Aaron Boone Reveals His Ideal 2024 Yankees Lineup | 994

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Today is January 29th we’ve got Boon on the show to talk about the off season and spring training and the upcoming season and we’re live you heard our song I like it just take me out the ball game got Different shout out Dan time foring Yank all right hello and welcome thank you guys very much for joining us I need to learn that song yeah I’m going to wake up singing that thing can do that just send the video of that yeah appreciate it all right thank you very much for joining this Boon thank

Everyone for coming out this is great yeah cool Jake how are you I’m good Jim Aaron David everyone here uh God it’s so cool to be back doing this um with our friend Aaron um and like just seeing a lot of people here that we’ve done other events

With and stuff like thank you guys so much um you’re the lifeblood of what we’ve been able to do to actually make this like a company and everything like that so thank you guys uh and now we’re just going to roast Boon for 58 minutes go all [Applause]

Right well we wanted to we wanted to open up with uh a trivia for you okay do you know what the most popular clip from your appearance on talking Yanks was last year no no me yelling at you no no no good guess good guess good guess Mike can you switch to

The let’s see for those Audio Only what what month or counts especially like recently but that seems to more is that not attacking pitches in his own yeah I mean that’s ultimately what you know a lot of times separator between good and great offenses average and good offenses so you hadn’t seen that

No and then we saw a video of you on crisscross applesauce right sure is sure is is that the the normal position cuz you were oh you know what it was so that’s in my office at home at my house I’m like why am I not sitting at my desk

I must have been my iPad must have been out of juice so I was that’s funny so there we go that’s just sitting in the corner of the room on on the carpet getting uh ask questions about your managerial decisions from two slubs oh that’s great yep that was some

That’s some people’s here favorite reaction of me cuz it looks like I’ve seen a ghost cuz there’s there’s about a thousand jokes that run through my head and then I’m just still trying to take in what you’re saying and uh yeah I’m glad is that Norm just charging just

Charging just charging okay yeah yeah that’s fine sure we all have that spot in our house where we keep the charger that we wish it was just a little more convenient but you’re leaning over the couch doing that I get it yeah exactly how was the off season good question um yeah

Uh good you know uh I went to Uruguay on a family vacation which was you know uh we my the six of us so my wife and kids and I went with another family and um and the the dad of the other family proposed in like the summer he’s like I

Think we’re going to go to Uruguay and I went man Uruguay Christmas and New Year you you better be right about this Joe and he was it was great we had a great time uh but it’s been good um two two in college now and uh you know watching

Football watching my son’s High School football and daughters and soccer so busy with that and obviously uh trying to round out our team when’s When’s the flight down to Tampa I think I’m leaving the seventh okay yeah I think that’s that’s uh in pencil right now okay yeah

The big move the sto move yeah start there when do you know it’s you know something that is likely going to happen do you leave you know when you break for the season and you’re doing offseason plans oh no no not at that point it’s something that

Actually kind of came together so we were at the winter meetings and that’s when it really got brewing and hot and heavy and um you know it was it was definitely um in the hopper and looked like it was potentially going to happen but it was actually all the days that at

The winter meetings where you know we’re trying different iterations you know in a lot of ways probably trying to keep Michael King out of the deal so that’s why it it probably took a few days and then at the end you know obviously we gave up a a really good package I think

The Padres did really well in the deal but at the end of the day you’re like man this is Juan soda we have a chance to get so um so excited to have him you know I think everyone here that’s you know follows us closely uh you know and follows the game

Of baseball and knows like the the to Dream On on you know what he he and Aaron can be as a tandem and then The Supporting Cast around those guys you know offense which which we struggled to be consistent at all season long last year um I’m really excited about the

Potential of our offense and and now a little more the versatility and the depth of the offense too that hopefully we’re in a better position to withstand you know the inevitable uh injury that pops up or whatever it may be hopefully we’re in a better spot to absorb that

Offensively this year cuz I I think we’re going to really bang how many times have you written down different iterations of a lineup a lot okay you know I I do that a lot um this time of year it’s uh do you draw the field and

Put them in their positions or you just you know straight names in the lineup like are you doing defensive arrangements as well when is it artsy or is it work um you know what a little of both like when I that’s funny have I shared that with you or something like

No we’re just all Baseball fans we all did that in high school I’ll pull out my little I have a ton of little lineup cards and I’ll write on the back and I’ll just do a little diamond where I put them around and then I do the lineup

Alongside of a lot of times that’s how I do and hand to Mendy in the past or whatever um so that is a way I do it something Jake dreams about a lot and you need to confirm if this is true or not does does Cashman in the front

Office have a giant whiteboard with the depth charts of all the positions because in Jake’s head it exists and you might crush him right now it’s okay uh yeah something like that yeah it is a giant whiteboard where every a cheer it makes sense yes every or every uh every

Affiliate you know has all the guys and yes to some degree yes when you’re writing these lineups is STO in it every time because he something that I’ve heard people mention out there you know I wouldn’t bring this to you right uh Juan sto played every game last year I know

He actually didn’t start a game against us in in Yankee Stadium I don’t know what it was he came in and pinch I don’t know what was going on there what is that about I don’t know okay I liked when he I liked when he wasn’t in the

Lineup that maybe they were giving him an extra tour of the fa hope so I mean you know he’s he’s definitely uh you know a guy that can do that cuz technically he’s on a one-year contract yeah he’s a guy that’s had a lot of good durability young we’ve talked about that

With vulp when you were playing what’s the one year got to do with it well uh if you had to be worried about him over a 12-year contract you could say something like oh well you know well that’s kind of that’s kind of hey if

You’re on my side on that I’m all in let’s just play him every day let’s just the guy that could only be here a year just run and abuse him is what Jake’s telling you to that’s what worked for Padres I don’t know not really look I I I think uh I

Think hopefully he’s in there he’s in there every day is that something you’d offer him though because I know you value rest days especially like getting judged two off his feet doubling up on an off day with rest we’ve seen that be implemented while you’ve been here is so

A guy that likes to play 162 had a conversation hey do you do you want me to or or would you kind of push no but a lot of times though you know there’s very few like you know off days I give to now now certain guys that are going

Through certain things and at a certain age I’m going to give them built-in you know a rest day here and there but like younger guys and like even Aaron when Aaron’s 100% like I’m not resting him you know he’s usually he’s just really good at playing through some things and

And a lot of times when I give him a day you know it’s it’s me saying let’s be wise on the long Hern because I don’t want him to really blow something that I know he’s maybe maybe nursing or something when uh when you look at the

Lineup judge just said yep he said as long as uh I think he called you out by name as long long as Aaron keeps it DJ Soo me yeah I’ll be happy could have been another Aaron so how many times is that no I I asked the question I said

Okay I was it was at his thing I said well hey where do you want to hit this year okay do you like that I mean judge three we don’t see that a lot I do um but we’ll see again it’s it’s about lock to me it’s about locking down the

Leadoff spot and like I want that spot to be a a a spot in the lineup that we can hang our hat on whatever 350 or higher on base percentage and that’s DJ when he’s been right and at his best and and in the second half of the season um

If that’s a if that’s a combination of things but I want that to be a spot where there’s a lot of guys on base for and then so depending on who that is let’s say it’s DJ then the natural thing would be you know Soo judge if it h what

If it’s Verdugo though you know then it then it might be a Verdugo judge SoDo type thing so I do Envision uh Aaron and and and Juan hitting next to one another there’s a story out there that um I think reported by Rosenthal so it’s not

Like a gossipy story that stto was in the two-hole with the Padres and requested to go to the three guy that has that good of an eye on base I’m guessing he likes seeing as many pitches as he can yeah before getting up there I know he’s always liked hitting

Third you know we’ve we’ve kind of Broach that a little bit and and he’s good he’s good either way okay so we’ll we’ll kind of work through that that’s kind of what spring training’s for a little bit too and you know hopefully we go in healthy and we’re we’re in a good

Spot to where again as as excited as I am to see what Aaron and Juan are going to do I’m I’m really excited about what potentially is the length and depth of the lineup for lead off do you think of it more as hot hand do you

Think of it more as Lefty righty do you like cuz you know you if we went around this room right now you’d have people with Verdugo you’d have people with DJ you’d have people with glaber yep some people V could grow into that role too I

Mean he’s a natural one that if he continues to you know go where we think he’s going to go I I don’t see that certainly at the start of the year um but he just shot of you that were vul lead off just got

Shut down no I mean he he may take it and run with it at some point like I’m not you know but I think the way you put it is like it could be any of those things the the bottom line is that spot in the order has to be productive so

Hopefully in a perfect world that’s one guy you know like DJ just takes it and runs with it but uh you know if it’s if it’s the hot hand in that spot if it’s a right left thing so be it okay when you look at uh Grisham and Verdugo y some

People are looking at their their splits both lefties but grisham’s got reverse splits and verdugo’s got very natural crushes righties right uh is that like do you guys Believe In Reverse splits a platoon with those guys or is that not how you’re viewing them at all no

Because I think I you know I think some of that is just a couple years going a certain way um I think Alex is going to play all the time um you know I think Trent’s going to play a ton Trent’s going to end up

Playing a ton you know to be to have a have another Elite center fielder on the field with you know even though he’s had some struggles you know the last couple years with from a batting average standpoint he still does get on base he’s got some power he’s done some

Things in the postseason he’s a really good player and you know we start making plans and and and that’s with you know everyone healthy and everything’s perfect he’s going to play and then one thing happens and Ne next thing you know I can’t get him out of the lineup so we

Make all these plans and it’ll work itself out to where he’ll be there TR well in your dream world if he’s playing that well might as well left you with a good on on base M Verdugo kind of gets overlooked totally a little bit just because I when you know we do instant

Reactions we kind of learned that from your guy Joe’s McFly a little bit people like the reaction let’s go you you left out a key word I idea um but you know when it first happened when we’re crunching the math on it with you know Dominguez supposedly

Back at some point this year and you’re starting to do and you’re like well may is Verdugo going to be like part of a stto deal like we’re just brainstorming on the Fly Verdugo is a piece that a lot of Yankee fans have been asking for for

The past couple years more of a contact Lefty pretty solid defense last year the numbers greated him out well that I I don’t know was that more of a surprise when that happened cuz Red Sox Yankees that you know Norm dogs and cats a little bit you honestly he’s he’s been

On our board the last couple years we we’ve had you know I know cash has had small talks at different times you know about Verdugo so it’s kind of been in a lot of ways a long time coming um we we’ve tried to make a move for him in

Past years um yeah wasn’t there Clark yeah there was Clark for do go rumors one deadline they said they talked about that but that could mean anything I don’t know the Yankees didn’t well speaking of Joe’s he wanted he wanted Mike can you show my screen Joe’s wanted

To know if you could help him with his swing at [Laughter] all can you coach that wow ises that is that uh I mean I know there’s a little bit of uh Showmanship Showmanship going on but what’s the real thing look like oh I’ll show you here the real thing

Yeah speaking of this is against me um where where is this this is our warehouse you should should come AI yeah that’s that’s a that ball that Ball’s Juiced that ball is Juiced that Ball’s Juiced all right that’s the 2019 ball I appreciate juice for Clips I appreciate

That um well maybe maybe I’ll make it to the warehouse at some point you’d like it Con came’ like taught me how to pitch yeah we’re the same size hands really yeah I said I don’t know if I can throw a splitter my hands are small and he

Said and went like this I still can’t throw one he’s better what’s that guy deal con’s better better pitcher yeah okay what um for the lefties which so Vero right I I nice I’m I’m very excited about Alex I think he’s um I think he’s a really talented player

I think he’s a really talented hitter that’s only scratched the surface of what I think he can be um and I mean could you imagine him you know you know when healthy like in the lineups deep like somewhere in the middle potentially somewhere like cleaning up a lot of things like he’s

He’s uh hopefully uh hopefully we can we can get him to another level too do you worry is not the right word CU I’m talking Juan stto and ver Duo to really establish Major League hitters in different ways Soto’s on a Hall of Fame path for Duo’s like could be an All-Star

Any season comeing to Yankee Stadium when Rizzo first came over it felt like he got a little short porch happy like it I there was a while where he was just early on everything and he was kept hitting foul B foul ball foul foul foul

Yeah but do you like do you worry about that for a hitter at all not really Anthony’s unique in that way he he still hits he hits a ton of foul balls he has his whole career that’s just how he is he’s on top of the plate you know and

He’s you know he’s kind of has a unique unique way of doing it and I don’t so I don’t think that was necessarily a Yankee Stadium thing and actually I think when he got to us he he went off right away didn’t he he had like that

One Series against Miami that he like won the series that his like okay yeah we’ll take this guy yeah no he did get he hit a lot of homers but I he said I think in spring training that it was he was like it’s so damn close yeah like

It’s right there when you’re up at bat yeah and you know at the end of the day I don’t hate lefties that are capable of it like having it in their mind a little bit you know and I think it’ll serve Verdugo well like you know

Verdugo who’s hit what’s he at 10 15 homers a year kind of you know I think I think you could see that number go up uh for him one uh last question on the lineup unless Jake’s got more then we’ll keep going okay naturally you have a lot

Of big names and a lot of depth on the lineup yeah what is there conversations that need to happen if a guy all of a sudden is hitting lower than he’s ever hit in his life if that you know I mean do you get try to get ahead of those

Like um in some versions of the lineup you’re drawing are DJ and Stanton lower than usually they’ve ever been if people are hot you got a lot of good guys or anyone you know I I I mean I have conversations with these guys all the time with things I’m thinking or or if

Something’s going to be a little bit different so we’ll just see I mean again we’re you know we’re late January so those conversations everyone’s having SE life now like exactly right now it’s like we’re going we start in a few weeks here to get these guys ready for March

28th and it’s like that’s what we’re focused on and then as as we get closer we’ll start to dial in the lineup and what it looks like and if conversations have to happen so be it seems like everyone’s getting to Camp pretty early this year if uh telling Jak Jack Curry’s

Book about the 98 Yankees talked talked about how pissed they were that offseason how upset or how much they wanted to just play right away again yeah and I’d like to think in my happy spring training brain that that’s why we’re getting guys showing up like a

Month and a half early just kind of really want to change I I think that’s part of it definitely but I also think it’s something that’s also shifting within our organization too a little bit and you know Aaron who lives down there um in the winter you know and and kind

Of fostering that culture of hey let’s let’s get in the complex together and work out together so um there’s been you know really all winner half a dozen guys there on the major league team kind of all the time and now you know I actually just got off

The phone as I was driving in with with Desi Dua our assistant uh pitching coach and kind of giv me the rundown and I talked to James rousson right before I walked in it’s like all the guys that are I mean there’s you know 15 20 25 I

Might be light on that number of guys that are are you know regularly showing up to the complex that are going to be in big league spring training so I think that’s a good thing uh allows us to you know keep eyes on them and and feel like

You know we have the facility to to Really cater to them and get them everything we need we have a lot of our pitching guys down there James rouson lives down there um some of our strength and conditioning and trainers are down there so it’s like um it it it it it’s a

Good setup for guys and and and judging goes a long way and kind of uh you know pushing and supporting that yeah yeah there’s one other pretty big offseason ad that we haven’t talked about and then we we can dive into some other things yeah Marcus Strow yeah he was there he

Was actually at the complex today for the first time through a bullpen today and uh so look at that oh wow so yeah we’re getting everyone involved down there it’s kind of like like I want to go down there yesterday and you know so

You know I got to I got to you know be at home a little bit sure can you can you poke cash at all cuz the way that came together was pretty funny because it was strowman’s interested in the Yankees M and then it was like well well

The Yankees are kind of interested in strowman and then it was like 48 hour dating like this is happening this is happening like again we we we love the process so I don’t know want a little bit on your end of the process and like

Do you send cash like LOL no so so actually um I was I was flying down to Tampa to have um a meeting with the entire coaching staff and support staff just so we could all get on the same page and just one of those three-day little

Meetings we’re were having down in Tampa you know especially with some of the new staff members just to make sure we kind of are buttoned up and hit the ground running uh when we get down to spring training so I was going down there for that it was actually Monday I went to

The complex they were starting to talk Marcus lives in Tampa I’m like can I go meet with him and you know we set it up I went over to Marcus’s house and um had a had a really really enjoyed my time talking to him and and hanging with him

And um uh and then it actually happened while we were down there in those few days so I I’m excited about it um you know his his consistency throughout his career um he takes great care of himself I think he’s healthy after you know having a couple little hiccups in the

Second half last year with the hip and with the rib cage everything’s good this is a guy that takes like I think’s going to have for us now I think he’s going to be really good but I think this is a guy that’s going to have longevity just the

Way he cares for his body and his athleticism and and stuff but this is a guy that’s been a really consistent performer that um you know you get the sense and this is what I got the sense in talking to him right away was this is where he

Wanted to be and this and you know some guys say that um some guys are excited to experience it this you sense like this is where I want to be and uh hopefully you know all those things add up and and he becomes you know a valuable uh part of our rotation yeah

Staying on starting pitching but not the Yankees what was your reaction when Otani numbers came out and then then structure came out and then the structure came out um well I I I think with the number I think right away they said it’s structured a certain way so I was kind

Of curious to see how that was going to happen um wow I I mean that’s that’s a lot of iron right it’s wild yeah it is it is um yeah how about Yamamoto the way we were reading into kind of like you know the way you and cash were talking about it

It seemed like you were a little uh confident or at least thought it was pretty much in the cards did you think it was until it wasn’t um I felt like I I felt like it was us and may probably La um obviously La I me ended

Up being them so I never felt like oh this is he he’s coming here no matter what I didn’t feel that way at all but um I definitely felt good about you know we we flew out to LA and met with him in in California and then met with him

Again uh in New York in the city um a second time a couple weeks later and you know know they went well and really like the the person and and the kid and think he’s going to be really successful um but I don’t even that La when he left

New York you know I think cash even said to me at one point what do you what do you think I’m like I don’t know I think I think we got a real chance but I don’t know you you never know and um you know

I think a lot that end up going into it probably was he had spent he was he he basically was living in La yeah like for the month through it all and um I think Otani had a real effect on him that we didn’t necessarily expect so uh and all

That money yeah and and that he’s he’s uh look I I think he’s going to be really good I I think he’s going to come over here and be successful uh what he turns into we’ll see and hopefully uh hopefully we can we can see him at some

Point and and uh and and get after him a little bit I think we might see him in June I think the Dodgers come out then yeah June 8th we might pitch yeah well we have a big announcement and we’re announcing it with mizen in Maine

There’s a reason me and John booy look so good today and that’s mizen in Maine uh to be honest no one should show up to work wearing a stiff wrinkled and uncomfortable dress shirt Miz and Maine invented the performance fabric dresser and design it to perform any day anywhere lightweight breathable moisture

Wicking not sure what that means but I think it’s nice mean what’s that mean doesn’t get wet awesome quick moisture feel the difference for yourself and get 20% off with code johnboy 20m and.com that’s code johnboy 20 20% off Link in the description and uh thank you m and

Man because they help put this on soate moisture wicking shirts changed my life cotton yeah cotton I’m just sweating and it’s wet all the time which brings us to fabric yeah what are your favorites how do you what do you like about the the new uniforms no no stroke on the

Lettering you fan huh oh yes you are it’s like the old Roger Maris Mickey man it’s the ones we wore at Field of Dreams no yeah I think they’re uh I think they’re super those balls are Juiced that’s right that was crazy but those balls are

Crushed too yeah yeah yeah um but no I I think I think the new the new road unies are I would say new will we see you in in them then you know yeah from every now and then sounds like a no that sounds like I I wore it for Field of

Dreams okay all right yeah so we’ll see well the The Miz and M an announcement I want to make yeah are we going to do a question or no well I was about talking Yanks oh did you ask him if we can announce it yeah oh I watched him ask

Wow are there if there’s talking Yanks fans here Aaron Boon’s going to be back this season doing talking Yanks with us banter with booming with boom we think it’d be an awesome ju position if there’s like last year and then this year we win the World Series Amen brother

So yes it’s non-stop trivia because there’s just nothing but good stuff going on that’ll be the show you know what yeah I’m I’m in I’m in we’ll come up with questions now and we’ll keep score throughout the season how’s your how’s your Immaculate grid if you get it

Correct maybe we’ll do a giveaway uh slow down remember when we did Immaculate grid together and I tried to get the most likely answer instead of the least common it’s more fun way to play I think there’s I think that’s what’s kind of cool about you play a lot

Of different ways are you still you play the I play every morning oh wow yeah how are you doing I mean I love it’s like my Crossroad what did you get today I got really low today that’s a good thing today was well if if you’re going for what what did Max

Manis get Max 20 range 20 range checking the phone eting um auditing I I got really low today which I usually don’t honestly um that’s fun all right we’re not looking at his phone now do you text it to someone if you get it l like who’s your guy that

You you just hold it in to yourself you have to share it four today did you grow up in a baseball family or something yeah you know who text me a lot about a Sweeney myy oh yeah yeah he’ll text me his his grid every now and

Then yeah nice guy yeah sween’s great one we have a couple more Yankee questions go ahead might surprise you um I want to ask about Anthony vulpi okay Short Stop um we start doing before every season we do player profile and projections where we do about 10 15

Minutes on each player kind of highend low end it’s a good time yeah like what like how specific do you get with projections like are you throwing out like their Ops what their well we usually I was going to make a joke but I’ll answer honestly we usually decide

What stat we value the most from a guy or we think we we will value the most from a guy okay like um you know uh with rodon recently I said Innings pitched because if he’s throwing a lot of innings me he’s starting a lot and the

Results are probably good I like where you’re head um I think with Rizzo I like I before the season I said it’s games played because there’s not a lot of depth and then we didn’t have a lot of lefties last year so it’s always different and I think the question that

Jake’s going to POs to you is what should vulpes be because we we we kind of stumbled into this a little bit and it’s you know games played an Innings pitch gets a little interesting and tricky because you know if vulpi plays another 162 that means he’s probably

Performing with this team but I so I guess outside of that like well I’m going to you the numbers um I don’t want to I don’t want to I don’t want to do that um my expectation is that he is going to be hopefully everybody was defensively

Last year and and I I think he’s positioned to make real improvements offensively and being more consistent you know um he is he’s a he’s obviously a great kid and tremendous makeup but I think and and I’ll even go go back to last year one of the reasons that we

Broke camp with him as our starter one he did really well in spring training which we you know we kind of posed it as a as a competition you know we we put that out there so we wanted to honor that but it but having not played you know

Barely any triaa even and being such a young player you know it’s like the reason we brought him to be the shortstop for the New York Yankees and we’re committed to that is we were betting on the makeup and for that reason and his talent I believe

He’ll make real strides this year um offensively as well um obviously he did a lot of really good things over 20 homers over 20 bags um you know but obviously there were some ups and downs too and um really like where he’s at in working on some of the necessary adjustments

That’ll allow him to keep going to another level as a player like I think that’s in his DNA and that’s who he is and we’re going to look up in several years and see this front line you know two-way short stop for the Yankees and

Um uh I just believe in the kid a lot a deep dive one I did on boy recently was talked about his uh ground ball Fly ball rate like that was a number that I looked at and I don’t know maybe his skill set’s way different than I’m

Projecting it or wanting it to be yeah but I was like I’d like it to be more towards DJ was doing in 2019 2021 and just getting it through and not not worrying about fly balls he’s got the speed I want them on base and he’s got a

Nice Line Drive swing yeah look I I forget I I don’t think it’s two in the weeds I don’t think we want to encourage guys to be hitting the ball on the ground but I think what we want to be encouraging is one of the things the big

Leagues does so well is you know they find and exploit holes or and and and part of being a big leager and being a Big League hitter is is you know covering those things up and plugging those things up and and continuing to build on strengths but also to You Know

Cover up some some holes and wear less you know that’s a key and a huge part of being a big leer is making those adjustments I’m confident he’ll make those adjustments and we’ll see another level of offensive performance this year all right I like that yeah we’ll save it

Put it in our episode so no number no number on base no number all right get on base and if he’s on base a lot we’re in business okay there it is yeah let’s switch to the pitching okay the depth uh there’s a lot traded away a lot got

Taken in the rule five draft uh you got Luke Weaver but he has to be in the on the 26-man roster sorry will he be stretched out is he the six starter potential yeah I I think we’ll go in and definitely stretch him out and then

We’ll again see where we are you know you know you know and so on that whiteboard with the depth chart like who’s in that 6 seven8 Spot I I do think we’ve quietly kind of replenished some of that cuz because that that really took a hit for us right that kind of

Five six through 10 um with with the trade and we really like you know Drew thoro was in the deal as well um you know but but we added Cody petite bringing Luke Weaver back we’re really excited about will Warren and and beater and Luis heels back this year and we got

A little taste of Yogo last year um so you know Chase Hampton’s not far behind who Yogo y Andre Gomez I’m upset I didn’t know that that’s awesome name I mean so so I do feel like you know that kind of 6 through 12 we’ve replenished and are in

A good you know good spot and there’s some other guys I’m not even naming like guys we’ve brought in that we’re you know quietly excited about that can be part of that depth that you’re inevitably going to have to lean on um so we’ll see who emerges and who does

Become that six guy we’ll see we’ll see yeah it happens earlier than you wanted to usually I mean yeah well what about uh wsie and Trevy are we are we just going in I mean in a way it’s probably similar to the game plan of Yankees past

Years you guys kind of you know you put it on the table a guy gets banged up they’re going to play eight out of 10 games that week someone doesn’t it kind of flips is it 50/50 is it platoon split or like how how are you guys viewing the

Catcher position we’ll see I I I’m not viewing it um I think both those guys play a lot that was kind of meta huh yeah I’m I’m not viewing it oh you’re viewing it um you know and Ben rvet is you know certainly in that mix too so I

Think Austin Wells showed us last year that um you know have me having not seen him really play a lot of Catcher up close and personal um you know because last spring you remember he HT his oblique almost right away so he didn’t play in any spring games and his season

Got delayed a little bit um you know and there’s always been those question marks around his defense I I I definitely think he’s going to be a really good hitter in the big leagues I think that’s real but what we saw from him in that last month from a catching standpoint

Was frankly a lot better than I expected and um the one of the things that I love about Austin Wells and and you can and Trevy has this in Spades and guys like vulpi and Aaron judge like they love the game and the and the and the behind the

Scenes stuff that if you’re going to be really great at this and you’re going to you know move the needle on the margins like he really likes the you know he nerds out on the game plan and developing that relationship with a starting pitcher he’s got a presence to

Him like he walked into our room as a young rookie and had had the respect and commanded the respect of of of the rotation you know Garrett really respects him and respects his kind of baseball knowledge and grit and like those little things that Trevy so good

At I feel like Austin has too and then and and I really think there’s a lot of upside with his Bat from the left side too so I’m excited about him we’ll see again we’ll see how it plays out I mean um you know could be kind of a platoon

Thing where it but you know it’s also we’ll see what people earn too if Cole comes in to your office and says I need rort Fett do you go to rvet and say sorry you’re getting bullied every six days no you know is Benny Benny fors a really good relationship with Garrett

And totally held his own with Garrett and uh and that was good to see cuz Trevy I think was such a just you know such a became such a comfort level and Garrett rightfully has so much respect for him so when he went down and Garrett’s in the middle of that season

Like Ben stepping into that role and really thriving in it you know he really did um and and certainly earned the respect of Garrett and and help help you know help him get to that Sai Young Finish Line um Benny did a great job in that

I’ve changed my mind I now think it’s more like flarity and Randy Johnson where uh flarity was actually poking poking Randy he brags about that all the time I used to get mad yeah right um you know Ben Ben handled it well yeah Ben did handle it well yeah cuz I don’t

Think I there’s a couple times it was like Garrett nice guy I think yeah but part of that is Garrett respects him so you know that’s that’s part of it too any silly this isn’t on our docket at all you got any silly G Cole offseason stuff

I I feel like you I think that you see him at the baseball Rider thing and I don’t know is Sai Young gar Cole is there a little uh little less gar Cole won me over so much the past couple obviously as a baseball player but as

The person like the postgame guy the collective buying guy like he’s hysterical yeah he he’s uh man he’s he’s he’s he’s the total package like what I love about him is he’s just so invested in everything and um his his teammates and and he works on all the things outside of pitching it

Being a better teammate being more knowledgeable about certain things working on being a better like he’s just he’s obsessed with all of that and he’s so detailed in everything that he does um you know and he’s what a what a season he put together and the thing I

Love about him is he’s he’s had his moments where you know he he was at a little at Crossroads at different it hasn’t been just you know this smooth sailing easy ride all the time there’s been moments where man he’s been up against it and had to make a big start

You I remember going into 2022 there were the playoffs there are a lot of people that maybe thought he shouldn’t be pitching the first game of the of the playoffs and he went out and answered that so there are a lot of moments of Truth in his Yankee career that he’s met

Headon and answered and capped it with a with a with a Sai Young Award last year I just have so much respect for his journey with us so far and looking forward to seeing the rest of it all right you want to pick a question out of a bowl some people wrote in

Questions I think that just looks like a name it’s a name for them to come up and ask a question this one’s just a question it is otherwise I’ll real weird name I feel like you planted that no no who do you get I got John Dwayne oh John

Dwayne does he have a fast track to the mic make a hole on the mic we’ll hear it I think so yeah all I think there’s a mic yeah mic over there yeah and there’s hats over there while he’s making his way we got hats let’s go

JD how are you thanks for being with us so uh this is going to be terribly dickish for the first question but wow nice the the 96 Yanks had a a saying that was we play today we win today that’s it and it feels like uh over the last few years

We don’t bring that same intensity and I think that uh when we predetermined that guys are going to have days off I think that puts us in a position where we’re going to try hard to win every day but if it means going to a certain person

We’re not going to do it um Joe Tory pitch got Proctor 83 times and we won World Championships I would like to see a little bit more of that intensity doesn’t sound like you’re going to get away from that but that’s a thought and a question at the same

Time um welcome to the Yankee season fre I think it means when Believers are down they say these days right like our relever will be down for day um I don’t know I think I think we have a I think we have a killer mentality um you know

We’re in today’s game with with how these guys throw like 80 an 80 game reliever is just I don’t think it’s feasible and at the end of the day we need to go into the postseason 2 with Kay Holmes Jonathan Leisa whatever you’re you know like at

Their best too and I think in 2024 like 83 games if you can find me that guy that’s throwing 75 games I don’t even think you see that so you’re trying to I mean you’re trying to win the division and and get to the playoffs in a position where you’re at strength and

We’re going to do that to the best now as far as the killer I mean you have that in your mind I would disagree with you we we got to show you though so at the end of the day we got to show you you tell them yeah

Those you got anything another question I think do know all right we got I uh Ian s Ian s make a hole stiring oh yeah this is a little bit of a nicer question um I don’t I don’t mind no nor do I um we hear a lot about the role of

Physicals and medical records in signing free agents and greenlighting trades and things like that M um I wonder about with the unique nature of of playing in the Bronx and with the expectations of the fans kind of what role if any does like the mental conditioning staff and sports psychologist play in making

Additions to the team and making sure it’ll be a good fit yeah um yeah I would say we do as much due diligence as you possibly can it’s obviously a very inexact science um and like anytime you’re signing a free agent or about to make a trade like

You do as much vetting as you you you know you can’t you’re making a trade in the middle of season you can’t send our mental and actually meet with guys but you’re doing as much behind the scenes homework as you can to at least make it part of the decision-making process and

Um you know I obviously playing here C can be a challenge and has been for guys at different times I also think there’s sometimes That a guy comes here and let’s say it doesn’t go well a lot of times we just chalk it up to New York and and sometimes it is just it’s baseball sometimes it absolutely is New York so we’re every time we you know are are making a trade signing a free agent like

We’re making calls behind the scenes to to you know whether it’s guys that have played with them in the past people we know trying to get makeup reports and trying to the best as we can you know say yeah this is a guy that could can

Thrive here or a lot of times there’s question marks in certain areas and you got to weigh that and say that sometimes maybe get you off a guy or sometimes it maybe is like okay we we feel like we need we need to make it work and so it

Is very much a part of it and we do a lot of digging as much as we we possibly can do you think do you think they did digging on you when they trade traded for you on that like do you yeah stories I think that goes back um yeah I think

That goes back is you know it’s may look different as time goes by and as you have different resources but I think that’s that’s happened for the history of time yeah even I’m with the minor Leaguers in Brian Ho’s book The Baby bombers there’s sections talking about

Cashman talking about um seeing how the rookies react Ed to some moments in their early careers or in their and and judging their makeup on oh he cool headed like didn’t yeah but you know there’s also a lot of times you you you make a judgment sometimes on a guy that

Oh he can’t and they kind of work their way through it they fight through it um so it’s it’s it’s one of those things that’s hard to quantify and hard to figure but we do you know at least pour a lot into it and try and get to the

Bottom of things as best we can Soto and Verdugo seem like two guys that are going to enjoy the atmosphere at least we think so we hope so and we’ll find out and strowman yeah yeah absolutely how happy are you to have some lefties I am I am yes

Um you know so yeah I mean yes it’s a good answer I mean I I’m a i i you you guys know like I want balance all the time in the lineup so you know a lot of times over the last few years if if we’ve had

Three in a lineup like it’s like okay 3 69 it can kind of space them out because it does matter it does you know I always go back to um you know we played Toronto a couple years ago and they had a really good off on offense and they would you

Know and last year they tried to switch it up brought some lefties in brought brought a different kind of makeup to their team but anytime we would play them and it was a tight game um you know and it was was now all of a sudden you’re late in the game sixth seventh

Eth ninth inning and and you got Springer bashet vlat you know those righties coming and you could now go Leisa holes it kind of neutralizes their greatness and when you have some balance that can break some of that up um it’s really valuable yeah I’m excited about how you

How you place them yeah every other you want to do one more we got a couple minutes we got like eight left are we not doing the we’ll do we got people here we’ll take the question you want to do that quick I might be tight I think

That’s tight we’re going to make you we’re going to do a draft with you but instead we’re gonna we’ll save it for the season Brendan how would you say that last name Vega Vega Brendan Vega the efficiency of that pick by me so um uh you were traded a couple

Times woo got traded here I was wondering how you would um like like how you would uh mentally prepare to being traded to um and anywhere especially New York yeah I mean so I I I got traded to New York now at the deadlines a little

Bit different obviously um and I was I was leaving the only organization I knew so I was leaving Cincinnati where from the time I was drafted I think I was there 9 10 years six years in the big leagues and um it’s that that first time

You get traded it’s it’s a lot I mean forget the baseball part of it like I mean it’s just like all right meet us there tomorrow it’s like you’re packing up your world and you’re going and you’re meeting new people and like where do I go where where do I go my pregame

Routine where do I where am I in batting practice like so where do I live you know how do I get my family out so there’s a lot of those kind of things that you know you try and you try and facilitate as well as you’re playing

Every single day you know you’re trying to facilitate that as much as you can um some guys handle it really well some guys it’s a little bit of an adjustment for I think anytime you you you do a winner now they can have a normal buildup and you know get settled in in

Spring training and really get to know guys so um it it’s a thing you know but like everything some some people really thrive on that and some people it’s more of an adjustment for who was the guy that welcomed you or did you have a familiar your face on that Yankees team

You had played with before friendly with you know what Todd zal was was great uh Nick Johnson was great David deluchi got traded around the same time he I think he came from Arizona at the time so kind of hung out a little bit but you know me

It was going to the American League so I didn’t and I had only been in the National League so I knew these guys a little bit but not all that well giombi was great you know was great was Clemens Clemens was such an awesome teammate and

So fun to play with nice um yeah he was uh and and I and he was that guy that when I was coming over I’m like as a position player and as hitter I’m like I’m not going to like this guy you know and he was awesome he was he was a great

Teammate do you want to help us break some news any uh non-roster invitees that you know there’s always like a surprise dietrich’s been invited to spring training any names out there uh I don’t think so any minor league guys going to in the big league Camp you’re

Excited about spending time with um yeah like Chase Hampton is is you know going to be over and um I am excited about that will Warren I’m excited about that those guys that kind of that next wave of pitchers that are you know I haven’t seen a lot of I certainly haven’t seen

In person and uh you know we think very highly of okay anything exciting about the new coaching staff uh you guys know how I feel about Mendy so that that’s a tough loss but at the same time I’m super excited now for for Brad for Brad osus he is somebody

That I’ve known a long time played against them in the National League central when he was in Houston and I was in Cincinnati back when Houston was the National League central team we played against each other a ton um you know so a lot of a lot of back and forth and

Banter over the years I think he’s going to be really valuable for us is there like a niche that he takes over a catching coach or like drills or a section of you know that he owns um that will kind of evolve he’ll be he’ll be

Very involved in the Bas running as a lot of us will be um but we’ll let that kind of play itself out I want him to be uh you know because he’s not known yet by a lot of our guys the biggest thing in spring

Training is I want him to be kind of front-facing so he’ll I’ll have him run a lot of our staff meetings but also be in front of our players a lot and he’ll be you know kind of an extension of me but I would say initially probably a lot

Of the base running stuff he’ll be involved with along with chappie and uh Matt tallarico who’s who kind of roves for us so um but but we’ll let that kind of evolve he’s already been you know really involved in in you know kind of inputting into spring training and

Working with Tanner Swanson who’s doing a lot of the administrative stuff so that spring training is it’s one of those things you want to make sure it’s you know you’re you’re really buttoned up going into it and that’s one area where Mendy you know he kind of ran

Spring training and want to make sure we hit the ground topper than meny topper than you’re losing all your spring training generals yeah no doubt don’t let Rizzo by osmus Station to Station I think we got time for one more question and it’s brought to you by Big League

Chu you guys all know and love Big League Chew who doesn’t I’m going to throw a couple in the crowd guard guard your faces oh wow big I I hit I hit you I’m sorry Big League 2 you guys know them they’re the best like I I think

Since the day you start doing little league you find Big League 2 and you roll with it they’re the official they are the official gum of USA baseball boom wow we won we did it uh and we’re giving away a huge swag pack of Big League Chew and if you head to the

Talking Yanks Instagram tomorrow for details for how to enter in win keep an eye out for new and improved Big League chw pouches at your local sporting goods store or Amazon and enter the Big League Chew giveaway on talking Yanks Instagram thank you Big League Chew for putting on

Tonight’s event I mean I I don’t think I’ve ever met a human that doesn’t like big league CH my Aunt Carol she doesn’t like gum at all okay that’s a good one it’s part of your childhood though yeah I love big you got one more question

Should we reach in for one uh what was your favorite question we asked today wow a question about a question yeah I hope it doesn’t get chopped up like we made the play like that wasn’t what I was say no no no that’s no no yeah yeah that

Was chop it up the delivery there kind of left us all in the edge of our seats for a second just being honest just being real yeah that was a gas was a colle gas I know I was like no like I I was just saying that isn’t the anyway I

Think we got it make sure now the bullpen the only thing we didn’t talk about so briefly I know they just added another Lefty today they uh got um I am blanking on his name Gage M do you have a packing order do you have confidence like the top three are guys that

Obviously are awesome but also haven’t pitched full seasons in a couple years I don’t think yeah uh who do you have as the top three uh JLo yeah and Holmes obviously and kanley kanley yeah um you I’m really would you agree with the top three I mean yeah I’m excited what you

Know Ian Hamilton’s going to going to do um f obviously he was huge for us last year FR Ros will FR Ros will be a little behind though um and uh who else Yoo getting in the mix you know what no but that’s one of the exciting things

Hopefully we do have a guy or two that you’re not necessarily thinking of that does emerge and becomes an important part of the bullpen Ron I feel like’s in a much better place physically than he was last year just kind of you know the shin stuff that he had to deal with off

And on and uh feel like physically he’s in a good spot we’re excited about the lot of the pieces that can hopefully impact us and you know hopefully there’s another move or or or or so to make that’ll you know fortify that pen a little bit there you go this is what

Fass have it as we brought Victor Gonzales in who we’re excited about um W’s out there and man W’s been amazing for us Mets are trying to take him the Mets just take everyone that was just on the an I I don’t know I don’t know what’s going to happen there so

We’ll see don’t want to give up your apartment we’ll sign you that’s the pitch from the I hear you I hear you W’s been a really good Yankee man yes yeah and a clubhouse personality he’s awesome he’s he’s such a he’s such a stud you agree with what they have at the bench

Here you know is this the same as your lineups we’re looking at the fan graphs roster resource page I’m 50 now my eyes are going on me so okay look at this righty left righty Lefty righty Lefty righty righty Lefty beautiful yeah we’ll see okay we’ll see all right well thank

You very much for joining us appreciate ladies and [Applause] Gentlemen all right Joe Yanks tell them GRS go Yankees it’s my grandma where did you just hear go Yankees sir