Winter Meetings Day 3: Some thoughts on the signings

Aaron Judge

Some thoughts on the signings that occurred on the third and final day of the Winter Meetings:

Aaron Judge, N.Y. Yankees, nine years, $360 million. The reigning American League MVP chose to stay in New York, turning down offers from San Diego and San Francisco, according to reports. I saw one report that said the Padres were willing to go 10 years, $400 million, but ultimately, Judge wanted to remain a Yankee. He did carry New York to the ALCS last season. It's worth noting that Judge turns 31 years old in April. I'm sure he's got some high-level baseball left in him, but nine years? The back end of that deal is likely to be ugly, so Judge needs to help deliver at least one World Series to New York in the next four or five years. Otherwise, he could be subject to boos as a struggling, overpaid 38-year-old seven years from now. If he's a World Series champ, he'll get diplomatic immunity from the Yankees fans.

Willson Contreras, St. Louis, five years, $87.5 million. Remember the Cubs' last home game before the trade deadline? There were hugs and tears as it was presumed the veteran catcher would be traded. He was not traded. He finished the year in Chicago, and during the last home game of the season at Wrigley Field, there was yet another round of emotional, over-the-top, syrupy Cubbie goo as the faithful said goodbye to a longtime favorite. I'm guessing Contreras will get a very different reception next time he visits Wrigley, now that he'll be wearing a St. Louis Cardinals uniform. Contreras replaces Yadier Molina, who finally retired at the end of the 2022 season. This was a necessary move to fill a need by the Cardinals.

Kenley Jansen, Boston, two years, $32 million. This move created a ripple for White Sox fans, because there has been a lot of speculation that Liam Hendriks is a candidate to be traded. Now that Jansen -- an experienced, accomplished closer -- is off the free agent market, the thought is that other teams looking for a closer might be calling the Sox to ask about Hendriks. If the Sox move the veteran right-hander, his 2024 option automatically vests, and the acquiring team would owe him $29 million over the next two seasons. That's actually pretty good value in this market, so the Sox should be able to get a good return, should they be willing to part with Hendriks. The question is, if the Sox are serious about winning in 2023, why would they trade their closer? Perhaps they would fill a hole on their roster with such a trade, but they'd also be creating a hole. Can you tell I'm not on the Reynaldo Lopez for closer bandwagon?

Jose Quintana, N.Y. Mets, two years, $26 million. Good for Quintana. I've always been a fan. The veteran lefty had two seasons of injury struggles in 2020 and 2021, but he bounced back to post a 2.93 ERA in 165.2 combined innings with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals last season. That earns him one more decent payday entering his age-34 season. I'll be interested to see who ends up providing the greater value: Quintana with the Mets or Mike Clevinger with the White Sox? 

Jameson Taillon, Cubs, four years, $68 million. I remember when only pitchers at the top of the market received contracts such as this. Now, it's the going rate for a mid-rotation starter. If you can make 30 starts and post an ERA around 4.00, you can get yourself $16 million or $17 million a season. Taillon went 14-5 with a 3.91 ERA last season with the Yankees. That was a nice year for him, and now he's cashing in. The Cubs needed to add at least one starting pitcher this offseason, so there's the fit.

Yankees beat Guardians in Game 5, advance to ALCS

Giancarlo Stanton

So, did Monday night's postponement of Game 5 of the American League Division Series help the New York Yankees? Perhaps.

The Yankees scored four runs in the first two innings Tuesday afternoon and went on to beat the Cleveland Guardians, 5-1, in the deciding game of the best-of-five series.

One thing is for certain: The rain opened the door for each manager to change his pitching plans, and the Yankees took advantage.

Had the game been played Monday night, we would have seen a matchup of No. 4 starters -- Jameson Taillon for the Yankees and Aaron Civale for the Guardians.

But given the extra day of rest, New York manager Aaron Boone brought back his No. 2 starter, Nestor Cortes, on three days' rest to pitch Game 5. Cleveland manager Terry Francona could have used his ace, Shane Bieber, but he opted to stick with Civale.

That decision by Francona backfired immediately. Civale recorded only one out before being knocked out of the game. He walked Gleyber Torres, hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch and surrendered a 3-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton.

Four batters into the bottom of the first inning, the Yankees had a 3-0 lead, and the game was effectively over.

Cortes held up his end of the bargain, tossing five innings of one-run ball. Three New York relievers combined for four shutout innings to close it out, leaving Cleveland to wonder what might have been had it used Bieber in this game.

The Yankees, who won 99 games in the regular season, will take on the 106-win Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series, starting Wednesday. 

No surprise to see those two teams meet at this stage of the playoffs. All summer long, it's been the Astros, Yankees and everyone else in the AL. They've been on a collision course, and now they'll collide.

White Sox travel to New York for weekend series with the Yankees

When the season first started, I saw a lot of people forecasting an American League Championship Series matchup between the White Sox and the New York Yankees.

Welp, it's May 21, and that's still plausible. Neither team has done anything to make you believe they can't make the postseason. The Sox are 26-16 and in first place in the AL Central. The Yankees are 25-19 and in third place in a tightly packed AL East.

I hesitate to say this is "a potential playoff preview," because there's a long way to go, and both teams have some key injuries anyway.

At any rate, here are the pitching matchups for a series that will probably get some national attention:

Friday: Carlos Rodon (5-1, 1.47 ERA) vs. Jordan Montgomery (2-1, 4.75 ERA)

Saturday: Dylan Cease (2-0, 2.41 ERA) vs. Gerrit Cole (5-2, 2.03 ERA)

Sunday: Dallas Keuchel (3-1, 4.44 ERA) vs. Jameson Taillon (1-3. 5.73 ERA)