According to MLB owners, teams lost significant amounts of revenue this past campaign, and the New York Yankees reportedly lost the most of any club in baseball. Their emphatic statement regarding the loss has brewed caution of any significant spending this off-season, and it is expected the Yankees will prioritize DJ LeMahieu as their top player.
Bringing back LeMahieu was always a priority, but given the loss of revenue, most believed they wouldn’t be in the market for other big-name players like Trevor Bauer. However, one report states that teams didn’t lose any money last season as they cut significant costs across the board and still managed to earn plenty of revenue from television deals.
According to one super-agent, the team’s across the MLB didn’t lose any revenue as they paid a small fraction of players’ salaries during a shortened season but still raked in television revenue.
“There’s no team in baseball that lost money last year,†Boras said, per the Los Angeles Times.
Boras said teams collected postseason national television and in-season local television revenue while paying 37% of salaries in the pandemic-shortened schedule. He dismisses suggestions that the 2021 schedule might be shortened because, he said, owners have promised their local television partners a full season. “So you better believe we’re playing a full season,†he said.
If this is the case, the Yankees’ owners could be trying to utilize Covid as an escape route for the lack of aggressiveness in the market. Normally, the Yankees are involved in every trade, but they let one big one slip by them this past week with Lance Lynn going to the Chicago White Sox for an average reliever and pitching prospect.
Cashman is waiting patiently, trying to get the LeMahieu deal done before diving into any supplemental players. They are losing three starting pitchers this off-season, and Masahiro Tanaka is not expected to make a return, so they will have to find starting pitching elsewhere.
The bullpen is also a weakness, with Tommy Kahnle hitting free agency and Adam Ottavino having a disappointing 2020 season. One option that makes sense is Archie Bradley, who was non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds.
This past campaign, he finished with a 2.95 ERA over 18.1 innings pitched. He’s a solid middle reliever who can add value to the bullpen. At just 28 years old, he has plenty of fuel left in his tank, and on a financial solvent deal, he could be a perfect fit for Cashman. He was also seen sporting a CC Sabathia jersey for good luck!