The GM meetings are going on currently and the New York Yankees are preparing to act quickly this offseason. While some teams are taking the slow approach with the potential lockout coming, other teams are looking to strike early and often.
I’ve talked with a couple of people that are at the meetings who say the Yankees are giving off the vibe as one of those early and often teams. There are several big needs for the Bronx Bombers this offseason. Brian Cashman told the media yesterday that he’s already engaged in conversations with two top shortstops.
This has been confirmed by Jim Bowden to be Carlos Correa and Corey Seager. Buster Onley of ESPN said this morning that the Yankees appear to be zeroing in on the very top of the shortstop market. This shouldn’t surprise anyone given the talent at the top of the market.
One other area the Yankees need to address is first base. While they still have Luke Voit, all indications are that they are moving on from Voit this offseason. At the trade deadline, they acquired Anthony Rizzo who provided much better defense and balance to the lineup from the left side of the plate.
Cashman has said that the Yankees have already discussed a reunion with Rizzo’s agent. However, there’s another big name the Yanks are interested in at first base. That name is Matt Olson and by all indications, New York is interested in doing big business with Oakland.
Will the Yankees and A’s make a big deal?
If you know Brian Cashman, you know that he likes to make deals with the same GMs. Cashman and Billy Beane have a great relationship. If there’s a deal to be made, Cashman would rather do it with a guy like Beane who he trusts.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network has already confirmed that the Yankees have had discussions to acquire Matt Olson. Of course, nothing is imminent or even remotely close. However, the Yanks are interested in acquiring the superstar first baseman and for good reason.
I absolutely love Anthony Rizzo, but Matt Olson is better all the way around. He’s younger, under team control, and he just happened to hit 39 bombs last year from the left side of the plate. He’s also a two-time gold glove winner.
If a deal make sense, the Yanks preference would likely be to acquire Olson. However, if the prospect ask is too high, they do appear to be very in on resigning Anthony Rizzo to play first. If the Yankees were to acquire Olson from Oakland, the deal might not stop there.
Olson Plus Pitching?
Jon Heyman reported that Oakland is ready to sell this offseason and that they will listen to offers on starters Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas, and Sean Manaea. The Yankees are in the market for starting pitching right now and are already in on Justin Verlander.
There is the possibility that the Yankees and A’s could do a huge deal that would involve Olson and one of the starters above. Of course, the deal would have to hurt from a prospect standpoint for New York. I would imagine that Luke Voit would also go back to Oakland in this kind of a deal.
At this point there’s no momentum towards a deal happening, but this is definitely something to monitor. Again, Cashman and Beane have a great working relationship. If there’s a deal to be had there, the Yankees could make a big splash early like they did when they got James Paxton in 2018.