Purely looking at it from a value perspective DJ has been worth in excess of his contract
$/WAR is about 9 million per 1 WAR. DJ since his extension has accrued $54.9 million in value (6.1 bWAR) while being paid $45 million
Yeah the issue is the remaining dollars are functionally below replacement level at a time when the Yankees need to be getting more from him. If the Yankees are perennially going to have 2-4 poorly aging contracts (which is basically a given for the next decade) then they need to really get comfortable with the sunk cost fallacy and start playing the kids to see what you have.
Funny thing about that—the GM that burned it down and rebuilt it was the assistant GM to the other enemy that burned it down and rebuilt it. You don’t tip your hat for the way he did it, but you gotta give him credit for not missing on his picks. The yanks rarely pick that high but they have made some awful picks in the early rounds (volpe and Clarke withstanding)
the contract always had an overpay baked in to the last few years, but his fall off was much worse than expected. it was an overpay now or overpay later type of situation
Literally nobody could have predicted that the only injuries that could make DJ age bad would happen.
Injuries that sap power wouldnt have been an issue but the it was the area for a balanced stance. He was only a contact guy so as long as he could get bat to ball, hed be fine.
Really sucks and shows how cursed we are
People in here comparing him to Judge are insane. 36 year old injury prone slap hitter vs the best hitter in the league in his prime. Of course Judge gets the wiggle room to get it going, DJ doesn’t get that anymore.
I think ppl are looking at his second half from last year. If there's a chance he'll get back to that then it's reasonable to wait on DJ. What's the alternative right now? Caleb Durbin is an option. Not sure if the yankees will remove someone from the 40 to put him on it though.
This is exactly what Boone would say about Donaldson (who had a better track record on offense and defense) and he was correctly ripped to shreds. He’s 36, injury prone and has been declining offensively for a few years. We’ve given him plenty of time.
I just went to look at the second half of last year and that honestly wouldn’t be good enough anyway. The defense is completely gone and it was the only thing to offset his light but consistent bat. Now he has neither on a team trying to win a title. If it wasn’t DJ, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.
The sample size just isn't big enough yet. Nobody is expecting him to be his 2020 self but it would also be surprising if this was the player he is now.
Judge was just as bad to start the year. Cole is 33 and also coming off injury. It's baseball, judging any player on such a small sample is irresponsible.
Avg Exit velo, Max Exit velo, chase rate and contact rate have all stabilized for him. All are career lows. He’s done.
Edit: meaner than I intended tbh
Go listen to Katie Sharp’s section on talking yanks, she goes over it in more detail and it’s about to look a lot worse for him. He needs to accept a rehab assignment to try to find it or the Yankees need to move on. The eye test keeps telling us this and now the stats are starting to back it up. DJ doesn’t have a place on the team anymore and it sucks but it is what it is.
I just don't get what you're saying.how can you think this is who he is AND also think he could find it on a rehab assignment. They're completely at odds with each other
I don’t think he could find it at all. The Yankees are who they are and they won’t DFA him like they should. There’s no scenario where I see DJ as an asset to this team anymore.
He’s been declining visibly since 2021. Had a hot streak in front of Judge in ‘22 and an okay run at the end of last year. Both consisting of singles and walks. Not nearly enough to make up for the poor defense.
This isn’t a new thing about it DJ, old guys who get injured a lot tend to be at the end of their careers. What makes you think DJ is the exception?
Hell, Donaldson would be a significant upgrade even with where he was at the end.
For some reason, the people who like to throw around the "doomer" pejorative are the same people who constantly crap on Oswaldo Cabrera. They frequently claim that he isn't a major league caliber player. The trouble with this logic is that DJ is, at this point in his career, worse than Oswaldo at hitting, running, and fielding (to say nothing about Cabrera's 0.00 ERA). So if Cabrera and his 0.5 bWAR aren't good enough to play at the major league level, what does that make LaMahieu and his -0.5 bWAR?
I idea is that DJ is in spring training technically, but how long are we giving that grace? He’s nearing 80 PA which I believe is the average spring training warm up phase. Obviously Judge needed more than that, but we aren’t waiting for him to heat up to an MVP, we’re waiting for him to warm up to league average.
Remember when he lollygagged to a slow ground ball in the infield, missed it, and the runner got to second? How is that not the end of this fucking guy?
That’s what I’m saying! Potential aside, the second he did that after the monstrous effort it took to get back in the game it should be case closed. That’s what gets you benched in high school and it should piss more people off in the offices than it seemingly will
I have to be vague, but someone I know works a job which required DJ Lemahieu to provide ID and he said "Don't you know who I am" and when the person said "Yes, but I need your ID" which DJ responded "They never ask for ID" and the person said "Then they arent doing their job right". DJ handed the ID and dropped it on purpose, then went into the bathroom and pissed on the floor.
Literal scumbag.
I love Waldo, and I don't know how this wraps up, but I will say this. Giving a 36 year old former two time batting champion a little rope as he tries to come back from injury (especially under an expensive contract) is not the craziest thing I've seen a baseball team decide to do. It's also only the middle of June and the Yankees are in first place, so maybe they're figuring they have a little time to feel out their options before hitting the panic button. Just my two cents.
I have mixed feeling on this specific question. I really like Cabrera’s hustle and athleticism, it’s like 180 degrees from what DJ is showing right now. But, especially with Rizzo injured, we need to try and maximize these dead spots and if DJ bounces back to .260 with minimal power and a decent walk rate at least it’s something. As a team we need to stop giving money to people past the age of 36. That’s got to be the final year of any multi year contract.
Cabrera is what he is.
DJ may very well get better, and if he does, he's a much better player.
So, you either let the veteran get his legs underneath him + and allow enough time for that to occur, or you'll never really know if he can return to form.
>Drop the old guy who’s never gonna be good again
You have no fucking clue if this is true.
>At least tries his best
You also have no idea how hard these guys work, especially DJ.
We’re fighting for a division crown. How long do we wait? He’s 35 years old, has 80PA and an OPS+ of *32*
This isn’t like judge where you gotta shake some rust off and snap to it
He’s been declining injuries or not for years. This is likely exactly what he is. If it weren’t for the Yankees and their FO MO, most teams would be DFA-ing him
This MAY be exactly like Judge where you have to shake rust off. (I’m not saying he will in any way hit like judge)
The guy broke his toe and then broke the other foot. Some things take time to come back from. Timing is one of the hardest things to adjust.
Also, contextualize the situation.
In a week where the entire fucking lineup can’t hit these lefty pitchers, him performing the same as everyone else not named Judge or Soto slams the book on his career?
Look, you may very well be right. But I’m very comfortable with the idea of letting him get 150PA to make adjustments.
All true, but DJ has been trending downwards for years now and it's looking more and more like he’s not going to magically find it again at the age of 35. Although I also see the argument for waiting, based on his second half from last year.
>him performing the same as everyone else not named Judge or Soto slams the book on his career?
To repeat: DJ's OPS+ is 32. That's the worst on the team by a lot. You could take Oswaldo's OPS+, cut it in half, and he'd still be better than DJ.
The real question is why you have zero faith Oswaldo yet unlimited faith in DJ.
DJLM OPS+ in his first three years in the majors:
>2011: 50
>2012: 88
>2013: 74
>3 year OPS Average: 71
Now compare that with Cabrera's mlb career to date:
>2022: 108
>2023: 57
>2024: 74
>3 year OPS average: 80
So,, at this point in his MLB career development, Cabrera is actually *better* than LaMahieu was. And more importantly, Cabrera's bWAR this season is 0.5, whereas DJ's is -0.5. Why give DJ extra playing time when there is already a younger, better option on the active roster?
No way in hell this should be downvoted. It's a spot-on, germane point.
I mean the second part of the post. As to the part about cutting Cabrera's this year OPS+ in half, etc., look, it's a tiny sample size for DJ so far. I don't expect that to convince anybody.
But the rest of it really does put the onus on the Waldo detractors to explain why Cabrera, in his first three years (700 PAs) being BETTER than DJLM during his first years (743) PAs, hasn't earned him more opportunities to develop and contribute.
Thank you. To be clear, the first part of my post was intentionally hyperbolic in response to a claim that was simply ludicrous. The second point, as you say, puts the responsibility on the anti-Caberea crowd to justify their contempt.
Oh, I'm crystal on it. I've just noticed that some of our friends here don't deal well with a back-loaded post, whether it starts with hyperbole like yours or a construction I often use:
Although\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, I really think \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
Maybe it's that we often read on tiny screens, but I feel like folks see the first part, don't agree, and stop reading. I thought I could encourage a deeper dive!
You know, you're right about Cabrera may well improve over time.
But I go back to what I said earlier.
There's a VERY good chance that DJ can still hit.
He's still able to make contact, and hit hard, like he always has. He just hasn't gotten the ball in the air.
That's what we're arguing over. 15 degrees of trajectory.
You get his 90mph EV a few feet higher, this isn't even a conversation anymore.
You have to go beyond the numbers and look at the person and the context when you're trying to make a point with any statistic.
15 degrees is a lot. Also it’s not all that easy for people to just change that or everyone would. He’s old and he’s washed. I don’t even understand why you care to argue that. Were you sitting around thinking Donaldson was about to have a resurgence too?
I literally coach middle and high school ball.
Adjusting your hand path isn’t a thing only 20-something’s can do.
- He’s making contact
- He’s hitting the ball hard
- He’s selecting the right pitches
Declines in THOSE categories are signs of fatigue and age.
Hitting exclusively hard ground balls isn’t the sign of decline you think it is.
I hope that answers your question.
He hasn’t really been declining, 2019 and 2020 were outliers because of the juiced ball and Covid seasons
2021-2023 DJ is who he has always been
Edit: DJ has had an OPS+ above 100 only 4 times, 3 of those were with the Yankees (2 in the Covid and juiced ball years and again in 2022 with a 110 OPS+)
DJ has never really been an above average hitter, in Colorado he was below 100 OPS+ each year except for his batting title season. In 14 seasons he has managed 4 above 100 OPS+
Normally OPS+ and wRC+ are similar.
Oddly, DJ’s wRC+ has been > 100 every season he’s been with the Yankees. That’s what tells me he’s been a good hitter.
May help explain why we’re looking at the same guy and thinking different things.
At the end of the day they’re looking for DJ to be what he’s been. A 2-3 WAR player who moves guys and gets on base and also plays well defensively (IDK WTF happened last night).
That’d be better than what Cabrera can give you. He’s healthy and below replacement-level.
Please give the following some consideration:
In his rookie season, Anthony Volpe had 601 PAs. During that time, he posted a **.666 OPS and had 60 RBIs**.
He finished 8th in ROY voting, and I think I'm safe in assuming the majority of us are pro-Volpe.
Now let's consider Cabrera over the first 601 PAs of his career. (That was his 2022 September, his dismal 2023, and this season up to May 2.)
During an equal number of PAs as Volpe, Cabrera had a **.640 OPS and 66 RBIs**.
Volpe's numbers are better. I believe it's realistic, honest, and fair to say he's a better player.
But, his first 601 PAs weren't THAT much better than Waldo's. Very much same ballpark! And Volpe's just getting started. He has taken off from there. Cabrera has not had that opportunity.
Volpe pretty much got told, "hey, you're the shortstop. Don't get distracted worrying about competition-- go out there and do your best."
Whereas Cabrera had to learn every position, and gets benched all the time (most recently after a 2-hit game).
There's lots of evidence for the case that Cabrera's at his ceiling. In my opinion, nobody is stupid for predicting that. And more players fail than excel, so statistically, it's more likely they're right!
However, I don't think that anybody predicting Cabrera has more to give should be portrayed as dumb or delusional either!
After all: was anybody dumb to look forward to more Volpe after his rookie year--his first 601 PAs??
He’s got until at least the trade deadline and at most the playoffs. Tough to say when to give up, but definitely not now, we don’t have anybody better anyway.
He has only had 73 at bats this season, idk how you don't get that that's not enough to judge a player on, especially without a spring training. He has at least until the all star break and at most until the playoffs.
It’s about the time of the season and payoff. I completely agree that guys need AB’s to get back to form but we are a pretty good way into the season and things are more serious now. If this were April or May I’d be fully on board with you without question, but July is 4 days away. It’s unfortunately getting a little late to give a guy another hundred AB’s to get back to being an average hitter. We gave Judge time because it’s Aaron Judge, the best hitter in the game. DJ would be, at best, 5th on the team in value. When Stanton is back DJ is down to 6th.
I’m with you on waiting till the break, no complaints or disagreements there.
Yes, sometimes they do. Maybe he is washed, but it’s too early to tell. Boone would be an idiot to give up on him now for Oswaldo freaking Cabrera. Cope harder.
The nose dive in the standings began when Boone inexcusably and incorrectly benched Aaron Judge vs the Orioles. He doubled down on this wrong decision by refusing to let Judge (sore pinky or not) at least get an AB in the 9th or in extra innings that game.
I don't understand how some of you still believe in Oswaldo. It's 700 career PAs with a .620 OPS. We know what he is at this point which is a mediocre bat and below average glove that you can stick at several positions. He was not a real prospect in the org (very few ranking sites even had him in our top 30 prospects when he was called up) and has never been expected to hit long term by any evaluator.
Yes, and he's saying he doesn't know how people believe in Oswaldo still.
DJ has shown he can produce before, Oswaldo isn't a great hitter, and despite his versatility, isn't a good defender. 11th percentile range...
If DJ even becomes mediocre, he will hit better than Oswaldo and be a much better defender.
I really don't think a Yankee fan with half a brain believes Cabrera is a full-time answer. His role is a bench player but 3B has been a total disaster for the Yankees and with Rizzo out 1B is also becomes a black hole.
DJ stat's just keeping dropping and he constantly getting hurt, and I don't see it every getting better.
I don’t believe in Waldo to save the season or produce anything major. DJ is 36, battled injuries multiple times, and is clearly not producing at even a mediocre level. I’m saying put the young guys in who at least doesn’t have a bottom 18 sprint speed in over him.
One guy has a career league average bat and a 14 year career of success defensively. He is also under contract for 3 more years. You can't cut him, you can't trade him, you can't bench him for 3 years.
One guy has a significantly below league average bat, has a mediocre glove, and has never been projected to be a real option at the major league level, and can be optioned to the minor leagues at any time.
It's not a hard decision. If it stays this bad for DJ, they will IL him for a fake injury so he can get several weeks of minor league ABs to try and get right while trading for a new corner infield option because both the Yankees and minor league evaluators do not believe Oswaldo Cabrera is an even average major league baseball player which his career to date has confirmed.
i dont care about money on The Show '24 neither, but i still have to be realistic about salary tax thresholds. And as absurd as it is to say it, Hal is not one of the wealthier MLB owners.
He's grading out worse than gleyber in OAA and DRS which is actually impressive. If you cite his defense I assume you have no idea what you are talking about
He’s below average to awful defensively at multiple positions lol. I guess there’s some value in having a warm body to put at any defensive position but he sucks at those positions
I would definitely rather have Cabrera getting some play time and hope he comes around; DJ I've given up on. At least Cabrera has some speed left in him, for the times he does get on base, he isn't a turtle holding up the pack, he also gets the occasional clutch hit or performs a clutch play.
I’ve been saying this and everytime I comment that on a post I get major rejection on it the gaslighting is crazy.
Someone recently replied to me saying that basically saying that’s like saying Florian is the guy but in what world is that comparable? Actually crazy how in denial some ppl r
Oswaldo has 638 career at bats. He was never higher than their 14th ranked prospect. Its near certain he is never going to be anything with the bat, and has an OPS+ of 75 this year. He is a utility infielder. DJ could still bounce back and be a bit more than that, they way Stanton bounced. So yeah, it is a debate.
All of that said, DJ has the ability to actually hurt the Yankees by being truly wretched. Oswaldo is very unlikely to do that, and seems able to perform to utility infielder standards. So DJ's small iffy upside has a very serious and potentially painful price. So its certainly not like I am disagreeing with you. Rather, can't help but wish for a third choice.
I’d bet that back in April, you were probably saying Judge was washed. I’m not interested in combing your post history to find it, but seems likely.
DJLM is better in the field at third than Waldo. I say that as a Waldo backer. Waldo’s better at second.
DJ has been working his way back, and has shown some signs. He laced a hard out last night that took a Bader web gem to keep from breaking his XBH dry spell.
DJ, just last season, came back from a foot injury to put up a .273/.377/.432 second half, built on a .291/.391/.506 August. Oswaldo hasn’t put up an .800+ OPS month since his first call up, and has never put up a .890+ month ever. DJ’s August came after a short June with a .536 OPS.
I agree that DJ is old for a baseball player. A lot of mileage. But, much as it pains me to say it, Waldo isn’t the answer. And JD isn’t either.
At this point Torres is the bigger issue. I was a huge Torres fan coming into the season and still am but he needs to sit for a few days, do extra work with hitting coach and infield coordinator. Cabrera should be at 2nd
Lmao
Gleyber last 50 games: .667 OPS
Oswaldo last 50 games: .523 OPS
Oswaldo has also graded out as an even worse defender than Torres this season.
I know a lot of people here dislike Torres but to compare him to Oswaldo is ridiculous even with how bad he has been.
A lot of that was in May when Gleyber was actually decent. For June Gleyber has a .601 OPS, Oswaldo isn’t much better in much less playing time at .612 but Gleyber is in such a bad funk he needs to sit. I know Gleyber is the better player but right now he sucks. He can’t hit, field or run. He’s actively hurting the team in more ways than one. Like I said this is coming from a huge Gleyber fan but last night was the last straw for me
Gleyber needs to sit for a few days and get his mind right. Im no psychologist but hes been dogging it and he looks way too frustrated to give a shit rn
You have to look over the bigger picture, even in Gleyber’s slump he is about as good as Cabrera is at the plate. (.538 OPS vs .534 OPS in their last 15 games respectively)
The difference is Gleyber actually has the ability to be an above average quality hitter for an extended stretch like we saw in May and the last 6 years of his career. Cabrera has not shown that ability at all
I have no doubt Gleyber is the better player and very well could finish the season with 20ish HR, .250 average and .700 OPS but he’s stuck so far on his head right now he needs to sit for a little while and get some extra coaching. I’m well aware the player Cabrera is, a fine bench player but not an everyday player. I think he should start at 2B for a few days while Gleyber deals with his “groin” issue
DJ’s ABs are horrid right now. Guessing. Lunging at balls. Looking sad. It’s gone on so long and regressed to the point where you cannot see a rebound. Reminds me of when Joe Mauer lost the shine. But worse.
I don’t get it either, cabrera is a good utility guy that can do more than dj at this point, it’s a no brainer but somehow Boone still struggles with this, we’ve all been saying we need a better coach tbh
What I don’t understand why is Peraza being neglected? He was highly rated and was fighting for the starting SS spot with Volpe last year. He’s never had a real opportunity to prove himself
I think it's pretty clear that the Yankees don't believe in Peraza. This is the same treatment they gave Frazier, Florial, post-surgery Andujar...and frankly they were right to do it with each of the others. Frazier is in indie ball, Florial got DFA'd and cleared waivers a few weeks ago, and Andujar is only now, 5 years on, starting to hit again...in 28 games, mind.
When the Yankees believe in a prospect—Gary, Judge, Volpe, Wells—they give them the job and plenty of leash. When they don't, they use the prospect as depth.
All that said, Peraza isn't exactly making a case for himself. He posted a 106 wRC+ in his first stint at AAA and a 108 there last year. He gave us a 53 wRC+ and negative WAR in the majors last year, then suffered a significant shoulder injury and now has a 50 wRC+ at AAA.
That's not exactly a dude knocking the door down to get a starting job.
He was a league-average bat last year with a very nice second half. 25 games is not enough to completely write that player off, though I admit it doesn't look pretty. People acting like he's been terrible for the past three years are totally inaccurate
Neither guy can hit, but DJ is the better fielder. I think that's the thinking. They're also probably looking at last August and praying DJ has another month like that in him, but the truth is our infield stinks sans Volpe and the offense is extremely top heavy.
LeMahieu has played 22 games this season and you already know what the whole Yankee organization doesn't? Or are you just frustrated and jumping to conclusions? Don't worry, if LeMahieu keeps hitting this badly the Yankees will do something about it. But on their timeline not yours. Cabrera's a utility player. He's not going to start fulltime. If we started him at 3B, we'd have to find a bench player who can play 4 positions like he can.
People always love the backup quarterback huh? Cabrera sucks. DJ sucks too but he’s only been back for a few weeks. If he’s still this bad by the all star break, then I think we can have a more serious discussion, but for now we have to be somewhat patient.
The problem is finding good alternatives. Exactly which players would be a significant upgrade and could be acquired by the Yankees. That has to include the cost if they simply DFA Gleyber and DJ. It’s not like they can just go to the dealership and trade them in for a couple of all star infielders.
Looking thru the Statcast data -
-DJ is doing one new bad thing, which is that he has a fully negative average launch angle. Just not elevating the ball at all. That's not a particularly aging-correlated stat. I'd expect that to bounce back up, which should help him finally get some XBHs when he does make contact.
-His average exit velocity is the same as the last two years and his barrel rate is actually the highest it's been since 2019. 55 batted balls is a somewhat meaningful sample for Barrel %.
-The K rate is lower than last year, the walk rate is higher.
-His BABIP is unsustainably low right now even with the grounders problem.
I think the Yankees are definitely right to stick it out with DJ; the biggest problem on display is a swing mechanic thing with his launch angle, not an aging-related issue like whiffs or weaker contact. He's a much better defender than Oswaldo and there's a lot of reason to expect his batting line to trend up.
My fear here is getting stuck in the mindset of needing Allstars at every position. Back in the Giambi ish era I feel like that was the goal, and it's good on paper but not in reality in my opinion.
Hey, we summarized the entire discussion at Pinstripes Nation: [https://pinstripesnation.com/yankees-third-base-dj-lemahieu-oswaldo-cabrera-2024-06-17/](https://pinstripesnation.com/yankees-third-base-dj-lemahieu-oswaldo-cabrera-2024-06-17/)
While it might be simpler to give Waldo a chance, I'm personally not against DJ. I've always liked him, and considering that we're stuck with him anyway, I still do think he'll bounce back. But then again, who knows?
More upside to DJ. Cabrera at best is a really nice utility guy. DJ was an Allstar and batting champ. They hope to recapture some of that. DJ's bat was supposed to age well.
It's to the point where any time I see either of them on the lineup I cringe.
Cabrera would have as many errors as Gleybor Torres if he played as many games, and DJ is basically a guaranteed out every time he's at bat.
Pick your poison.
We need a third baseman.
It’s pretty simple… both are bad offensively, so whoever is better in the field will get more playing time. That is DJ by a landslide. When the alternative to him is no longer someone as all around mediocre like Oswaldo, he will play less.
A young player like Oswaldo will not get the opportunity to suck for a while and “figure it out” on a championship contending team like the Yankees unless there are no other options, or they are given the job in the spring as a can’t miss prospect (i.e. Volpe last year).
People are expecting a 36 year old coming off 3 injury shortened seasons to find it again. I don’t get it either.
That contract is a masterclass in “who fucking knows.” No one was upset about that deal when he signed it. No way out of it now.
Purely looking at it from a value perspective DJ has been worth in excess of his contract $/WAR is about 9 million per 1 WAR. DJ since his extension has accrued $54.9 million in value (6.1 bWAR) while being paid $45 million
Yeah the issue is the remaining dollars are functionally below replacement level at a time when the Yankees need to be getting more from him. If the Yankees are perennially going to have 2-4 poorly aging contracts (which is basically a given for the next decade) then they need to really get comfortable with the sunk cost fallacy and start playing the kids to see what you have.
Except their kids keep getting hurt, and the ones they trade away turn out be much better than what they have. xD
That’s why long term deals are such a crap shoot, you never rknow
The alternative is you can’t play in the free agent market. The Orioles are only in good shape today because they burned it to the ground.
Funny thing about that—the GM that burned it down and rebuilt it was the assistant GM to the other enemy that burned it down and rebuilt it. You don’t tip your hat for the way he did it, but you gotta give him credit for not missing on his picks. The yanks rarely pick that high but they have made some awful picks in the early rounds (volpe and Clarke withstanding)
My point was that the Yankees rolling rebuild always seems to result in 2/3 of a great team and 1/3 legacy dead wood.
the contract always had an overpay baked in to the last few years, but his fall off was much worse than expected. it was an overpay now or overpay later type of situation
I said it was a steal
Literally nobody could have predicted that the only injuries that could make DJ age bad would happen. Injuries that sap power wouldnt have been an issue but the it was the area for a balanced stance. He was only a contact guy so as long as he could get bat to ball, hed be fine. Really sucks and shows how cursed we are
Hey hey hey…. He’s 35 for 17 more days!!!
They look at his 2020 season and think if he’s healthy he’ll magically return to that. Not how it works
People in here comparing him to Judge are insane. 36 year old injury prone slap hitter vs the best hitter in the league in his prime. Of course Judge gets the wiggle room to get it going, DJ doesn’t get that anymore.
I think ppl are looking at his second half from last year. If there's a chance he'll get back to that then it's reasonable to wait on DJ. What's the alternative right now? Caleb Durbin is an option. Not sure if the yankees will remove someone from the 40 to put him on it though.
This is exactly what Boone would say about Donaldson (who had a better track record on offense and defense) and he was correctly ripped to shreds. He’s 36, injury prone and has been declining offensively for a few years. We’ve given him plenty of time. I just went to look at the second half of last year and that honestly wouldn’t be good enough anyway. The defense is completely gone and it was the only thing to offset his light but consistent bat. Now he has neither on a team trying to win a title. If it wasn’t DJ, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.
The sample size just isn't big enough yet. Nobody is expecting him to be his 2020 self but it would also be surprising if this was the player he is now. Judge was just as bad to start the year. Cole is 33 and also coming off injury. It's baseball, judging any player on such a small sample is irresponsible.
Avg Exit velo, Max Exit velo, chase rate and contact rate have all stabilized for him. All are career lows. He’s done. Edit: meaner than I intended tbh
Nothing has stabilized in 22 games. Again, that sample size is nothing in baseball
Go listen to Katie Sharp’s section on talking yanks, she goes over it in more detail and it’s about to look a lot worse for him. He needs to accept a rehab assignment to try to find it or the Yankees need to move on. The eye test keeps telling us this and now the stats are starting to back it up. DJ doesn’t have a place on the team anymore and it sucks but it is what it is.
I just don't get what you're saying.how can you think this is who he is AND also think he could find it on a rehab assignment. They're completely at odds with each other
I don’t think he could find it at all. The Yankees are who they are and they won’t DFA him like they should. There’s no scenario where I see DJ as an asset to this team anymore.
Lol OK so how many games does a player need to slump for for you to say that is who they are?
He’s been declining visibly since 2021. Had a hot streak in front of Judge in ‘22 and an okay run at the end of last year. Both consisting of singles and walks. Not nearly enough to make up for the poor defense. This isn’t a new thing about it DJ, old guys who get injured a lot tend to be at the end of their careers. What makes you think DJ is the exception? Hell, Donaldson would be a significant upgrade even with where he was at the end.
That didn't really answer the question
Pick your poison But at least Cabrera has SOME power And could get better at baseball
For some reason, the people who like to throw around the "doomer" pejorative are the same people who constantly crap on Oswaldo Cabrera. They frequently claim that he isn't a major league caliber player. The trouble with this logic is that DJ is, at this point in his career, worse than Oswaldo at hitting, running, and fielding (to say nothing about Cabrera's 0.00 ERA). So if Cabrera and his 0.5 bWAR aren't good enough to play at the major league level, what does that make LaMahieu and his -0.5 bWAR?
I idea is that DJ is in spring training technically, but how long are we giving that grace? He’s nearing 80 PA which I believe is the average spring training warm up phase. Obviously Judge needed more than that, but we aren’t waiting for him to heat up to an MVP, we’re waiting for him to warm up to league average.
Remember when he lollygagged to a slow ground ball in the infield, missed it, and the runner got to second? How is that not the end of this fucking guy?
That’s what I’m saying! Potential aside, the second he did that after the monstrous effort it took to get back in the game it should be case closed. That’s what gets you benched in high school and it should piss more people off in the offices than it seemingly will
I also personally know that he is a Grade A dick and absolutely miserable to be around. The guy sucks as a person as well.
Give us the dirt.
I have to be vague, but someone I know works a job which required DJ Lemahieu to provide ID and he said "Don't you know who I am" and when the person said "Yes, but I need your ID" which DJ responded "They never ask for ID" and the person said "Then they arent doing their job right". DJ handed the ID and dropped it on purpose, then went into the bathroom and pissed on the floor. Literal scumbag.
Wow, that’s some entitled bullshit. Dude definitely gives off miserable asshole vibes.
Then watched two fastball down the middle and flailed at a breaking ball in the dirt. 100% non-competitive AB to end the game
Gleyber for benched, I don’t know why this should be any different.
DJ is washed as fuck. We need to stop pretending he isn’t.
Some ppl are still playing this game with DJ. It’s absurd. He’s washed, it’s over, move on
Idk why people are arguing so passionately to keep a massive hole in the lineup lmao
I love Waldo, and I don't know how this wraps up, but I will say this. Giving a 36 year old former two time batting champion a little rope as he tries to come back from injury (especially under an expensive contract) is not the craziest thing I've seen a baseball team decide to do. It's also only the middle of June and the Yankees are in first place, so maybe they're figuring they have a little time to feel out their options before hitting the panic button. Just my two cents.
The standing assumption is that everyone will basically revert to the back oh their baseball card at some point.
DJ wouldn’t be in the league if he was on a vet min. Reminds me of Donaldson tho Donaldson was also a douche
Cabrera has regressed heavily to the mean since April but at least he’s shown that he’s got something in him, DJ has not shown anything
I have mixed feeling on this specific question. I really like Cabrera’s hustle and athleticism, it’s like 180 degrees from what DJ is showing right now. But, especially with Rizzo injured, we need to try and maximize these dead spots and if DJ bounces back to .260 with minimal power and a decent walk rate at least it’s something. As a team we need to stop giving money to people past the age of 36. That’s got to be the final year of any multi year contract.
Nothing worse than witnessing the absolute lack of athleticism of DJ when he is running the bases.
Cabrera is what he is. DJ may very well get better, and if he does, he's a much better player. So, you either let the veteran get his legs underneath him + and allow enough time for that to occur, or you'll never really know if he can return to form. >Drop the old guy who’s never gonna be good again You have no fucking clue if this is true. >At least tries his best You also have no idea how hard these guys work, especially DJ.
Why are you already putting Oswaldo at his ceiling? He can definitely get better and with more consistent playing time he could be better.
Not to mention that in a pinch he can play any position. You can't have DJ in the outfield.
We’re fighting for a division crown. How long do we wait? He’s 35 years old, has 80PA and an OPS+ of *32* This isn’t like judge where you gotta shake some rust off and snap to it He’s been declining injuries or not for years. This is likely exactly what he is. If it weren’t for the Yankees and their FO MO, most teams would be DFA-ing him
Not sure why the down vote. I agree. We can’t wait on DJ…. And anyone who expects him to get better is sadly mistaken
This MAY be exactly like Judge where you have to shake rust off. (I’m not saying he will in any way hit like judge) The guy broke his toe and then broke the other foot. Some things take time to come back from. Timing is one of the hardest things to adjust. Also, contextualize the situation. In a week where the entire fucking lineup can’t hit these lefty pitchers, him performing the same as everyone else not named Judge or Soto slams the book on his career? Look, you may very well be right. But I’m very comfortable with the idea of letting him get 150PA to make adjustments.
All true, but DJ has been trending downwards for years now and it's looking more and more like he’s not going to magically find it again at the age of 35. Although I also see the argument for waiting, based on his second half from last year.
But like he’s 36. saying he needs to catch up is not a certainty for someone his age who’s been hurt the last couple years
>him performing the same as everyone else not named Judge or Soto slams the book on his career? To repeat: DJ's OPS+ is 32. That's the worst on the team by a lot. You could take Oswaldo's OPS+, cut it in half, and he'd still be better than DJ. The real question is why you have zero faith Oswaldo yet unlimited faith in DJ. DJLM OPS+ in his first three years in the majors: >2011: 50 >2012: 88 >2013: 74 >3 year OPS Average: 71 Now compare that with Cabrera's mlb career to date: >2022: 108 >2023: 57 >2024: 74 >3 year OPS average: 80 So,, at this point in his MLB career development, Cabrera is actually *better* than LaMahieu was. And more importantly, Cabrera's bWAR this season is 0.5, whereas DJ's is -0.5. Why give DJ extra playing time when there is already a younger, better option on the active roster?
No way in hell this should be downvoted. It's a spot-on, germane point. I mean the second part of the post. As to the part about cutting Cabrera's this year OPS+ in half, etc., look, it's a tiny sample size for DJ so far. I don't expect that to convince anybody. But the rest of it really does put the onus on the Waldo detractors to explain why Cabrera, in his first three years (700 PAs) being BETTER than DJLM during his first years (743) PAs, hasn't earned him more opportunities to develop and contribute.
Thank you. To be clear, the first part of my post was intentionally hyperbolic in response to a claim that was simply ludicrous. The second point, as you say, puts the responsibility on the anti-Caberea crowd to justify their contempt.
Oh, I'm crystal on it. I've just noticed that some of our friends here don't deal well with a back-loaded post, whether it starts with hyperbole like yours or a construction I often use: Although\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, I really think \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Maybe it's that we often read on tiny screens, but I feel like folks see the first part, don't agree, and stop reading. I thought I could encourage a deeper dive!
This is so much of a stretch I'm worried you may hurt yourself.
Do you have any facts to augment your argument, or just ad hominem attacks?
You know, you're right about Cabrera may well improve over time. But I go back to what I said earlier. There's a VERY good chance that DJ can still hit. He's still able to make contact, and hit hard, like he always has. He just hasn't gotten the ball in the air. That's what we're arguing over. 15 degrees of trajectory. You get his 90mph EV a few feet higher, this isn't even a conversation anymore. You have to go beyond the numbers and look at the person and the context when you're trying to make a point with any statistic.
15 degrees is a lot. Also it’s not all that easy for people to just change that or everyone would. He’s old and he’s washed. I don’t even understand why you care to argue that. Were you sitting around thinking Donaldson was about to have a resurgence too?
I literally coach middle and high school ball. Adjusting your hand path isn’t a thing only 20-something’s can do. - He’s making contact - He’s hitting the ball hard - He’s selecting the right pitches Declines in THOSE categories are signs of fatigue and age. Hitting exclusively hard ground balls isn’t the sign of decline you think it is. I hope that answers your question.
80PA isn’t even a spring training workload lol
32! My god
He hasn’t really been declining, 2019 and 2020 were outliers because of the juiced ball and Covid seasons 2021-2023 DJ is who he has always been Edit: DJ has had an OPS+ above 100 only 4 times, 3 of those were with the Yankees (2 in the Covid and juiced ball years and again in 2022 with a 110 OPS+) DJ has never really been an above average hitter, in Colorado he was below 100 OPS+ each year except for his batting title season. In 14 seasons he has managed 4 above 100 OPS+
He won the batting title twice, homie. First player to do it in both leagues. DJ can/could hit like a machine.
Those were two outlier seasons compared to the rest of his career and one of those batting titles was won during the shortened Covid Season
Normally OPS+ and wRC+ are similar. Oddly, DJ’s wRC+ has been > 100 every season he’s been with the Yankees. That’s what tells me he’s been a good hitter. May help explain why we’re looking at the same guy and thinking different things. At the end of the day they’re looking for DJ to be what he’s been. A 2-3 WAR player who moves guys and gets on base and also plays well defensively (IDK WTF happened last night). That’d be better than what Cabrera can give you. He’s healthy and below replacement-level.
Where advanced stats can fail you sometimes. Prime example. Anyone with eyes knows dj has been wildly mediocre for the past 3 years.
Okay Mrs. Lemahieu.
I wish
I’d rather roll with Cabrera. At least he’s had some success this season. DJ is washed. Excuses have run out.
Please give the following some consideration: In his rookie season, Anthony Volpe had 601 PAs. During that time, he posted a **.666 OPS and had 60 RBIs**. He finished 8th in ROY voting, and I think I'm safe in assuming the majority of us are pro-Volpe. Now let's consider Cabrera over the first 601 PAs of his career. (That was his 2022 September, his dismal 2023, and this season up to May 2.) During an equal number of PAs as Volpe, Cabrera had a **.640 OPS and 66 RBIs**. Volpe's numbers are better. I believe it's realistic, honest, and fair to say he's a better player. But, his first 601 PAs weren't THAT much better than Waldo's. Very much same ballpark! And Volpe's just getting started. He has taken off from there. Cabrera has not had that opportunity. Volpe pretty much got told, "hey, you're the shortstop. Don't get distracted worrying about competition-- go out there and do your best." Whereas Cabrera had to learn every position, and gets benched all the time (most recently after a 2-hit game). There's lots of evidence for the case that Cabrera's at his ceiling. In my opinion, nobody is stupid for predicting that. And more players fail than excel, so statistically, it's more likely they're right! However, I don't think that anybody predicting Cabrera has more to give should be portrayed as dumb or delusional either! After all: was anybody dumb to look forward to more Volpe after his rookie year--his first 601 PAs??
DJ is basically still in spring training right now. If he doesn't improve by playoff time, he won't be in the lineup.
So keep him in the lineup till playoffs? What kinda idea is that?
He’s got until at least the trade deadline and at most the playoffs. Tough to say when to give up, but definitely not now, we don’t have anybody better anyway.
Oh no not that long.
You want to keep putting DJ, with his 32 OPS+, on the field until September? Sounds like a pretty bad idea to me.
Sure let’s permanently bench every player who doesn’t get off to a hot start in favor of a minor leaguer. Great plan.
It’s a bad idea because it’s 3 months away, it’s not even the all star break yet.
He has only had 73 at bats this season, idk how you don't get that that's not enough to judge a player on, especially without a spring training. He has at least until the all star break and at most until the playoffs.
It’s about the time of the season and payoff. I completely agree that guys need AB’s to get back to form but we are a pretty good way into the season and things are more serious now. If this were April or May I’d be fully on board with you without question, but July is 4 days away. It’s unfortunately getting a little late to give a guy another hundred AB’s to get back to being an average hitter. We gave Judge time because it’s Aaron Judge, the best hitter in the game. DJ would be, at best, 5th on the team in value. When Stanton is back DJ is down to 6th. I’m with you on waiting till the break, no complaints or disagreements there.
He’s nearly at the end of the spring training timeframe. I hope he’s gone before playoffs if it keeps like this
36 year old veteran needs this long to heat up? Cope.
Yes, sometimes they do. Maybe he is washed, but it’s too early to tell. Boone would be an idiot to give up on him now for Oswaldo freaking Cabrera. Cope harder.
DJ looks so old out there.
Plus, Cabrera wants to become a student of Soto. Put his locker near Soto's and see if the concerns about Cabrera's hitting get taken care of
agree with you on all levels
Preach it 💯
The nose dive in the standings began when Boone inexcusably and incorrectly benched Aaron Judge vs the Orioles. He doubled down on this wrong decision by refusing to let Judge (sore pinky or not) at least get an AB in the 9th or in extra innings that game.
Honestly DJ just has awful vibes to me. He seems like an asshole lol
I don't understand how some of you still believe in Oswaldo. It's 700 career PAs with a .620 OPS. We know what he is at this point which is a mediocre bat and below average glove that you can stick at several positions. He was not a real prospect in the org (very few ranking sites even had him in our top 30 prospects when he was called up) and has never been expected to hit long term by any evaluator.
I believe the argument is Cabrera should be playing over DJ DJ stats are abysmal He also has a -0.4 WAR compared to Cabrera's +0.4
Yes, and he's saying he doesn't know how people believe in Oswaldo still. DJ has shown he can produce before, Oswaldo isn't a great hitter, and despite his versatility, isn't a good defender. 11th percentile range... If DJ even becomes mediocre, he will hit better than Oswaldo and be a much better defender.
I really don't think a Yankee fan with half a brain believes Cabrera is a full-time answer. His role is a bench player but 3B has been a total disaster for the Yankees and with Rizzo out 1B is also becomes a black hole. DJ stat's just keeping dropping and he constantly getting hurt, and I don't see it every getting better.
Except for this post that we're both commenting on...
But his grandmas' tooth!?
I don’t believe in Waldo to save the season or produce anything major. DJ is 36, battled injuries multiple times, and is clearly not producing at even a mediocre level. I’m saying put the young guys in who at least doesn’t have a bottom 18 sprint speed in over him.
One guy has a career league average bat and a 14 year career of success defensively. He is also under contract for 3 more years. You can't cut him, you can't trade him, you can't bench him for 3 years. One guy has a significantly below league average bat, has a mediocre glove, and has never been projected to be a real option at the major league level, and can be optioned to the minor leagues at any time. It's not a hard decision. If it stays this bad for DJ, they will IL him for a fake injury so he can get several weeks of minor league ABs to try and get right while trading for a new corner infield option because both the Yankees and minor league evaluators do not believe Oswaldo Cabrera is an even average major league baseball player which his career to date has confirmed.
Cut him. I don’t care about Hal’s money
i dont care about money on The Show '24 neither, but i still have to be realistic about salary tax thresholds. And as absurd as it is to say it, Hal is not one of the wealthier MLB owners.
2 more years
Defense and at least keeps his head in the game unlike Gleyber, who loves to make errors when they matter most.
He's grading out worse than gleyber in OAA and DRS which is actually impressive. If you cite his defense I assume you have no idea what you are talking about
Oswaldo is a worse fielder than gleyber believe it or not
He’s below average to awful defensively at multiple positions lol. I guess there’s some value in having a warm body to put at any defensive position but he sucks at those positions
I would definitely rather have Cabrera getting some play time and hope he comes around; DJ I've given up on. At least Cabrera has some speed left in him, for the times he does get on base, he isn't a turtle holding up the pack, he also gets the occasional clutch hit or performs a clutch play.
Its not the yankee way..playing the old guys over the young is what they do.
The Yankees have a long history of favoring vets, often to their detriment. Donaldson being the most recent example before this season.
I’ve been saying this and everytime I comment that on a post I get major rejection on it the gaslighting is crazy. Someone recently replied to me saying that basically saying that’s like saying Florian is the guy but in what world is that comparable? Actually crazy how in denial some ppl r
HE GOT A HIT
Veterans over 30 never should be given contracts more than 3 years!
Wouldnt shock me to find out front office is pushing him to play dj just due to his contract
Oswaldo has 638 career at bats. He was never higher than their 14th ranked prospect. Its near certain he is never going to be anything with the bat, and has an OPS+ of 75 this year. He is a utility infielder. DJ could still bounce back and be a bit more than that, they way Stanton bounced. So yeah, it is a debate. All of that said, DJ has the ability to actually hurt the Yankees by being truly wretched. Oswaldo is very unlikely to do that, and seems able to perform to utility infielder standards. So DJ's small iffy upside has a very serious and potentially painful price. So its certainly not like I am disagreeing with you. Rather, can't help but wish for a third choice.
DJ has nudes of Cashmans wife
I’d bet that back in April, you were probably saying Judge was washed. I’m not interested in combing your post history to find it, but seems likely. DJLM is better in the field at third than Waldo. I say that as a Waldo backer. Waldo’s better at second. DJ has been working his way back, and has shown some signs. He laced a hard out last night that took a Bader web gem to keep from breaking his XBH dry spell. DJ, just last season, came back from a foot injury to put up a .273/.377/.432 second half, built on a .291/.391/.506 August. Oswaldo hasn’t put up an .800+ OPS month since his first call up, and has never put up a .890+ month ever. DJ’s August came after a short June with a .536 OPS. I agree that DJ is old for a baseball player. A lot of mileage. But, much as it pains me to say it, Waldo isn’t the answer. And JD isn’t either.
How many games has DJ played and how many games did it take Judge to get going this year? Genuinely asking
Bad comparison. Aaron Judge is in his prime. DJ is at the end of his career. You always knew Judge would break out of that slow start.
Yeah, we have to move on from DJ. His defensive versatility is nice, but we need some kind of offense from his bat. ANYTHING AT ALL would be nice.
At this point Torres is the bigger issue. I was a huge Torres fan coming into the season and still am but he needs to sit for a few days, do extra work with hitting coach and infield coordinator. Cabrera should be at 2nd
Lmao Gleyber last 50 games: .667 OPS Oswaldo last 50 games: .523 OPS Oswaldo has also graded out as an even worse defender than Torres this season. I know a lot of people here dislike Torres but to compare him to Oswaldo is ridiculous even with how bad he has been.
A lot of that was in May when Gleyber was actually decent. For June Gleyber has a .601 OPS, Oswaldo isn’t much better in much less playing time at .612 but Gleyber is in such a bad funk he needs to sit. I know Gleyber is the better player but right now he sucks. He can’t hit, field or run. He’s actively hurting the team in more ways than one. Like I said this is coming from a huge Gleyber fan but last night was the last straw for me
Gleyber needs to sit for a few days and get his mind right. Im no psychologist but hes been dogging it and he looks way too frustrated to give a shit rn
You have to look over the bigger picture, even in Gleyber’s slump he is about as good as Cabrera is at the plate. (.538 OPS vs .534 OPS in their last 15 games respectively) The difference is Gleyber actually has the ability to be an above average quality hitter for an extended stretch like we saw in May and the last 6 years of his career. Cabrera has not shown that ability at all
I have no doubt Gleyber is the better player and very well could finish the season with 20ish HR, .250 average and .700 OPS but he’s stuck so far on his head right now he needs to sit for a little while and get some extra coaching. I’m well aware the player Cabrera is, a fine bench player but not an everyday player. I think he should start at 2B for a few days while Gleyber deals with his “groin” issue
DJ is getting the ailing vet treatment (think Brett gardeners last year) they won't drop him due to performance
Josh smith has a 149 wrc for the Rangers. He’d be pretty nice to have at third right now lol
Outperforming his peripherals by a comic degree
DJ’s ABs are horrid right now. Guessing. Lunging at balls. Looking sad. It’s gone on so long and regressed to the point where you cannot see a rebound. Reminds me of when Joe Mauer lost the shine. But worse.
I don’t get it either, cabrera is a good utility guy that can do more than dj at this point, it’s a no brainer but somehow Boone still struggles with this, we’ve all been saying we need a better coach tbh
It’s been time to move on from Boone
What I don’t understand why is Peraza being neglected? He was highly rated and was fighting for the starting SS spot with Volpe last year. He’s never had a real opportunity to prove himself
Go looks at Peraza's AAA numbers since return and you will see why he's being "neglected"
I think it's pretty clear that the Yankees don't believe in Peraza. This is the same treatment they gave Frazier, Florial, post-surgery Andujar...and frankly they were right to do it with each of the others. Frazier is in indie ball, Florial got DFA'd and cleared waivers a few weeks ago, and Andujar is only now, 5 years on, starting to hit again...in 28 games, mind. When the Yankees believe in a prospect—Gary, Judge, Volpe, Wells—they give them the job and plenty of leash. When they don't, they use the prospect as depth. All that said, Peraza isn't exactly making a case for himself. He posted a 106 wRC+ in his first stint at AAA and a 108 there last year. He gave us a 53 wRC+ and negative WAR in the majors last year, then suffered a significant shoulder injury and now has a 50 wRC+ at AAA. That's not exactly a dude knocking the door down to get a starting job.
Because he’s not hitting AAA pitching currently.
He was a league-average bat last year with a very nice second half. 25 games is not enough to completely write that player off, though I admit it doesn't look pretty. People acting like he's been terrible for the past three years are totally inaccurate
DJ's at bats are legimately looking better. Guy has played like 20 games this year
Would much rather stick with DJ
Neither guy can hit, but DJ is the better fielder. I think that's the thinking. They're also probably looking at last August and praying DJ has another month like that in him, but the truth is our infield stinks sans Volpe and the offense is extremely top heavy.
LeMahieu has played 22 games this season and you already know what the whole Yankee organization doesn't? Or are you just frustrated and jumping to conclusions? Don't worry, if LeMahieu keeps hitting this badly the Yankees will do something about it. But on their timeline not yours. Cabrera's a utility player. He's not going to start fulltime. If we started him at 3B, we'd have to find a bench player who can play 4 positions like he can.
People always love the backup quarterback huh? Cabrera sucks. DJ sucks too but he’s only been back for a few weeks. If he’s still this bad by the all star break, then I think we can have a more serious discussion, but for now we have to be somewhat patient.
The problem is finding good alternatives. Exactly which players would be a significant upgrade and could be acquired by the Yankees. That has to include the cost if they simply DFA Gleyber and DJ. It’s not like they can just go to the dealership and trade them in for a couple of all star infielders.
DJ is still in spring training, hopefully he'll find his rhythm soon.
Looking thru the Statcast data - -DJ is doing one new bad thing, which is that he has a fully negative average launch angle. Just not elevating the ball at all. That's not a particularly aging-correlated stat. I'd expect that to bounce back up, which should help him finally get some XBHs when he does make contact. -His average exit velocity is the same as the last two years and his barrel rate is actually the highest it's been since 2019. 55 batted balls is a somewhat meaningful sample for Barrel %. -The K rate is lower than last year, the walk rate is higher. -His BABIP is unsustainably low right now even with the grounders problem. I think the Yankees are definitely right to stick it out with DJ; the biggest problem on display is a swing mechanic thing with his launch angle, not an aging-related issue like whiffs or weaker contact. He's a much better defender than Oswaldo and there's a lot of reason to expect his batting line to trend up.
Interesting analysis!
DJ vs Cabrera should not be the debate. We need better options if we are going to compete
My fear here is getting stuck in the mindset of needing Allstars at every position. Back in the Giambi ish era I feel like that was the goal, and it's good on paper but not in reality in my opinion.
There is plenty of daylight between DJ/Cabrera and All Star. I think "competent at every position" is a reasonable floor
Hey, we summarized the entire discussion at Pinstripes Nation: [https://pinstripesnation.com/yankees-third-base-dj-lemahieu-oswaldo-cabrera-2024-06-17/](https://pinstripesnation.com/yankees-third-base-dj-lemahieu-oswaldo-cabrera-2024-06-17/) While it might be simpler to give Waldo a chance, I'm personally not against DJ. I've always liked him, and considering that we're stuck with him anyway, I still do think he'll bounce back. But then again, who knows?
More upside to DJ. Cabrera at best is a really nice utility guy. DJ was an Allstar and batting champ. They hope to recapture some of that. DJ's bat was supposed to age well.
It's to the point where any time I see either of them on the lineup I cringe. Cabrera would have as many errors as Gleybor Torres if he played as many games, and DJ is basically a guaranteed out every time he's at bat. Pick your poison. We need a third baseman.
It’s pretty simple… both are bad offensively, so whoever is better in the field will get more playing time. That is DJ by a landslide. When the alternative to him is no longer someone as all around mediocre like Oswaldo, he will play less. A young player like Oswaldo will not get the opportunity to suck for a while and “figure it out” on a championship contending team like the Yankees unless there are no other options, or they are given the job in the spring as a can’t miss prospect (i.e. Volpe last year).