July 6th, 2020: COVID-19, Tanaka, LeMahieu, Cessa, 30-Man Roster, Schedule, All-Star Game, Hicks, German

The Yankees played the Yankees tonight and the Yankees won, I think. The pitchers looked way ahead of the hitters, which isn't surprising after the long layoff. It'll take guys a while to find their rhythm at the plate. The Yankees will play the Yankees again tomorrow night and Gerrit Cole will be on the mound. The intrasquad game will air live on the YES Network at 7pm ET. It's fake baseball, but if I can watch it, it's real enough for me. I have to get up early to do something tomorrow so here is Tuesday's post Monday night. Let's get to the thoughts.

1. COVID-19 protocols. So much has to go right on such a massive scale for the 2020 season to take place and already, less than a week into Summer Camp, critical testing issues have popped up across the league. Ken Rosenthal reports the COVID-19 testing crew never showed up to Yankee Stadium on Sunday, and the Yankees had to perform their own tests and ship them to the lab. The Angels and Astros had the same issue, per Rosenthal. The most basic stuff -- the testers showing up! -- is already going wrong. Good grief. Some other problems from around the league:

• Samples for the Athletics sat at the airport over a day before being shipped to the lab. "On top of screwing up the logistics of this whole thing, neither MLB nor CDT (the testing company) communicated any of this to us until we pressed them for information, at which point all they could do was apologize," A's GM David Forst wrote in a letter to employees. (Alex Coffey)
• The Astros, Cardinals, Nationals, and other teams have had to delay or cancel workouts because test results took up to 72 hours to arrive (they're supposed to arrive within 24 hours). Also, Washington had not yet received personal protective equipment from the league as of Sunday. (Brittany Ghiroli, Brian McTaggart, Mark Saxon)
• MLB and the MLBPA jointly released a woefully incomplete report on intake testing last Friday. The report said there were 38 positive tests among 3,185 samples, but several teams were not included because their results were still unavailable, and the report covered only Wednesday's tests even though testing started last weekend. (Jesse Dougherty)

Doing great! Teams haven't even started traveling yet and things are already going sideways. MLB released a statement earlier today saying the testing system is wonderful and this weekend's problems were the result of "unforeseen" delays, because apparently travel issues stemming from the Fourth of July are unforeseen now. We're less than a week into Summer Camp and it's already fair to question the competency of the testing company and whether we should have faith in MLB and the MLBPA reporting the facts on testing. In the grand of schemes, rescheduling workouts is a minor inconvenience. It could put some teams at a competitive disadvantage, but they'll live. The larger issue is the possibility that sick and contagious individuals are at the ballpark (and in the community) spreading COVID-19. The goal is not getting sick people off the field. It's preventing sick people from getting on the field in the first place, and even a one-day delay in testing and results is unacceptable. Look at Freddie Freeman. Freeman tested negative during intake testing early last week, then developed symptoms and tested positive Friday. The situation can change quickly and any delay in the testing process increases the risk of exposure and the chances there is a large outbreak that forces the season to be canceled. "He has had body aches, headaches, chills and a high fever since Thursday. He is someone who literally never gets sick and this virus has hit him like a ton of bricks," Freeman's wife wrote. Beyond the testers not showing up Sunday, the Yankees experienced delays getting some results the last few days -- Aroldis Chapman and Gary Sanchez reported a day late to Summer Camp because their results hadn't come back yet, but they're with the team now -- and, given the nature of the pandemic, any sort of delay can not be tolerated. I have no idea whether the health and safety protocol is comprehensive enough to complete a 60-game regular season and postseason. It's possible they'll do everything right and still have to shut down at some point. What I do know is there's zero chance this can work unless the testing is stringent and timely. These delays must be remedied and I wouldn't fault the players for walking out until everything is fixed (not that I expect them to do that). If there is going to be baseball this season, MLB has to earn it. They can't say they're going to do all this stuff to stay safe then half-ass the execution. Twenty-nine of the 30 teams have had a player test positive already (the Cubs are the lone exception) and the first few days of testing aren't making me believe the 2020 season is any likelier to be completed. "We will not sacrifice the health and safety of our players, staff and their families. Without accurate and timely testing it is simply not safe for us to continue with Summer Camp. Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and lab," Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said in a statement. (Barry Svrluga reports commissioner Rob Manfred "jumped on" Rizzo for that statement because he considered it insubordinate. This commissioner being mad at an executive for criticizing the failing testing program rather than being mad about the testing program failing is the least surprising thing ever.)

2. Tanaka hurt; Cessa and LeMahieu sick. Rough start to Summer Camp for the Yankees and I'm not talking about the testing issues either. Masahiro Tanaka took a Giancarlo Stanton line drive to the head during live batting practice Saturday. It was clocked at 112 mph -- Tanaka allowed only two batted balls hit that hard last season -- and Tanaka was eventually able to walk off the field with assistance. Here's the liner (GIF via Tom Hanslin):

Just bad, bad luck. L screens are optional during live batting practice and pitchers rarely use them because they're unnatural -- Jordan Montgomery and James Paxton used them during their live batting practice sessions following the Tanaka incident this weekend -- and there's no one to blame here. Just bad baseball luck. Tanaka went to the hospital and was released later that night after being diagnosed with a mild concussion. "He came in around noon today and was in really good spirits. Got a really good night sleep. No loss of appetite. We're encouraged where he is and we'll take it day by day, but hopefully it's not something that'll take too long. Since he got to the hospital, he's pretty much been symptom-free and feeling good," Aaron Boone said Sunday. That's good, but there really is no such thing as a "mild" concussion. It's a brain injury and they are never to be taken lightly. Clint Frazier suffered a "mild" concussion in Feb. 2018 and didn't return until late April. Tanaka is in the concussion protocol now and must pass a series of tests and receive league approval to be allowed back on the field -- he rode the bike for 15-20 minutes today and everything went well, according to Boone -- and the regular season is scheduled to begin in two weeks. The slightest delay will affect his availability for Opening Day. The Yankees are surely hoping for the best and preparing contingencies in case Tanaka has to be miss the start of the season. In other bad news, Luis Cessa and DJ LeMahieu both tested positive for COVID-19 during intake testing last week. They are not with the Yankees -- Cessa is home in Arizona and LeMahieu is home in Michigan -- and there is no timetable for them to join the team. "We’re hopeful that it’ll be a short time, but they are not here at this point. We’ll see how that continues to unfold the next several days," Boone said, adding LeMahieu is asymptomatic and Cessa has "mild" symptoms. LeMahieu and Cessa have to test negative twice at least 24 hours apart and receive league approval to join the team (Cessa must also show no symptoms for 72 hours) and who knows how long that will take? Could be a few days, could be a month, could be longer. The priority is getting LeMahieu and Cessa healthy and containing the virus, not just at the ballpark but at home with their families. That's the most important thing. As for the baseball component, the longer the delay, the less likely it is Cessa and LeMahieu will be available for Opening Day (duh). The Yankees will deal with that when the time comes. Similar to Tanaka, the team will hope for the best and begin preparing for the worst. Not a good start to Summer Camp when the guy who took a line drive to the head may not have the most worrisome long-term health issue on the team.

3. Projected 30-man roster. Opening Day is only two weeks and three days away, if you can believe that. I'm so used to Spring Training starting and Opening Day still being a good six weeks away. Summer Camp opened this past weekend and Opening Day is right around the corner. Kinda weird. The entire season will be weird. Anyway, now's a good time to cobble together a projected Opening Day roster. Injuries, illness, and opt outs can and likely will change the roster outlook between now and Opening Day, so consider this only a snapshot in time. We'll come back and adjust as necessary these next two weeks. Now let's piece together the roster.

Locks (20 players)

• Position players (11): Miguel Andujar, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Kyle Higashioka, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Mike Tauchman, Gio Urshela, Luke Voit
• Pitchers (9): Zack Britton, Aroldis Chapman, Gerrit Cole, Chad Green, J.A. Happ, Tommy Kahnle, Jordan Montgomery, Adam Ottavino, James Paxton

Two-thirds of the 30-man Opening Day roster is straightforward. Last week Brian Cashman downplayed Hicks and Judge being everyday players at the outset -- "Are they healthy? I think they’re physically good. It just comes down to are they prepared for the pounding from Game 1, and having the comfort level that your manager and staff are going to want that they can consistently rely on them in that lineup?" he said -- but he said he's optimistic they will be on the Opening Day roster, so I'm including them. The fact they played in Monday night's intrasquad game is a good sign. Same with Stanton, who also played Monday night, and Paxton, who threw live batting practice over the weekend. Everyone else in this section is self-explanatory. Onward.

Locks if healthy (3)

• Position players (1): DJ LeMahieu
• Pitchers (2): Luis Cessa, Masahiro Tanaka

Cessa, LeMahieu, and Tanaka would undoubtedly be on the Opening Day roster, if healthy. They're not healthy though, and we have no idea when they will be healthy, so I'm going to exclude them for now. Tanaka has a "mild" concussion and the slight delay to his preparation lowers his chances of being ready for the start of the regular season. Cessa and LeMahieu have COVID-19 and are currently quarantining at home. No idea when they may return, but with Opening Day so close, they're already up against it. I'm leaving them off the Opening Day roster for now.

Borderline locks (3)

• Position players (1): Tyler Wade
• Pitchers (2): Jonathan Holder, Jonathan Loaisiga

Is there a scenario in which Thairo Estrada beats out Wade for a roster spot? Sure. I have no idea what that scenario looks like -- there are no real games during Summer Camp, how are you supposed to beat someone out for a job? (Estrada did go deep Monday night, for what it's worth) -- but I guess it's possible. Wade is as close to a lock as it gets without actually being a lock, and the same goes for Holder and Loaisiga on the pitching staff. The Cessa, LeMahieu, and Tanaka situations only increase the chances Holder, Loaisiga, and Wade are on the Opening Day roster. These three give us 23 players on our 30-man roster (12 position players and 11 pitchers).

Bench candidates

• Catchers: Chris Iannetta, Erik Kratz
• Infielders: Matt Duffy, Thairo Estrada, Mike Ford
• Outfielders: Clint Frazier, Rosell Herrera

There are other position players on the 58-man roster (Estevan Florial, Kyle Holder, Josh Thole, etc.) but these seven stand out as the most realistic Opening Day roster candidates given their prior MLB experience. Either the Yankees knew LeMahieu tested positive for COVID-19 when they signed Duffy last weekend or the timing was pretty damn fortuitous. He has experience all over the infield and I think he is now the overwhelming favorite to take LeMahieu's spot on the Opening Day roster. Maybe he and Wade will platoon at second? Not sure. We'll find out soon enough. We now have the standard 13 position players on the roster. The 30-man roster is designed to protect pitchers, not necessarily hitters, but the Yankees have a few outfielders coming back from injury they'll want to protect. Cashman said so last week. Hicks and Judge (and Stanton) might not play the outfield every single day at the outset, so I'd bet on at least one of the four extra roster spots going to an extra outfielder. That clears a path for Frazier to make the roster. Maybe Herrera beats him out because he's more versatile -- if you think it might serve as a potential tiebreaker, Frazier (.320/.455/.600) was every bit as good as Herrera (.400/.444/.600) during Grapefruit League play -- but geez, there's a 30-man roster and three starting outfielders are coming back from injuries. If the Yankees aren't going to carry Clint on the roster now, when will they? I'm saying Frazier beats out Herrera for a bench spot and gets us to 14 position players.

Pitching staff candidates

• Righties: Deivi Garcia, David Hale, Ben Heller, Mike King, Dan Otero, Clarke Schmidt, Nick Tropeano, Tony Zych
• Lefties: Luis Avilan, Tyler Lyons

Prospects like Albert Abreu, Luis Gil, Luis Medina, and Alex Vizcaino are Opening Day roster long shots. They're ticketed for the alternate site so they can get some innings in and avoid a completely lost season. We have 14 position players and 11 pitchers on our projected roster at the moment, leaving five spots open. We're assuming the Yankees will be without a starter (Tanaka) and a long reliever (Cessa) when the season begins, so they'll need a few pitchers who can provide length, especially with the other starters not fully stretched out following the shutdown. Hale is an obvious Opening Day roster candidate given his work last season and ability to go multiple innings. Lyons was on the dang postseason roster last year and the Yankees could stretch him out to two innings between now and Opening Day, plus he'd give them a middle innings lefty (Britton and Chapman aren't matching up with the other team's top lefty bats in the fifth or sixth inning). I think he makes it. Heller too. He is all the way back from Tommy John surgery and can be stretched out to two innings as well. That leaves two spots. I think Cessa's injury opens the door for King to make it as the last guy in the bullpen long man type. He's on the 40-man roster already and it would be easy to carry him for two weeks, then send him down when the roster shrinks to 28 players. Carry a non-roster guy like Otero or Tropeano and there's no sending them down without putting them on waivers and possibly losing them. King for two weeks is the easy solution. As for the last spot, I really think it comes down to Garcia vs. Schmidt, with Schmidt the current favorite even though he's not yet reached Triple-A. He's several years older than Garcia and is much more polished, and I don't think the Yankees would sweat starting his service time clock at all. They shouldn't, anyway. He's a pitcher and his arm has already blown out once. If he's the best man for the job, put him on the roster. Don't worry about controlling him in 2026. Right now I think Schmidt, who was nasty last night, gets an Opening Day roster spot and replaces Tanaka in the rotation for the time being, even if it's only one or two starts.

Taxi squad candidates

• Position players: Chris Iannetta, Thairo Estrada, Mike Ford, Rosell Herrera, Erik Kratz
• Pitchers: Luis Avilan, Deivi Garcia, Dan Otero, Nick Tropeano, Tony Zych

Teams can bring up to three extra players with them on the road without putting them on the active roster. If they bring the maximum three, one has to be a catcher. The Yankees are always (overly) cautious and I expect them to bring three extra players on each road trip. Iannetta is the obvious pick for the catcher spot as a 14-year big league veteran. He could have opted out last week and the fact he stuck around leads me to believe the Yankees told him he will at least be on the taxi squad, otherwise he probably would've gone elsewhere. Catchers are in demand right now. Herrera's versatility makes him another good candidate for those three extra spots. He provides depth on the infield and in the outfield. That works. The third spot would obviously go to a pitcher. A few days ago pitching coach Matt Blake said the Yankees are still figuring out what to do should the day's starting pitcher show up to the ballpark and have to be sent home with COVID-19 symptoms -- “I think that there’s a lot of unknowns and uncertainty with what we’re approaching here. I think as many contingency plans as possible is a good way to go," Blake said -- and that's the nightmare scenario for a pitching coach. The taxi squad pitcher will presumably be someone who can give length and Garcia can do that, though the Yankees figure to have him on set a development plan. I doubt they would drag him around as an extra guy now knowing when he'd pitch next. That's why Otero and Tropeano are on the 58-man roster. I'll say Tropeano gets the last taxi squad spot because he is a starter. Chances are this will be a revolving door based on who's available pitch during a certain road trip and the team's current needs. It could easily be Ford over Herrera, or Otero over Tropeano, etc. Every team is going to play the taxi squad by ear. I wouldn't sweat these three extra spots much. Alright, so based on that, here's my projected 30-man roster:

That roster will require some 40-man roster moves. The Yankees currently have 39 players on the 40-man roster -- they put Severino on the 60-day injured list last weekend -- and my active 30-man roster has four non-roster players (Duffy, Hale, Lyons, Schmidt). Three open spots are required. Are any of Cessa, LeMahieu, or Tanaka candidates to go on the 60-day injured list? I hope not, but we can't discount the possibility. Kriske stands out as the most likely candidate to be removed from the 40-man roster. Protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft only to lose him permanently on waivers a few months later would be kinda dumb. Estrada? Ford? Yajure? A trade? Can't rule out any 40-man maneuvers at this point. Let's worry about that when we get closer to Opening Day and the roster really begins to take shape. As for a LeMahieu-less lineup, I'd put my money on something like this:

1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. CF Aaron Hicks
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. SS Gleyber Torres
6. C Gary Sanchez
7. 1B Luke Voit
8. 3B Gio Urshela
9. 2B Tyler Wade

You know the Yankees are going to squeeze a lefty between Judge and Stanton. Whatever. If the regular season started today, that's what I think the lineup and 30-man roster would look like. I'd like to see the Yankees try Andujar at second base while LeMahieu is out (or Urshela at second and Andujar at third), but they've shown no interest in doing that, so I guess that's out. Alas.

4. 2020 schedule released. The 2020 regular season was finally announced tonight and the Yankees will indeed open the season in Washington against the World Series champion Nationals. Can't blame MLB at all for scheduling that matchup on Opening Day after the long shutdown. The Yankees will play one of two nationally televised games on July 23rd (Dodgers and Giants are the other) before the traditional league-wide Opening Day on July 24th. Here is the club's full 2020 schedule (full size image):

Ten games against each of the other four AL East teams plus 20 games total against the NL East, including two three-game series against the Mets. Now for some thoughts on the schedule. One, it's very top heavy. Or front heavy, I should say. The Yankees play a lot of good teams early and a lot of bad teams late. The breakdown:

• First 30 games: .514 opponent's projected winning percentage
• Last 30 games: .459 opponent's projected winning percentage

The Yankees will play 20 of their final 23 games against teams that lost 95+ games last year but last year doesn't really matter. Ten of their final 20 games will be against the Blue Jays and I think Toronto is going to be real headache this year. I picked them as my Cinderella team. The Blue Jays probably won't be good but they won't be a pushover either. They have too much young talent for that, and they upgraded their pitching from terrible to competent over the winter. Not sure those 10 late season games against the Blue Jays will be a walk in the park. Either way, the schedule starts tough then eases up. Good thing or bad thing? In a short season, I think I'd rather rack up as many early wins as possible and try to coast to the finish line. Won't be easy to do that against this schedule. Two, MLB really did the Yankees a solid with the AL East portion of their schedule. They'll play the Rays six times at Yankee Stadium and four times at Tropicana Field, and they'll play the Red Sox seven times at Yankee Stadium and three times at Fenway Park. Only seven road games against the Rays and Red Sox? I'll take it. No fans in the stands means the atmosphere will be subdued, but the Yankees are built for the short porch. Give me those games in Yankee Stadium. Three, welcome back Sir Didi Gregorius (and Joe Girardi). The Yankees will welcome the Phillies to the Bronx for their first home series of the season. No fans means Gregorius (and Girardi) won't get an ovation, so that's a bummer, but I'll cheer him from my couch. Sir Didi is forever cool with me. I look forward to the day he returns to a packed Yankee Stadium and gets a warm welcome. Four, the Field of Dreams Game will officially happen without the Yankees. They're out. It'll be White Sox and Cardinals instead (not Cubs and Cardinals). I like games in unusual places, so I'm disappointed, but I totally get it. Hopefully the Yankees go to Iowa or somewhere different next season. And five, what the hell are these start times? MLB has one -- one! -- afternoon game on the July 24th Opening Day and I count only 55 midweek day games all season. That's the entire league, not just the Yankees. There are still millions of sports-starved fans stuck at home who would love nothing more than to watch baseball all day, every day, and instead MLB loads the schedule with night games. That has to be a money thing (prime time ad rates, etc.). MLB will always choose $1 today over $2 tomorrow. Why give people what they want -- baseball all day -- and possibly cultivate new fans when you could cash in? The NBA and NHL are on track to return not long after Opening Day. MLB will have the sports landscape to itself for only about two weeks, and rather than flood the market with baseball during that time, the schedule is heavy on night games. Sigh. 

5. All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. As expected, the 2020 All-Star Game was officially canceled late last week. The All-Star Game was supposed to be played next week at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will instead get the 2022 All-Star Game. "Once it became clear we were unable to hold this year’s All-Star festivities, we wanted to award the Dodgers with the next available All-Star Game, which is 2022. I want to thank the Dodgers organization and the City of Los Angeles for being collaborative partners in the early stages of All-Star preparation and for being patient and understanding in navigating the uncertainty created by the pandemic. The 2022 All-Star celebration promises to be a memorable one with events throughout the city and at picturesque Dodger Stadium," commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. Three of the next six All-Star Games venues are set:

• 2021: Truist Park (that's what they're calling the stadium in Atlanta now)
• 2022: Dodger Stadium
• 2023-25: all open
• 2026: Citizens Bank Park
• 2027 and beyond: all open 

The Phillies were awarded the 2026 All-Star Game so far in advance because it will be the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed in Philadelphia. There are still three open All-Star Games between now and then. I have to believe the Cubs will get one of them. They're a recent World Series champion and the five-year renovation of Wrigley Field wrapped up this past November. The Cubs last hosted the All-Star Game in 1990. They're due. The Athletics (1987) have the longest All-Star Game drought but my guess is MLB is waiting for them to get a new ballpark. I don't see them hosting an All-Star Game in whatever they're calling the coliseum these days (RingCentral Coliseum, apparently). The Rays have never hosted an All-Star Game and there's no chance MLB holds a crown jewel event in Tropicana Field. Forget them. The Blue Jays (1991) have the third longest All-Star Game drought and they're an up-and-coming team with a lot of young talent. The Rogers Centre isn't great -- having been there, it is incredibly bland -- but the city is awesome and that building will be packed. The Blue Jays will probably get an All-Star Game at some point this decade. Ditto the Rangers, who are opening a new ballpark this year. The Orioles (1993) have the fourth longest All-Star Game drought, and while Camden Yards is a top notch park, the team is so horrendous that MLB is probably comfortably sitting on them a bit. All-Star Games tend to go to competitive teams and/or new stadiums. Baltimore has neither at this point. The Red Sox last hosted the All-Star Game in 1999 and are due another one soon. The Yankees last hosted the All-Star Game in 2008. That was at the old Yankee Stadium. My hunch is MLB is eyeing the new Yankee Stadium for one of those 2023-25 All-Star Games. The Yankees are the sport's marquee franchise and the team is very competitive, plus it's a new-ish ballpark that has yet to host the All-Star Game. Checks all the necessary boxes. A team going only 15-18 years between hosting All-Star Games would be unusual but not unprecedented. The Pirates hosted the 1994 All-Star Game at Three Rivers Stadium and the 2006 All-Star Game at PNC Park and they absolutely stunk all 12 years in between (fourth worst record in baseball). Two All-Star Games only 15-18 years apart at YANKEE STADIUM wouldn't be the end of the world even though I'm sure lots of folks out there would be irate. Whatever. Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, and the new Globe Life Field in Texas are three pretty good bets for those 2023-25 All-Star Games in whatever order. The Cubs are probably first up given the recent World Series title and the Wrigley Field renovations (and the long All-Star Game drought). That would put the Yankees on the radar for 2024 or 2025. MLB typically announces All-Star Game venues two years in advance, so the 2023 All-Star Game venue will be revealed sometime next summer.

6. Remembering a random Yankee: Bob Ojeda. Our next random Yankee is a New York baseball hero for his work in Queens. We've already covered Juan Acevedo, Dean Anna, Erick Almonte, Oscar Azocar, Colter Bean, Billy Butler, Cesar Cabral, Brandon Claussen, Colin Curtis, Robert Eenhoorn, Kevin Elster, Sal Fasano, Greg Golson, Nick Green, Aaron Guiel, Eric Hinske, Rick Honeycutt, Brandon Knight, Kenny Lofton, Matt Luke, Melky Mesa, Juan Miranda, Blake Parker, Chris Parmelee, Edwar Ramirez, Mark Reynolds, Humberto Sanchez, Zelous Wheeler, Enrique Wilson, DeWayne Wise, Kerry Wood, and Ed Yarnall. Ojeda broke into the big leagues with the Red Sox in 1980 and played with Boston until being traded to the Mets in Nov. 1985. The change of scenery did wonders, as Ojeda had a breakout season in 1986 (2.57 ERA in 217.1 innings) and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting. He beat the Red Sox in Game 3 of the World Series (one run in seven innings) and was very good in Game 6 (two runs in six innings), the Bill Buckner game. Ojeda remained with the Mets through 1990 -- he had a 3.12 ERA in five years with the Mets after a 4.21 ERA in six years with the Red Sox -- before moving on to the Dodgers and Indians. In March 1993, the then-35-year-old Ojeda suffered serious head injuries in a boating accident that killed Indians teammates Steve Olin and Tim Crews. He missed the first four months of the regular season and had a 4.40 ERA in 43 innings after returning in August. The Yankees spent the 1993-94 offseason trying to improve the rotation behind Jimmy Key and Jim Abbott (and Melido Perez), and while they eventually traded for Terry Mulholland in February, they first signed Ojeda to a minor league contract in January. "Sometimes these things work out better. At Yankee Stadium, he's the type of pitcher you want. I know the guy still knows how to pitch," then-GM Gene Michael told Jack Curry at the time. Ojeda beat out Sterling Hitchcock and Scott Kamieniecki for the fifth starter's spot in Spring Training but his time in the rotation didn't last long. He made two starts in pinstripes and they were very bad:

• April 16th at Tigers: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
• April 22nd vs. Athletics: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Ojeda was a stereotypical crafty lefty in his prime and, at age 36, his left arm didn't have anything more to give. The Yankees designated Ojeda for assignment on April 25th to clear room on the roster for reliever Paul Gibson, who returned from the disabled list, and Kamieniecki moved into the rotation. "It's probably as tough a thing as I've had to do as a manager," manager Buck Showalter said about telling Ojeda he was being dropping from the roster. Michael tried to find a trade partner but nothing came together, and Ojeda was released on May 5th. He retired soon thereafter. Ojeda allowed eight runs and 17 baserunners in his three innings as a Yankee. Among the 730 pitchers to throw at least three innings in pinstripes, Ojeda has the highest ERA (24.00) and by far the highest WHIP in franchise history:

1. Bob Ojeda: 5.67 WHIP (11 baserunners in three innings)
2. Sam Gibson: 3.33 WHIP (20 baserunners in six innings)
3. Alex Graman: 3.32 WHIP (21 baserunners in 6.1 innings)
4. Jim Miller: 3.25 WHIP (13 baserunners in four innings)
5. Christian Parker: 3.00 WHIP (nine baserunners in three innings)

Ojeda eventually rejoined the Mets as a minor league coach and he ripped the club after being passed over for their big league pitching coach position in 2003. "I think they need to make some changes in the front (office) before you'll see real changes on the field. They wanted me back, but I decided to leave because of an overall feeling the right things aren't being done, and my own frustration at not being able to have an impact. I still want to coach, but maybe I need to do it somewhere that I'm not as close to it as I am here. I had the greatest times of my life here and I take it personally when the Mets finish in last place two years in a row, and I see things going on that I don't like," he told John Harper. Ojeda spent a few years coaching with the independent Worcester Tornadoes before returning to the Mets organization as a studio analyst with SNY from 2009-14. Now 62, Ojeda's been out of the public eye since leaving SNY over a contract dispute.

7. Rapid fire thoughts. Aaron Hicks admitted his throwing still isn't all the way back a few days ago. "Coming back from Tommy John, there are just days where it just doesn’t come out. You’re trying to throw as hard as you can. You’re trying to throw to a certain speed and it’s just not coming out ... From what I hear, it takes a while to completely be 100%, but I feel really good right now. I feel game ready right now," he said on a conference call. Hicks has an outstanding arm -- he held opponents to a 35.5% extra-base taken rate the last three years compared to the 55.3% league average for center fielders -- but coming back from elbow reconstruction is a process. His arm will get back to where it was soon enough ... The Yankees do not yet have a plan for Domingo German's return. He'll be eligible to return for the fourth game of the postseason. "That’s something we haven’t broached yet. I don’t have a great answer for you there yet," pitching coach Matt Blake said over the weekend. There is a long, long way to go before we have to worry about where and how German fits. Let's get through the first few weeks of the regular season before sweating this ... During a recent podcast appearance Andrew McCutchen criticized the Yankees' hair policy. He said it was an "honor" to wear pinstripes but added the hair policy "takes away from our individualism as players and as people. We express ourselves in different ways ... I think, especially in this year, the year of 2020, I just feel like these things are -- or should be -- things that people should take at heart and realize that we have a way of expressing ourselves in different ways,” he said, according to Brendan Kuty. The hair policy is outdated and I've wanted the Yankees to do away with it for years. It's control disguised as tradition, and forced tradition is no tradition at all. Let the grown ass men groom themselves however they want, and if you think their hair looks stupid, make fun of them like an adult. Everyone knows the drill. It's baseball. It's a game. Don't take it so seriously.

(Send you questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com.)