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HIDDEN MOTIVE: WHY THE YANKEES’ MAX SCHUEMANN TRADE IS A CHESS MOVE FOR VOLPE’S ABSENCE
The Yankees acquired Max Schuemann from the A’s. Discover if his 95th-percentile defense will bump Oswaldo Cabrera to Triple-A.
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At first glance, the Yankees’ recent trade with the Athletics, sending DSL pitcher Luis Bargos to Sacramento for utility man Max Schuemann, barely moved the needle. But this isn’t just a meaningless roster shuffle. There’s a real chance it matters more than people realise.
Everyone expects Oswaldo Cabrera to claim the 13th spot on the roster, but Aaron Boone threw a wrench into that plan. He said the Yankees want to ease Cabrera in during spring training. After all, Cabrera’s coming off a nasty, season-ending ankle injury. They’re not about to rush him back, especially with Anthony Volpe out after labrum surgery. That leaves a big question: Can Cabrera handle shortstop if Volpe isn’t ready?
Right now, Jose Caballero looks like the frontrunner to start at short, but if Cabrera can’t step up as a backup, suddenly Schuemann has a real shot to prove himself in the Grapefruit League.
So, why could Max Schuemann sneak onto the Yankees’ Opening Day roster? His bat hasn’t wowed anyone – just a 78 wRC+ and 1.9 WAR in 672 big-league plate appearances – but the Yankees aren’t expecting a star. They want a reliable depth piece. The glove is where he shines. Schuemann’s got serious range, a strong arm, and he’s comfortable all over the infield. He’s posted +1 Fielding Run Value at short, +5 at second, and +3 at third in just over 1,500 innings split between those spots over two MLB seasons.
And then there’s his speed. He’s a weapon on the bases, going 21-for-23 in stolen base attempts and landing in the 73rd percentile for sprint speed last year. Not bad for a guy fighting for the last spot on the roster.
Cabrera offers a better left-handed bat, which helps against tough righties and gives Caballero a break at short, but there’s still the question of his defence. Last season, Cabrera looked shaky at times; some uncharacteristic throwing errors at third base left him with zero Fielding Run Value in 266 innings there. His career numbers at third are good, but shortstop’s a different story: -1 Fielding Run Value in 103 innings, and he doesn’t have Schuemann’s wheels.
There’s also the outfield to think about. If the Yankees send Jasson Dominguez down to Triple-A, there’s no clear fourth outfielder. Cabrera’s range out there doesn’t inspire much confidence. Schuemann’s never played much outfield, but he’s got the speed and glove to fake it in a pinch, especially in centre or one of the corners.
This whole thing might seem like a minor subplot, but Cabrera has Minor League options left. His spot isn’t as locked in as people think. The Yankees didn’t trade for Schuemann just to have him slip through waivers they want to see what he can do in camp.
The A’s tried to turn Schuemann into a high-contact, low-power guy, and that hurt his OPS last year. If the Yankees can coax a little more slugging out of him, maybe he’s an 85-95 OPS+ hitter. Combine that with his speed and defensive flexibility from the right side, and it’s not hard to see how Schuemann could stick on the roster from Opening Day right through the season.
THE CRUEL MISTAKE: WHY MAKHACHEV THINKS GARRY’S TWO-MONTH WRESTLING CAMP IS A FAILURE
Islam Makhachev isn't impressed by Ian Garry. Discover why the champ thinks Garry's Georgia trip is a "cruel mistake" for 2026.
Islam Makhachev doesn’t buy the idea that Ian Machado Garry can just spend a couple of months working on his wrestling and suddenly be ready to face him.
Ever since Makhachev grabbed the UFC welterweight belt last November, he’s been getting called out left and right by Garry. The Irishman’s convinced he’s the real top contender at 170, especially after stacking wins over Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad. He’s now ranked number two, and even though he isn’t locked in as the next title challenger, Garry’s making noise and prepping like he’s on deck.
Earlier this week, Garry had fans buzzing after he posted a photo from the airport, about to board a flight to Tbilisi, Georgia. He’s said before that if he ever fought Makhachev, he’d head to Georgia to sharpen his wrestling with the best around. Naturally, everyone started speculating that the fight was happening soon.
But Makhachev isn’t impressed. He called Garry’s trip a “cruel mistake,” saying two or three months in a wrestling camp won’t cut it. “I’ve said it before; it’s a mistake for fighters to think they can just join a camp for a couple of months and be ready,” he told Ushatayka. “Honestly, it just sets them up for failure. You go somewhere for a short time, start to believe you’ve really improved, and then it all falls apart in the cage. Nobody learns to wrestle in two or three months. You have to start as a kid and keep at it for years.”
Despite all the hype, Makhachev says there haven’t been any real talks with the UFC about facing Garry. “I’ve just seen the rumours online, to be honest. No one from the UFC has talked to me about that fight specifically.”
Still, Makhachev’s aiming to return in June. Maybe it’ll be at the UFC’s White House event, maybe right after. Either way, he’s getting ready, opponent or not.
WHY LUIS GIL’S HEALTH IS THE BIGGEST STORY AT YANKEES CAMP TODAY
Luis Gil is hitting 96 MPH again! Discover why the Yankees are optimistic about a 2026 rebound after his 2025 injury struggles.
The Yankees couldn’t have been thrilled with Luis Gil last season, no matter how shiny his ERA looked. His strikeouts dropped, his walks shot up, and he just didn’t look like the same guy. Watching one of the hardest-throwing starters in the game suddenly mix in 92-93 MPH fastballs in 2024, yeah, that felt desperate. He was just trying to find the strike zone any way he could.
It all started with that late injury in the middle of spring training. He sat out until after the All-Star Break, then got thrown right into the chaos of the AL East race. Not exactly ideal.
But this year? Things feel different. Gil got through the offseason healthy, and people around the Yankees seem genuinely optimistic about him. Early bullpen sessions have him sitting 94-96 MPH, and that’s the kind of news that makes you think he could actually get back to his old self in what’s shaping up to be a huge year for him.
Last year, Gil opened the season firing 96 MPH four-seamers, but by the end, the heat faded. Over his final six starts, his fastball averaged 94.9 MPH, and his FIP ballooned to 5.10. The ERA hid a lot of cracks. The Yankees clearly noticed too; they turned to Cam Schlittler in a Wild Card game instead of Gil. When his fastball loses that zip, Gil becomes way too hittable. But lately, he’s been back in that 94-96 MPH range during live bullpens, and that’s a real positive sign for his health heading into 2025.
Velocity does more than just light up the radar gun. It gives his four-seamer that extra ride, makes his whole pitch mix tougher to read, and keeps hitters off balance. Last year, Gil’s fastball whiff rate dropped from 28.5% to 18.8%, and hitters started crushing him more often; his xwOBA jumped from .315 to .360. More contact, more damage. That kind of slide tanked his strikeout rate by 10%, and every start looked like a grind.
If Gil’s fastball is truly back, the rest of his arsenal opens up. His slider and changeup work better, and suddenly, that Yankees super-rotation they’ve been chasing doesn’t sound so far-fetched. Adding Max Fried was supposed to give them an elite one-two punch with Gerrit Cole, but Fried missed the whole year with Tommy John.
Gil, meanwhile, slipped from a dependable middle-of-the-rotation guy to a shaky backend starter with command issues serious enough to put the whole bullpen at risk. Getting him healthy would change everything. It’d push guys like Will Warren and Ryan Weathers down the depth chart and give the Yankees some real firepower in the rotation.
There’s a clear link between fastball velocity and run prevention. If Gil can keep his heater where it was back in 2024, the rest should fall into place. A bounce-back year isn’t just possible; it’s right there for the taking.
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