his strengths back in check.
FanGraphs | Eric Longenhagen: Baseball is weird! Eric Longenhagen revisited his 2017 top prospects list seven years after the fact. It is incredibly interesting to see how concerns around players age over time as they progress through the big leagues. In Aaron Judge’s case, it was around the strikeouts. His power has obviously overcome that, and he has developed his hit tool enough to not only be whiff-power player. That was due to a swing change, but man can those pieces be hard to project on!
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: The Yankees have claimed former top Blue Jays prospect Jordan Groshans off waivers from the Marlins and added him to the 40-man roster. In a corresponding move, they’ve designated funky lefty, Matt Krook, for assignment. Groshans was well-regarded before struggling mightily in 2023. Check out Peter’s write-up yesterday for more on Groshans’ background.
