The Yankees must prepare for Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks to be blamed for everything from a failure to reach the World Series to an inability to end world hunger as spring training approaches.
When general manager Brian Cashman announced Donaldson as the starting third baseman and Hicks as the leading candidate in left field, the fan base reacted as if he were advocating for Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Pavano for Monument Park.
Donaldson and Hicks are currently the No. 1 and No. 1A adversaries of the Empire State, primarily due to their high wages and low production.
Today, I would argue that the Yankees have greater difficulties, beginning with their starting pitching depth. Due to the likelihood that Frankie Montas will miss at least the first month of the season, the Yankees will turn to Domingo German, who offers excellent depth. However, the next pitcher is Clarke Schmidt, who has yet to demonstrate that he is more than a relief. Then after that…
A reminder follows that the Yankees have lost a significant amount of pitching depth over the past three seasons. They will not regret exchanging Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader at the previous trade deadline. However, this transaction was coordinated with the acquisition of Montas to replace Montgomery.
And the price for Montas includes J.P. Sears and Ken Waldichuk, who will compete for a rotation spot with Oakland. On the same day, August 1, they traded Hayden Wesneski for Scott Effross, who will miss the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery, while Wesneski tries to crack the Cubs’ rotation following a solid late-season cameo in 2022.
Jameson Taillon is no longer with the Yankees, and the crucial player they acquired in exchange for him two years ago, Roansy Contreras, is likely to be the Pirates’ Opening Day starter. Other depth options, such as Glenn Otto, T.J. Sikkema, and Beck Way, have also been eliminated. Garrett Whitlock was lost to Boston in the Rule 5 draft in December 2020.
Individually, none of them are killers, but that is the cost of doing business for a contender that want Taillon, Andrew Benintendi, or Joey Gallo. Collectively, however, a layer of protection has been gone that is more concerning than a depth chart from late January that lists Donadson and Hicks as starters.
I would also argue that the contributions of Oswaldo Peraza and Anthony Volpe to the 2023 Yankees will be significantly more significant than those of Donaldson and Hicks. Peraza and Volpe must bring average, contact, and speed to the lineup while still possessing extra-base power for the Yankees to transform their offensive identity away from the cycle of beating the AL Central team and losing to the Astros in the playoffs. And one of these two must transform Isiah Kiner-Falefa into a backup pitcher or a former Yankee.
As for Donaldson and Hicks, the Giants game on March 30 remains a considerable distance away. Cashman acquired Donaldson (along with Kiner-Falefa and catcher Ben Rortvedt) before the start of last year’s spring training, then he dealt Albert Abreu, Joely Rodriguez, and Luke Voit prior to the opening game of the regular season. Because to the preceding ownership lockout, the spring was busier.
Nonetheless, I believe it is more probable than not that the Yankees will make a deal between now and Opening Day in order to reduce their overabundance of infielders and possibly acquire more rotation protection.
The Yankees would have dealt Donaldson, Hicks, or both in the summer if not for their contractual obligations and Donaldson’s tarnished reputation. Hicks has three years and $30.5 million remaining on his contract, with a $1 million assignment bonus if he is transferred. Donaldson is owed $27 million between his 2023 salary and a 2024 buyout.
Is their position on the depth chart a result of the Yankees’ determination to maximize their investment? I asked Cashman if everyone on his roster made the minimum salary of $720,000 this season, if Donaldson and Hicks would still be the starting third baseman and left fielder, respectively.
Cashman stated, “We do not apply that [status based on salary] standard.” “The hypothetical scenario you presented is not plausible. Donaldson has been a phenomenal player for quite some time, including defensively for us last year, and offensively, last year was the first year he regressed. Therefore, there is no reason to suppose that this is permanent.
“He has moved to a new team, and we’ll have to wait and see what the ’23 offensive version looks like since the ’21 offensive version [26 homers,.827 OPS for Minnesota] was more than adequate. This was something we were looking forward to adding to the roster, but the question is if he suddenly stopped hitting. Or was it simply a bad year? We’ll discover.”
Cashman stated of Hicks, “The [left field] competition is between Hicks, [Estevan] Florial, and [Oswaldo] Cabrera, and due to his talent and experience, I wouldn’t be surprised if he emerged victorious, given that he is healthy.”
When asked if Hicks has maintained the qualities that prompted a seven-year, $70 million contract, Cashman stated, “I still believe he had talent. Clearly, we have been unable to utilize it. If you examine different months [in 2022], you will see a certain player one month and a different player the following month, as the physical tools and abilities actually exist. Injuries and inconsistency have occurred during the past two years.”
The 2022 season of Aaron Hicks was like a roller coaster, with three months above.700 OPS (including a.880 July) and two months below.400. But does this indicate a player who cannot continuously concentrate or remain healthy? And is it more concerning that Hicks’ home OPS of.523 was so much lower than his road OPS of.733 considering his villainous reputation in The Bronx?
After the All-Star break, Hicks hit.077 at home with an OPS of.316 and appeared increasingly agitated as the season proceeded and the booing intensified.
The Yankees could use the lefty bat of the switch-hitter if he played in left field, allowing Cabrera to move around the diamond and providing additional lineup diversity.
If DJ LeMahieu is healthy, the Yankees’ reliance on Donaldson will decrease. Cashman continues to view LeMahieu as a regular player who moves from third to second to first. And he feels that Donaldson should have been a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at third base last season.
Donaldson did not endear himself to the fans by, among other things, going into homer trots on several flyballs that were not homers, but primarily because of his strikeout addiction, which worsened late in the season and carried over into the postseason, where he went 5-for-29 with zero RBI and 16 strikeouts. This included a 1-for-13, 10-strikeout performance in the ALCS against Houston, where Donaldson’s mere presence in the on-deck circle at Yankee Stadium was met with ridicule.
Can Donaldson or Hicks regain or improve their utility? It is not inconceivable. Perhaps each of these has a 25-30% chance of occurring. However, despite being the target of discontent, they are not the Yankees’ primary worry as pitchers and catchers prepare to report.
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