Around the Empire: Yankees news - 3/26/22

Forbes | Mike Ozanian & Justin Teitelbaum: Guess what remains a wildly valuable product despite insistences to the contrary? The New York Yankees. Forbes’ latest estimation put the Yankees at $6 billion, tops in baseball and almost $2 billion more than the runner-up Dodgers. Only the Dallas Cowboys are more valuable among all sports teams, and they’re only $500,000 ahead. No sympathy, Hal. No sympathy.

New York Daily News | Kristie Ackert: Joely Rodríguez’s velocity was down on Thursday afternoon and that raised the eyebrows of pitching coach Matt Blake. After a closer look at his medicals on Friday, it was revealed that Rodríguez had a pinched nerve in his neck. He felt better yesterday and it doesn’t seem like he’ll miss serious time at this point, but it will be something to track early on in 2022.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Remember Bronxie from late last season? Nestor Cortes made the rally turtle a fun addition to the clubhouse as the Yankees scrambled for a playoff spot, and per Cortes, he has a new home at New York community children’s center. He didn’t rule out a return for Bronxie down the stretch in 2022, but that’s a long way away. I’m just glad that no one accidentally stepped on him in the clubhouse.

NBC Sports Chicago | Gordon Wittenmyer: Former Yankee Clint Frazier opened up about his lost 2021 the other day to a Cubs beat writer. He was among the great disappointments of last season after such a promising 2020, but he revealed that one of the reasons for his woes at the plate and in the field was a concussion that he tried to play through (it first came about in late 2020 and then reemerged the following spring). Frazier felt the pressure of his struggles mounting and knew that if he spent time on the shelf, then his chance to make a lasting impact in New York might vanish. Obviously, his own health should have been a priority, but it’s hard not to sympathize for Frazier in this lose/lose scenario.