MLB | Bryan Hoch: Flame-throwing prospect Carlos Lagrange knew heâd be throwing a three-inning live batting practice session. He did not know he would be facing the greatest hitter on the planet, Aaron James Judge. Each got the better of the other, as they faced off three times. Judge demolished a 99-mph heater from Lagrange out over the left field wall. Later, Lagrange struck out Judge with 102.6-mph gas. Thereâs video of the two facing off over on X, so itâs not hard to find Mondayâs battle of power versus power.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): Speaking of Judge, he is preparing for more than the regular season. For the first time in his career, he will represent Team USA at the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Monday, he gave some of his thoughts on the opportunity. Noting that Team USA fell short against Japan in 2023, Judge made his feelings clear that he wants a rematch with the reigning champions this time around. âTheyâre the reigning champs. They got a great squad coming back. I think thatâs why Team USA really bulked up this year to go out there and take care of business. If (Japan) is bringing back the same crew they did three years ago, itâs gonna be a heavyweight fightâŚâ
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ESPN: One more from the Yankee Captain. Discussing the clubâs offseason, Judge made it clear he was impatient for the Yanks to make some moves. âLetâs sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces because Iâm seeing other teams around the league get better⌠Theyâre making trades. Theyâre signing big prospects or big players. And weâre sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.â Judge also clarified that he expressed his discontent to the front office. All that said, with the first games of the spring coming later this week, Judge is confident the Yankees are right where they need to be.
MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: Finally, there is actually news that has nothing to do with Aaron Judge. Yanquiel Fernandez, whom the Yankees claimed from the Colorado Rockies, has cleared waivers after the club designated him for assignment. That enables the Yanks to outright Fernandez, once one of the brightest prospects in the Rockiesâ system, to Triple-A. A path to the Bronx in 2026 for Fernandex is unlikely barring a whole slew of worst-case scenarios. But he provides depth and who knows⌠maybe the 23-year-old can figure it out with a change of scenery.
