The Official 2024-25 RAB Offseason Plan
RAB Thoughts activity
November 21st, 2024: Soto, Durbin, Rodriguez, Coleman, Mailbag
Reminder: The Offseason Plan is going live tomorrow. I need to read through it once more today and transfer it over from Google Docs to Patreon, which is a surprisingly annoying process (every Patreon update seems designed specifically to make my life more difficult), but it’s going live Friday...
2024-11-21 11:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostNovember 19th, 2024: Gil, Soto, Judge, Volpe, Rule 5 Draft, Vivas
The Offseason Plan is a go for Friday. It is written – 18,974 words before edits – and now I just need to read through it again, edit it, etc. Friday’s regularly scheduled post will run Thursday, then the Offseason Plan will run Friday. Thanks for being patient. Blame the Yankees for going ...
2024-11-19 11:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostNovember 15th, 2024: Soto, Giants, Hill, Hernández, Rays, Mailbag
Offseason Plan update: I had a good few days and got a lot done this week. Much more than I anticipated. I’d say I’m about 70% of the way through, with most of the hard work already done. It’s looking good for a launch next week. This is the tentative plan:
Tuesday, No...
2024-11-15 11:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
November 12th, 2024: Boone, Soto, Sasaki, Sugano, Estevéz, Walker
I forgot to mention this last week, but the two Dominican Winter League games at Yankee Stadium were canceled. Apparently it had something to do with the Yankees not being able to guarantee the ballpark’s readiness after the World Series. The games were supposed to be played this past Friday an...
2024-11-12 11:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostNovember 8th, 2024: Soto, Offseason, Arbitration Projections, Mailbag
Two pieces of business. First, I’m planning to skip the regularly scheduled post on Friday, Nov. 29th. That is three weeks from today and it is the Friday after Thanksgiving. I will happily cover any breaking news that comes down (Juan Soto re-signing? pretty please?), otherwise I’m going to ...
2024-11-08 11:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostNovember 5th, 2024: Cole, Weaver, Rizzo, Trammell, Trivino
Thanks in part to old pals Tyler Austin and Mike Ford, the 71-69-3 Yokohama DeNA BayStars defeated the heavily favored 91-49-3 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the Japan Series this past weekend. The BayStars won four straight to overcome a 2-0 series deficit, and they had a 29-inning shutout streak at ...
2024-11-05 11:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostNovember 1st, 2024: World Series, Soto, Rizzo, 2025 Draft, Mailbag
Going to use the intro as a state of RAB update. The Patreon isn’t going anywhere or anything like that. It’ll be business as usual moving forward. I’m shifting back to the Tuesday/Friday schedule with extra posts as necessary, though I need a break, so there may not be much meat on the bon...
2024-11-01 10:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe Yankees and the 2024-25 Offseason Calendar
The Dodgers are the 2024 World Series champions, the Yankees are the 2024 World Series losers, and the 2024-25 offseason is here. It’s an important offseason for the Yankees. I say that every offseason, but it’s true, and this offseason is more important than most given who’s becoming a fre...
2024-10-31 13:00:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe Yankees have lost the 2024 World Series
You gotta hand it to them. The 2024 Yankees stayed true to themselves to the very end. They made every defensive mistake in the book – dropped fly ball, bad throw, didn't cover first base, catcher inte...
2024-10-31 04:04:04 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts before Game 5 of the World Series
The Yankees will try to make history Wednesday night. Never before has a team that fell behind 3-0 in the World Series forced a Game 6. Prior to this year, there were 24 3-0 leads in the World Series and...
2024-10-30 15:03:24 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 4 of the World Series
It’s funny, once the Yankees fell behind 3-0 in the World Series, I became much more zen. I mean, down 3-0, either things are going to end the way you expect, or you’re going to watch the greatest co...
2024-10-30 05:09:25 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts before Game 4 of the World Series
The Yankees have 1-4 games remaining in their season and they almost certainly will not win the World Series, but they won four straight games and the Dodgers lost four straight games plenty of times this year. Stranger things have happened (have they though?). The path to a comeback is obvious:<...
2024-10-29 14:40:27 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 3 of the World Series
Do you think Aaron Boone will show the Yankees the 2004 Red Sox video again? Maybe he can have Dave Roberts come over and give them a motivational speech. Monday night’s 4-2 loss was the first two-run ...
2024-10-29 04:46:55 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts before Game 3 of the 2024 World Series
It is not a literal must-win, but Game 3 Monday night is a must-win. It will be hard enough to beat the Dodgers four times in five games. Four times in four games will be impossible. Games 1 and 2 of the World Series were close games that were one swing away from being advantage Yankees, but ther...
2024-10-28 10:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 2 of the 2024 World Series
These two games have been closer than the 2-0 series deficit may lead you to believe, but it is indeed a 2-0 series deficit. The Yankees lost Game 2 by the score of 4-2 on Saturday night and now must bea...
2024-10-27 05:36:49 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 1 of the 2024 World Series
Losing a Gerrit Cole start – an effective Gerrit Cole start – is a rough way to begin the World Series. The Yankees must now beat the best team in baseball four times in six games, and Cole will only...
2024-10-26 06:02:26 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts before Game 1 of the 2024 World Series
UPDATE: Turns out Jon Berti is not on the roster because of an injury. He has a right hip flexor strain, Aaron Boone announced. Berti suffered it running the bases in ALCS Game 4. L...
2024-10-25 18:27:07 +0000 UTC View PostOctober 24th, 2024: World Series X-Factors, Mailbag
The World Series will begin Friday on a somber note: Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela died Tuesday. He was 63. Fern...
2024-10-24 10:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostOctober 22nd, 2024: World Series, Mailbag
Welcome to the calm before the storm. The Yankees are in the World Series and so too are the Dodgers. They sent the Mets home in NLCS Game 6 Sunday night. So close to a Subway World Series! That would have been so fun. We’ll have to settle for the sport’s two marquee franchises instead. We’...
2024-10-22 10:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 5 of the 2024 ALCS
The New York Yankees are World Series bound. Saturday night October G and the generational Juan Soto led the Yankees to a 5-2 win over the Guardians in Game 5 of the ALCS. It took 10 innings. Also, the b...
2024-10-20 18:19:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe Yankees are going to the 2024 World Series
This is why you trade for Juan Soto. You trade for him so he can go win you a damn pennant. The New York Yankees are going to the World Series because Giancarlo Stanton again – again! – hit a clutch ...
2024-10-20 03:59:12 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 4 of the 2024 ALCS
When Jon Berti bobbled that ground ball in the ninth inning, I half-expected him to fire it into the stands. That he didn’t means the Yankees are a Team of Destiny, right? I hope so. The Yankees have a...
2024-10-19 04:14:49 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 3 of the 2024 ALCS
Well that was about the worst possible way to lose Game 3. Couldn’t lose 3-1 like a normal team, huh? Eh, well, I didn’t expect the Yankees to sweep anyway. The Guardians had walk-off wins in the 201...
2024-10-18 04:40:30 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts before Game 3 of the 2024 ALCS
The ALCS shifts to Progressive Field for Games 3 and 4 and, if necessary, 5. The Guardians went 50-30 at home during the regular season. The Yankees went 50-31 on the road. That’s the third best home record against the best road record. Three games in three days (potentially) will change the wa...
2024-10-17 10:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 2 of the 2024 ALCS
The Guardians out-sloppied the Yankees in Game 2 and the good guys will take a 2-0 series lead to Cleveland when the ALCS resumes Thursday. The Yankees are two wins away from their first pennant since 20...
2024-10-16 05:31:21 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 1 of the 2024 ALCS
Four wins down, seven to go. The Yankees rode Carlos Rodón’s left arm and timely wild pitches to a 5-2 win over the Guardians in ALCS Game 1 on Monday. They’ll send their ace to the mound with a cha...
2024-10-15 04:37:29 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts before Game 1 of the 2024 ALCS
It is once again Yankees vs. Guardians. Josh Naylor rocking the baby, annoying bloop hits to shallow left field, pitching changes galore, midges, all that stuff. The ALCS will be the fourth Yankees vs. Guardians postseason series in the last eight years (also 2017 ALDS, 2020 Wild Card Series, 202...
2024-10-14 14:59:46 +0000 UTC View PostOctober 12th, 2024: Guardians vs. Tigers, ALCS, Mailbag
The Yankees partied Thursday night in Kansas City, flew back to New York on Friday, and will hold a few workouts this weekend while awaiting their ALCS opponent. As much as I would enjoy beating the Astros in a revenge ALCS, I’m glad we don’t have to see their stupid faces this postseason. Le...
2024-10-12 10:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThoughts after Game 4 of the 2024 ALDS
The Yankees are going to the ALCS and, for the first time since 2012, they don’t have to go through the Astros. They closed out the ALDS with a 3-1 win over the Royals in Game 4 on Thursday night. Four...
2024-10-11 04:39:05 +0000 UTC View Post