Randal Grichuk is, by any objective measure, a good hitter.
He’s been in the big leagues for 10 years. He has a .251 career batting average. His career on-base percentage is .298. He’s hit 20-plus home runs five times and has had seasons with 17 and 19 dingers as well. And, most notably in the context of the woeful 2023 Yankees, he can play left field and he does not make a lot of money this season.
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All of this — plus Grichuk’s solid campaign to date — had him connected to the Bombers for weeks leading up to the trade deadline. But when the moment of truth came, the Rockies shipped him to the Angels instead of the Yankees. So what gives?
The nerds!
Even last month, according to an industry source, the Yankees could’ve made a deadline deal for outfielder Randal Grichuk, who was batting .308 with the Rockies. But what would’ve been a two-month rental before Grichuk’s free agency was voted down by the club’s analysts.
The 31-year-old Grichuk, potentially the Yankees’ left fielder for the final playoff stretch, was instead picked up by the Angels.
Apparently the algorithms say Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the Scranton RailRider All-Stars are preferable to a veteran who is making $4 million. But yes, general manager Brian Cashman assures us the Yankees are all-in as they pursue the final AL wild card spot. It must be nice to have more job security than a Supreme Court justice.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
