Around the Empire: Yankees news - 1/19/23

NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: We’re entering the part of the offseason where many publications are updating their respective top 10s and top 100s, which means we’ll certainly spend some time dreaming on the potential of Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and the like. It also may mean we’ll wince seeing the names of prospects recently traded away, perhaps none more so than Ken Waldichuk. The top name exchanged for Frankie Montas last summer, MLB Pipeline had Waldichuk as their third-best southpaw in the minors. Expect him to make an impact with the Athletics this year, and to have Yankees fans feeling some combination of buyer’s (or seller’s?) remorse.

ESPN | Buster Olney: Boston’s offseason has mostly been littered with small free agent signings; Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, and Corey Kluber, and come to mind. Add Adam Duvall to the list, as the Red Sox signed the veteran outfielder to a one-year, $7 million deal, poaching a potential Yankees left field target in the process. It was always unlikely the Yankees would go after a lower-end player like Duvall, but his signing with Boston means there’s just one fewer option standing in the way of “Aaron Hicks, Opening Day left fielder.”

Yahoo Sports | Alex Smith: MLB Pipeline also updated their top 100 list, and the Yankees sported an impressive five names. Anthony Volpe (14), Oswald Peraza (62), Jasson Domínguez (67), Everson Pereira (78), and Austin Wells (94) all represent the Bombers. While trades and promotions the thinned the Yankee system a bit in recent years, it appears they still have a solid cohort of top prospect talent, all in or approaching the upper minors.

Also, old friend Adam Warren retired, as the former Yankee right-hander said in speaking with Bryan Hoch:

Warren was a stable presence in the Yankee bullpen for many years, running a 129 ERA+ in 289.1 innings with the club from 2012-18 (with a brief foray to the Cubs for the first half of 2016). He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 with the Mariners, and came back with the Yankees’ Triple-A team in 2021, in an attempt to return to the majors. Warren performed admirably in the minors, but never quite made it back to the bigs.

And in a similar vein, David Phelps retired as well:

I’m surely not the only one that often lumped Warren and Phelps together, as former Triple-A Scranton teammates who eventually filled similar roles as right-handers capable of covering multiple frames . Phelps ran a 95 ERA+ in 299.1 innings with the Yankees from 2012-14, before being traded to Miami along with Martín Prado as part of the Nathan Eovaldi trade. While he never returned to the Yankees like Warren, Phelps did find success elsewhere, notably posting a 138 ERA+ in 63.2 innings for Toronto last year.

Congrats to both Warren and Phelps on their solid big league careers!

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