Yankees’ offseason needs.
NEWYORK— In “Before Times,” this would be a weekend of excited anticipation on the eve of the annual baseball Winter Meetings. In the days of the pandemic and with MLB restructuring and gutting the minor leagues (who organize the annual convention) in a power grab, the in-person annual convergence of front offices, agents and media has been canceled and the business will be conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 Winter Meetings were originally scheduled to kickoff Sunday night in Dallas. At last year’s Winter Meetings the hotstove season really picked up, with the three biggest free agents coming off the market during that week in San Diego. The Nationals retained their ace Stephen Strasburg on a mega deal, the Yankees landed the biggest available free agent in Gerrit Cole and the Angels signed Anthony Rendon to highlight the week.
With so little having gotten done this winter, and agents indicating they anticipate a slow-moving offseason, the Yankees and every team still have work to do.
So in honor of the canceled in-person Winter Meetings, here’s a look at the Yankees’ needs going into the week that would traditionally heat things up.
DJ LeMahieu: Thekey to all the Yankees offseason moves is determining what will happen with DJ LeMahieu, their most valuable player over the last two seasons. The 32-year-old made it clear he liked playing in pinstripes and would hope to be back, but coming off his second career batting title, the invaluable, versatile LeMahieu is going to cost a whole heck of a lot more than the $12 million per year that the Yankees signed him for originally.
The Bombers recognize that without LeMahieu the past two years that they would have been in deep trouble. But the franchise which claims to have lost the most money in baseball by the coronavirus-decimated 2020 season, also wants to get under the $210 million luxury-tax threshold.
The Yankees need to find a way to still sign LeMahieu under those financial restraints via creative and reachable contract incentives or finding other ways to cut costs.
Starting depth: After Cole, the Yankees are short on starting pitching experience. They lost Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and James Paxton to free agency.
Luis Severino is not expected back from Tommy John surgery until June or July. Domingo German is still a wild card coming off missing the entire 2020 season serving a domestic violence suspension.
Lefty Jordan Montgomery should be able to build off a strong finish in the playoffs after an inconsistent 2020 season. Rookie Deivi Garcia had a solid debut and should have a shot at the rotation and Clarke Schmidt’s talent is obvious even while he lacks professional experience.
The Yankees have been linked to free agent Corey Kluber this winter, but maybe they should stick with what they know.
Like LeMahieu, Tanaka has made it clear he would prefer to continue his career in the Bronx. Though the 32-yearold right-hander is unencumbered by a qualifying offer, which makes him a more attractive free agent to other teams and thus possibly driving up the price, the Yankees could try to get the steady and consistent Tanaka back in the rotation.
Test the market: So much of what the Yankees will or can do this winter depends on what happens with LeMahieu. It’s not just the money either. If they get LeMahieu back in the fold or not, it affects how they can go out and potentially acquire pitching.
If LeMahieu comes back, the Yankees could package first baseman Luke Voit, who led the majors in home runs, or Gio Urshela, whose stock has never been higher, for a top-end No. 2 starter.
Or a potential shortstop.
The Yankees have other pieces they could try and move like Miguel Andujar, the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year finalist, who lost his job to Urshela. In a cost-cutting move, they could also look to see if there is a market for righthander Adam Ottavino, who manager Aaron Boone has lost trust in the past two postseasons. Ottavino is due $9 million in 2021, the final year of his deal with the Yankees.
Get better: The Yankees made the decision to tender embattled catcher Gary Sanchez a contract on Wednesday night, but they continue to look to improve at that position. They can try to package Sanchez to trade for a better catcher, or dive into the already competitive market for a free agent like James McCann or J.T. Realmuto.
They could also make an upgrade at shortstop. Gleyber Torres is certainly going to be a presence in the lineup for the future, but he hasn’t proven he can handle the position defensively.