Aaron Boone, Yankees must stop coddling Anthony Volpe
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NBC Sports
18 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Baseball's biggest spenders are stumbling, with the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees beset by injuries
NEW YORK — Baseball's biggest spenders are stumbling, slowed by injuries and scrambling to patch rosters with help for battered bullpens and other positions ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. Opening the season with a top payroll of $326 million, the New York Mets have a 1 1/2-game NL East lead but are 17-20 since mid-June. Just $200,000 behind them in spending, according to Major League Baseball's figures, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are four games ahead in the NL West but are 5-13 since July 3. Third at $294 million, the defending AL champion New York Yankees blew a seven-game division lead and trail AL East-leading Toronto by 5 1/2 games after a 22-28 skid that started in late May. 'It is in a lot of ways a game of survival,' New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. While all three are in playoffs positions, they have not had the seasons they hoped for. All three teams were considered 'winners' of the offseason. The Mets lured Juan Soto from the Yankees for a record $765 million, 15-year contract. The Dodgers added prized pitcher Roki Sasaki and left-hander Blake Snell along with reliever Tanner Scott, outfielder Michael Conforto and second baseman Hyeseong Kim. The Yankees brought in Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Devin Williams. Projected lineups and the ones in box scores have been markedly different. The Mets have used 13 starting pitchers, losing Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning for significant stretches. 'We're not going to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves. Nobody will,' manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'We're facing a lot of adversity, but every team goes through it.' Los Angeles had 14 pitchers on the injured list in early June and has used 16 different starters. 'It was very important to have the depth. We went through a lot last year and I didn't think that we would kind of match what we did last year, but sure enough we have,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 'To kind of manage it hasn't been easy, but we're doing it.' The Yankees lost ace Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt to torn UCLs and Luis Gil to a lat strain. They are now without two-time AL MVP Aaron Judge for at least 10 days because of a flexor injury. Los Angeles leads the major leagues with 1,495 player days on the IL, the Mets are fifth at 1,095 and the Yankees sixth at 1,022. Philadelphia, 1 1/2 games back of the Mets in the NL East, has the fewest IL days at 214. In addition to relievers, the Mets could use a center fielder and an upgrade at third. The Yankees added infielders Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario, boosting payroll and tax by $11.56 million. Modern MLB is a sport for the wealthy. Just two of the current division leaders were not among the top seven spenders as of opening day: Detroit (19th at $148 million) and the Chicago Cubs (14th at $195 million). And the spending doesn't include luxury tax, with seven teams projected to pay. The Dodgers were on track at the season's start to owe a record $151 million — more than the payrolls of seven teams. The were were projected at $73 million and the Yankees $52 million, with Philadelphia, Toronto, San Diego and Boston at lesser amounts. 'I'm a piker now compared to the Dodgers,' Mets owner Steve Cohen said during spring training. All seven teams set to owe tax would be in the 12-club playoffs if the season ended now along with Houston, currently just below the tax threshold. In the past decade, three teams outside the top 10 spenders have won titles: Atlanta in 2021 (14th), Houston in 2017 (18th) and Kansas City in 2015 (13th). While the biggest spender has won twice, the Dodgers in 2020 and Boston in 2018, a top six payroll has won six titles of the past 10 titles. Some owners say MLB should push for a salary cap in negotiations to replace the collective bargaining agreement that expires in December 2026, a proposal the players' association would fight. 'Payroll disparity is such a fact of life among the ownership group that there's not a lot of need for talking about whether we have it or not,' baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said. 'We understand that it has become a bigger problem for us.' Last year, the top three spenders reached the League Championship Series along with Cleveland, which finished at No. 25. Ten of 20 LCS teams in the last five years paid tax. 'I have the ability to spend if I have to,' Cohen said. 'I want to win and I want to I can on the field.'
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Yankees Face 'All-Around Terrible' Giancarlo Stanton Decision After Brutal Injury
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The New York Yankees might have avoided a worst-case scenario on Aaron Judge, but the reality is still far from pleasant. As the team endures a marked fall from grace after a torrid start to the year, it has placed the franchise slugger on the injured list with a strained flexor tendon. He is expected to return this season, but the fallout from that brutal injury will still be far reaching. Without Judge to carry the batting order, the team could be changing its approach to the trade deadline with less confidence that bringing in some win-now talent can propel a championship. And Judge's injury could drive a surprising change for designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton as well. "Yes, Judge can still swing with a bad flexor, but where does that leave Stanton?" Yankees columnist Bob Klapisch asked for "Back to the outfield, which is an all-around terrible idea. Give Stanton credit for a good attitude — 'I'll do whatever it takes' — but let's be serious about a defender who's afraid to run, lest he gets hurt again." TORONTO, ON - JULY 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 21, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario,... TORONTO, ON - JULY 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 21, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by) More Ridley/Getty The Yankees have plenty of outfield options even without Judge, including Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez. But if Judge has to move to an everyday designated hitter role, there could be no way for the Yankees to get at-bats for Stanton without putting him back into the outfield for the first time in two years. Still, Stanton is such a defensive liability and at so much risk of injury himself that the team might be forced to choose between at-bats for him or Judge for a significant stretch of the season. Judge's injury might have been worse, but even a slight setback for the franchise star seems like a major problem for the Yankees. "All of which is to say, if the Yankees were going nowhere with a healthy Judge and his MVP-caliber production, imagine what the next couple of weeks will be without him," Klapisch added. "Think July's been a rough month in the Bronx? Just wait. It's about to get a lot worse." After a high-octane start to the year, the Yankees are suddenly facing some tough decisions. More MLB: Yankees Make Trade, Send Veteran Pitcher to Atlanta Ahead of Trade Deadline
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Depleted Braves acquire pitcher Carlos Carrasco from Yankees for cash considerations
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees traded veteran pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the depleted Atlanta Braves on Monday for cash considerations. The Braves acquired Carrasco a day after losing Grant Holmes to right elbow inflammation on Sunday. Holmes was originally placed on the 15-day injured list but moved to the 60-day IL after Erick Fedde was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals. With the news involving Holmes, all five of Atlanta's opening day rotation are on the 60-day injured list. Atlanta lost at Texas 8-1 Sunday, has dropped five in a row and is 12 games behind in the NL wild-card race. Carrasco was 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA in eight games for the Yankees, who started him six times before designating him for assignment on May 6. Carrasco was in spring training on a minor league deal and could have opted out but he was re-signed after posting a 1.69 ERA in five spring training outings, including four starts. After accepting his assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, the 38-year-old right-hander was 4-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) and was 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in five July starts. Originally acquired by the Cleveland Guardians from the Phillies for Cliff Lee in July 2009, Carrasco is 112-105 with a 4.18 ERA in 332 games (283) starts for Cleveland, the New York Mets and Yankees. He led the American League in wins in 2017 when he was 18-6 with Cleveland and also was named the 2019 AL Comeback Player of the Year following a return from leukemia. The Yankees made their third trade since Friday after acquiring Ryan McMahon from the Rockies and Amed Rosario from the Nationals.
