New York Yankees News/Rumors: Yankees lose more than they gained during the Winter Meetings

New York Yankees, Yankees, Brian Cashman
Mar 8, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman prior to the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees were the big losers in this season’s baseball Winter Meetings. After not going to the World Series in years, the Yankees were in the worst shape in recent years going into the Winter Meetings. With Yankee fans hopeful that the front office in the Bronx would vastly improve the team, the reality is they are now in the worst shape after the meetings. They gained nothing and lost seven players to the Rule 5 Draft that happened on the last day of the meetings.

Of course, the Winter Meetings are not the end of the world, a lot can still happen between now and spring training, but it certainly tells that the New York Yankees did basically nothing to improve the team.  It does mean that the Yankees are going the economical route to see if they can patch a team together to have a good showing in 2021 but not a World Championship season. If they wanted a team that could win it all, they would have signed Trevor Bauer and J. T. Realmuto and re-signed DJ LeMahieu by now; instead, they have done nothing.*

However, that being said, these Winter Meetings have been underwhelming at best. Few teams made substantial moves to improve their teams. The Chicago White Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays have done the most and made moves to improve their teams. The team that beat out the Yankees in the East last year also did little to improve their team as we advance. Before the meetings, the Boston Red Sox hoped to improve their team in disarray by re-hiring the biggest cheater in baseball, Alex Cora.

All in all, this has been a disappointing Winter Meetings, and that is an optimistic view. Most of the lack of action is caused by what worries us all, the horrid coronavirus pandemic that has affected all of us, whether that be the loss of loved ones, the loss of our jobs, or the complete disruption of our children and loves ones’ lives. The effect on baseball is immense. Teams don’t’ know what to expect, going forward into a new season filled more with questions than answers.

That question mark has left the New York Yankees hesitant to spend money after a season ravaged by the virus, causing unprecedented losses, especially for the Yankees. So, where does that leave us? I guess in the coming weeks; the Yankees will sign DJ LeMahieu, probably for more than they want to and for a longer contract than they wanted. They will more than likely re-associate themselves with Masahiro Tanaka. They will also address the pitching situation by signing a mid-level starting pitcher to shore up the starting rotation that will depend on young arms. They will also bolster the ailing bullpen with an economical addition. More than that, it appears they will do little else.

Late last night, the Yankees did sign Nestor Cortes Jr, a lefty pitcher that started one game for the Yankees in 2019 before being traded to the Seattle Mariners.