The Yankees have been active this offseason, adding substantial talent to help support one of the worst offenses in baseball last year. The front office is quickly trying to bury a season that saw the Bombers miss the playoffs and barely crack the .500 percentage win mark.
Adding Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo to the outfield should provide substantial results, but the Yankees are still a bit thin in the starting rotation, despite adding Marcus Stroman on a two-year, $37 million deal. General manager Brian Cashman wanted Yoshinobu Yamamoto, offering him $300 million over the course of a decade, but he decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers for more money and better weather.
The team has been slowly adding bullpen support and depth to compete during spring training, but Cashman suggested on Thursday that he isn’t done rounding out the roster, especially if any good deals come across his desk.
Yankees’ Proactive Offseason Moves
“We’re not pencils down by any means,” Cashman said Thursday. “If there’s ways to improve the club, we’re always going to be open-minded to that. We know what the goal is: to be the last team standing. The more talent you have, the better chances you’re going to have — and the better chance you’ll have to withstand injuries, too.”
The Yankees were involved in negotiations for Corbin Burnes before the Baltimore Orioles ended up securing his talents. That indicates that Cashman is still working hard to find a top pitcher to support the rotation, and while there are other options, Burnes was certainly the best of the bunch.
Unfortunately, the Milwaukee Brewers were demanding Spencer Jones be a part of any trade package, and Cashman was unwilling to go that far.
Seeking Rotation Reinforcements
With that being said, he could still have interest in Chicago ace Dylan Cease or look for a cheaper alternative like Shane Bieber.
Bieber has added velocity to his fastball this offseason and is looking to bounce back after a relatively down 2023. The Yankees could wait and remain patient, letting their team unfold and react to any injuries that may occur during spring training.
Navigating Spring Training
For now, the team is mostly healthy, aside from Lou Trivino and Scott Effross, who are expected to return over the summer. Starting catcher Jose Trevino has a calf strain but should be ready to go in a few weeks, so the Yankees are simply working through their programs and remaining cautiously optimistic their primary players will be 100% for Opening Day.