NY trades for Encarnacion

jon abbey

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This is still developing, but what we seem to know is NY got the current AL home run leader Edwin Encarnacion (21 HRs) for talented but very young pitching prospect Juan Then, plus SEA seems to have picked up most of the money remaining ($20M total this year, so something like $12M this year and a $5M buyout on a $20M option for 2020).

Edit: The latest reports have SEA and NY splitting the money but TB is paying $5M of his deal as part of an earlier three way deal, so NY seems to be on the hook for about $4.6M this season and then $2.5M of the buyout.
 

terrynever

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Gardner’s playing time is going to shrink. If EE is the most frequent DH, then Stanton in left and Judge in right.
 

jon abbey

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I think NY is also protecting against Urshela turning back into a pumpkin.

Ken Rosenthal is saying Encarnacion is owed about $15M between this season and the buyout and SEA and NY will be approximately splitting that.
 

jon abbey

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Juan Then is the only player SEA is getting back, too cheap to not pull the trigger on for Cashman.
 

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Interesting. Not much DH flexibility going forward for Stanton and Judge, but I'm excited to think about how good the offense can be when EE is on board and everyone else is back.

I wonder if Cashman already has a deal in mind for a SP and young Mr. Frazier.
 

jon abbey

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In November 2017, when NY was trying to clear 40 man space, they traded reliever Nick Rumbelow to SEA for two young low level pitchers, Juan Then and JP Sears. Sears is currently in NY's rotation in Tampa (high A), Rumbelow was released by SEA last week, and today NY traded Then back to SEA for Encarnacion.

So yes, the combined deal is Rumbelow for Encarnacion and JP Sears. Love me some Cashman.
 

jon abbey

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I am missing how this is Urshela insurance.

I think it is Stanton insurance.
Yes, I am saying it is not really connected and I shouldn't have brought it up here, but I think at the same time these other moves are happening, Urshela may be regressing and so I mentioned that as part of the big picture. Sorry for the confusion...
 

jon abbey

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jon abbey

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Yup, that sounds about right. The salary bit gave me an inkling, but I couldn't picture a name that might fit. Stroman or someone similar fits.
Actually this might only give them about a $4-5M hit for this season, so they would have around $15M left, so more flexible still than I thought.

The deal with Encarnacion's contract seems to be $20M, but TB is paying $5M of that, so there is about $9.25M left this season (according to MLB Trade Rumors) which NY and SEA will split, and then a $5M buyout on a $20M option which I guess they will also split but that will count against next season.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/06/yankees-acquire-edwin-encarnacion.html
 

jon abbey

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Or even less according to Heyman:

"With the Encarnacion trade and the way teams are sharing the cost, the Yankees are adding 3M toward their payroll this year, which will count on their 2019 tax. The 5M buyout they’ll likely exercise for next year does not count toward the tax. @Ken_Rosenthal had some $ details"
 

jon abbey

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OK, here we go, this seems somewhat definitive, via Joel Sherman:

"#Mariners sending $8.4M to #Yankees as part of the trade. For luxury tax purposes the hit for the #Yankees in 2019 is roughly $3.4M. So it will not preclude them financially adding a SP in near future"

So NY still has $16-17M under the $246M level, I believe.
 

Harry Hooper

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Is there a chance that EE might get traded on to another club in 4-5 weeks if good health prevails for everyone else?
 

jon abbey

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Is there a chance that EE might get traded on to another club in 4-5 weeks if good health prevails for everyone else?
I don't think so, it depends a bit what other trades are made, but I think it's easy to make a fulltime spot for him at DH.

LeMahieu 3B
Judge RF
Stanton LF
Sanchez C
Encarnacion DH
Voit 1B
Hicks CF
Didi SS
Gleyber 2B

Urshela and Gardner and Romine on the bench, Clint traded or sent down, Tauchman sent down, Morales and Maybin traded or released.
 

jon abbey

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4 of these 6 have something in common now:

Best AB/HR ratio MLB since 2010 (Min 1200 PAs)

Joey Gallo 11.92
Aaron Judge 12.64
Gary Sanchez 13.03
Giancarlo Stanton 13.73
Khris Davis 14.19
Edwin Encarnacion 14.86
 

Sprowl

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4 of these 6 have something in common now:

Best AB/HR ratio MLB since 2010 (Min 1200 PAs)

Joey Gallo 11.92
Aaron Judge 12.64
Gary Sanchez 13.03
Giancarlo Stanton 13.73
Khris Davis 14.19
Edwin Encarnacion 14.86
Do those data come in park-adjusted form?

(not to rain on the parade, but Davis' results are the ones that jump out to me -- because of the Coliseum)
 

jon abbey

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No, I just stole it from stat goddess Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) on Twitter, here is another one she posted:

Highest Slug Pct vs Red Sox Since 2016 (min. 75 PA):

Giancarlo Stanton .700
Edwin Encarnacion .619
Justin Smoak .608
Gary Sanchez .591
 

Sprowl

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No, I just stole it from stat goddess Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) on Twitter, here is another one she posted:

Highest Slug Pct vs Red Sox Since 2016 (min. 75 PA):

Giancarlo Stanton .700
Edwin Encarnacion .619
Justin Smoak .608
Gary Sanchez .591
The way the Blue Jays are going, the Yankees can probably obtain Smoak too. :eyeroll:
 

jon abbey

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Heh, I have long coveted Smoak mostly irrationally, but he is not bumping Voit and his AL-leading 31 HRs in 375 ABs since taking over at 1B for NY last August 24 (Yelich is the only one ahead of him in MLB since then).

This isn't a huge upgrade on paper, Frazier is 26th in the AL in OPS at .873 and Encarnacion is 23rd at .888, and Clint has had fantastic numbers in the clutch and chase rate:

================

Clint Frazier with runners on base

chase % last year 25%
chase rate, this year 10%.

RISP chase rate

last year 32%
this year 13% (league average is ~25%)

With 2 strikes chase rate

last year 25%
this year 5.1%, best in the majors

================

But it allows NY to use Clint as a trade chip and not weaken the lineup this season, his defense has been bad but I think unlike Andujar he can be adequate in LF if he plays there consistently and his bat is already pretty special. Somewhat similarly I think the emergence of Breyvic Valera in AAA allows them to include Estrada in the right deal, maybe those two plus a couple high-ceiling pitching prospects gets Matt Boyd. SD or TB or ATL could all trump that offer with big prospect packages but I'm not sure they would. Frazier and Boyd both named in this piece on 'controllable trade targets':

https://www.mlb.com/news/controllable-mlb-trade-targets
Also it allows them to have an extra big bat in the lineup this week against TB and HOU, both Encarnacion and Clint (Stanton aiming for Tuesday). Judge doesn't have to rush back if he is not hitting yet.
 

Sampo Gida

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Assuming Stanton and Judge return to form and Hicks and Didi work off the rough edges this is a sick lineup. Of course, guys need to stay healthy and on the field and that may be as much skill as luck. I guess Hal has decided this is the year and is going for it. I am guessing they aren't done yet. Maybe a guy like Scherzer is the missing piece. That would be ugly
 

TheoShmeo

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Are you familiar with the work of one Mr. DiPoto? If there's a bad trade to be made odds are he'll be involved somehow.
Not disagreeing but this feels like a salary dump and a guy getting way too little in that context.
 

54thMA

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Not disagreeing but this feels like a salary dump and a guy getting way too little in that context.
Seattle did what every team does that deals with the gashouse gorillas; they shit themselves and got hosed.

Hal is channeling his inner George; 10 years without a whiff of a WS title is enough I guess.

Long way to go, so we'll see about that.
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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This is still developing, but what we seem to know is NY got the current AL home run leader Edwin Encarnacion (21 HRs) for talented but very young pitching prospect Juan Then, plus SEA seems to have picked up most of the money remaining ($20M total this year, so something like $12M this year and a $5M buyout on a $20M option for 2020).

Edit: The latest reports have SEA and NY splitting the money but TB is paying $5M of his deal as part of an earlier three way deal, so NY seems to be on the hook for about $4.6M this season and then $2.5M of the buyout.
So Seattle is actually paying a large sum for the privilege of sending EE to NYY for a $2 lottery ticket? I think of the parley between Gandalf and Saruman in the Two Towers:

Saruman's face grew livid, twisted with rage, and a red light was kindled in his eyes. He laughed wildly. 'Later!' he cried, and his voice rose to a scream. 'Later! Yes, when you also have the Keys of Barad-dur itself, I suppose; and the crowns of seven kings, and the rods of the Five Wizards, and have purchased yourself a pair of boots many sizes larger than those that you wear now. A modest plan. Hardly one in which my help is needed! I have other things to do. Do not be a fool. If you wish to treat with me, while you have a chance, go away, and come back when you are sober! And leave behind these cut-throats and small rag-tag that dangle at your tail! Good day!' He turned and left the balcony.

Except what happened between Cashman and DiPoto was the exact opposite. DiPoto, what a dunce.

Cashman probably never had any intention of asking for any of EE's salary to be covered. But DiPoto thought he was being tough when he volunteered to Cashman that he'd only pick up half of EE's salary. Like, the opposite of Don Corleone's "and the dog stays..."
 

EvilEmpire

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Aparently, Seattle really likes Juan Then. The kid originally came from their system and they've probably been following his development since. That doesn't mean it is a good deal for them, but since it is a prospect both teams know well, I suspect Seattle is getting some value there.
 

jon abbey

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There's very little market for 1B/DHs these days, Nelson Cruz got $14M for a full season but just a one year deal this past winter, Jay Bruce was given away for less than NY gave for Encarnacion and proceeded to carry the Phillies for the first week, and even JD Martinez got traded for very little in 2017. SEA got what they could, I'm sure.
 

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This should make EE the first player to play on three continents in one season, no?

North America obviously, but also Japan series of Mariners/Athletics for Asia, and then the London Yankees/Red Sox series gives him Europe.
 
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I don't think so, it depends a bit what other trades are made, but I think it's easy to make a fulltime spot for him at DH.

LeMahieu 3B
Judge RF
Stanton LF
Sanchez C
Encarnacion DH
Voit 1B
Hicks CF
Didi SS
Gleyber 2B

Urshela and Gardner and Romine on the bench, Clint traded or sent down, Tauchman sent down, Morales and Maybin traded or released.
It's an absolutely incredible line-up. The Sox bottom four are pretty anemic, but the Yankees' would be in the middle of the line-up for a lot of teams. There was talk in another thread of Kimbrel not wanting to pitch the 8th against the better hitters, but with this Yankees line-up there will never be an easy 9th.