Around the Empire: Yankees news - 10/18/23

Líder en Deportes: It took a while to find a news link on this one after seeing the story surface on Twitter earlier. Oswaldo Cabrera, fresh off what must have been an extremely disappointing 2023 campaign for him, is headed to winter ball in Venezuela. He joined Tiburones de La Guaira on Monday, with the initial plan of getting a month worth of reps, before he and the Yankees re-evaluate the path forward. Of note, everyone involved has agreed to the idea of Cabrera playing all over the diamond, getting even more experience as a utility man extraordinaire.

It’s also a cool opportunity for Oswaldo to play with his older brother Leobaldo, a former Baby Bomber himself who played Independent ball in 2023. It’s something that two have looked forward to for a long time.

MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: The Yankees are casting a broad net in their attempts to upgrade the roster this offseason. Japanese closer Yuki Matsui could be headed stateside after an impressive career in Nippon Professional Baseball. New York is one of nine clubs that has scouted Matsui, so it’s worth keeping an eye on whether the soon-to-be-28-year-old southpaw decides to head for Major League Baseball. Of note, his age and experience mean that MLB’s bonus pool structure does not apply to Matsui.

FanGraphs | David Laurila: After finishing his first season as a starting pitcher in the big leagues, Schmidt sat down with Laurila to follow-up on a conversation the two had more than a year ago. The two discuss Schmidt’s cutter, his number one pitch by volume, and clarify once and for all how Schmidt labels his sweeper/slider/baby whirly.

The Athletic | Keith Law: The Arizona Fall League is in full swing, so Law, The Athletic’s prospect guru has been in the desert keeping an eye on some of baseball’s top prospects. Matt Sauer is arguably the biggest name the Yankees sent to Arizona this season and Law has a couple of brief notes on Sauer buried in a much longer article. Sauer, he notes, is sitting 94-97 with his fastball this fall with an above-average curveball. The news is not all good, however, as Law is not enamored with Sauer’s “very violent” delivery and made absolutely no mention of a third pitch.