Around the Empire: Yankees news - 1/6/2020

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Lots of talk this winter centers around the Yankees’ fifth rotation spot, and whether the team will give the job to J.A. Happ, or if a guy like Jordan Montgomery gets the slot. And then there’s Clarke Schmidt, the former first round pick in 2017. Pegged as one of 2020’s breakout prospects, Schmidt boasts what could be four plus pitches, and with a strong 2019 coming off Tommy John surgery, could be in the rotation before you think.

MLB.com | Will Leitch: It’s never too early to guess project future World Series winners, and after landing the biggest fish this offseason, the Yankees are in a solid spot to end up in the Fall Classic for the next couple of seasons. Predicting too far into the future is a fool’s errand, but it’s still fun to think about a couple more parades before 2030.

MLB.com | Thomas Harrigan: Giancarlo Stanton is unbelievably good at baseball, despite having as bad luck in 2019 as you can get. He’s among the most likely candidates to enjoy a solid bounce-back season, and if on-base machines like DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge continue to hit in front of him, should silence most of his critics by the All Star break.