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MLB Trade Rumors | Tim Dierkes and Steve Adams: Two weeks from now, teams will have to decide whether or not to offer contracts to pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players. To that end, Tim Dierkes and Steve Adams have compiled their list of players that they think have even a remote chance (~10%) of being non-tendered before the December 2nd deadline, noting that we may see a few more than usual, but not necessarily the avalanche some have projected. They see four Yankees as potential candidates: Gary Sánchez, Luis Cessa, Ben Heller, and Jonathan Holder. Players who you might see linked to the Yankees if they are non-tendered include pitchers Jon Gray and Yonny Chirinos, as well as outfielders Albert Almora, Eddie Rosario, and Kyle Schwarber, and third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant.
New York Post | Mollie Walker: The MLB Hall of Fame Ballot came out recently, and one man was just ecstatic to be on the list: Nick Swisher. The former Yankees outfielder went on Twitter to express his excitement, saying “Are you kidding me, man? What an amazing honor. I can’t thank everybody enough. To all the people that put me on that list, what an amazing opportunity. Thank you so much. To all my fans out there, I love you guys. To my parents, I can’t thank you guys enough for giving me this opportunity. Step one in the right direction, guys. I’m on the list. I made the list.” This will likely be it for him, but for many players, just getting on the list in the first place by having ten years of service time is an accomplishment in itself.
New York Daily News | Kristie Ackert: Disgraced Yankee right-hander Domingo Germán began his long road back to the Major Leagues the other day, making his first start since September 18, 2019. Pitching for the Toros del Este in the team’s LIDOM (Dominican Republic winter league) season opener, Germán pitched four hitless innings, striking out seven and walking only one, in what would ultimately be a combined no-hitter by his team. Of course, for Germán, his talent on the mound is not the primary concern for the Yankees, but rather, his off-field actions from last year that do not appear to have been adequately answered for the team, judging from Hal Steinbrenner’s interview with Michael Kay last month. For a team that has Aroldis Chapman as its closer, that the club is not absolutely certain about his status going forward after more than a year speaks volumes.