Trouble could be brewing for the New York Yankees this off-season, simply based on other teams’ aggressiveness and the emergence of the New York Mets in the market.
The Mets and new owner Steve Cohen have committed to making a splash in free agency and trying to turn around the franchise. Cohen publicly stated that his goal isn’t to make money, but simply to make the Mets great.
In turn, a great team will turn more profit, that is a basic fundamental of business, so Cohen knows exactly what he’s doing. As the richest owner in the MLB after acquiring the team from the Wilpons, I expect him to be aggressive in free agency, something the Yankees normally aren’t used to from the Mets.
However, the Yankees lost the most money of any team in the MLB this past season due to COVID-19. While I don’t think it will strap them of cash significantly, there will be other big players in the market. More than usual, some might say.
The Yankees have about $52 million opening up from the departure of James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and JA Happ. They could elect to bring back one of the three on a cheaper deal, but that has yet to be established. They also have about $20 million opening up from Jacoby Ellsbury’s dud of a contract.
Another team that will pose a challenge for some free agents is the Toronto Blue Jays. Being in the same division doesn’t bode well for the Yankees, who are normally extremely aggressive in acquiring top talent.
According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, GM Ross Atkins of the Blue Jays stated that his team is looking to make “significant” moves this offseason.
“What we’re focusing on is the impact being larger earlier in the market at this point. If we were to move earlier, that the impact would be significant and that doesn’t take us out of significant impact later.
“We’ll continue to have opportunities to move the needle further,†he continued. “We just always have to balance that, what that means for us to have a substantial impact over the course of the off-season. Earlier in this off-season, what we’ll be focused on is bigger impact, at the same time thinking about opportunities that could present themselves later.â€
There are a few moves the Yankees can make to retain their status as a big player this off-season. Of course, they will always remain at the top of the league in spending, having breached the $210 million luxury tax threshold this past season.
They need to find a way to retain DJ LeMahieu, which I believe they will do, and sign a No. 2 pitcher behind Gerrit Cole, who can provide consistent performances. The Yankees fell off significantly this past season after Cole, and their bullpen was a mess at times with under-performers.
If I were to hedge my bets, I would say they find a way to keep LeMahieu in pinstripes, sign a No. 2 pitcher and a solid bullpen piece. They will go no further, staying away from the Francisco Lindor trade talks and big catcher moves.
I think Yankee fan will be pleased just with the retention of LeMahieu, who means more to the team than any other talent.