
As we venture toward the hot stove months, the New York Yankees are already gearing up to spend some money at multiple positions. While the organization’s financials were devastated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will be losing three starting pitchers, and DJ LeMahieu’s contract is up. This will open up plenty of salary to go around, as the Yankees will look to retain their star second baseman and potentially go after another starting pitcher.
Of course, Cincinnati Reds’ Trevor Bauer has been the talk of the town, despite his past issues with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Bauer, who had a fantastic 2020 season, finishing with a 1.73 ERA over 11 games, would make a stellar addition to the Yankees’ rotation. Over 73 innings, he struck out 100 batters, bouncing back from a tumultuous 2019 season. Adding his quality with Cole would give the Yankees a fantastic one-two punch.
“It would be a bold move for the Yankees to sign Bauer only one year after giving Gerrit Cole a nine-year, $324 million deal, but general manager Brian Cashman has never been afraid to be bold,†wrote Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. “Even if Bauer doesn’t sign a one-year deal, it seems unlikely that he would demand a deal that would lock him up into his late-30s, so a four- or five-year deal could be appealing to the Yankees, who have rotation spots to fill as Tanaka, Paxton and J.A. Happ are all headed for free agency this winter. Of note: Cole and Bauer were UCLA teammates and reportedly don’t care for one another, so that could potentially affect things, but Bauer recently downplayed the ‘fictitious’ feud.â€
Well, whatever chances there are of Gerrit and I squashing this non-existent, fictitious beef, they’re certainly higher than the chances of this former UCLA coach winning a College World Series. https://t.co/ASHGIEELkY
— Trevor Bauer (?????????) (@BauerOutage) October 13, 2020
Losing Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and JA Happ opens up an exorbitant amount of cash for the Yankees to spend if they feel the need. Approximately $52.5 million will come off the books, which is plenty to spend on LeMahieu’s retention and the signing of an above-average starting pitcher.
They are committed to giving young gun Deivi GarcÃa more reps and increasing his role in the rotation, which bodes well. I would be remiss not to mention Luis Severino and Domingo German’s return, which adds ample value. Bringing Bauer in would finally cement a rotation that has struggled with injuries and inconsistencies.