COZY UP TO HOT STOVE
COMPLETE YANKEES, METS & MLB WINTER MEETINGS PREVIEW
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A year ago, Brian Cashman arrived at the winter meetings looking for a regular second baseman and turned Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan into Starlin Castro and Justin Wilson into Luis Cessa and Chad Green. Now, Ca s h man enters this year’s MLB meat market at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside of Washington, D.C., trolling for a late-innings reliever, a DH and rotation help. Unlike last offseason, the Yankees’ general manager has money to spend on free agents, after not signing one following the 2015 season. He also, thanks to trades made in July, has what some consider a top-f ive minor league system. Knowing Aroldis Chapman and Edwin Encarnacion are looking for mega-buck deals hasn’t pushed the Yankees away from bringing Chapman back to The Bronx to work the ninth or Encarcacion to be the DH. That doesn’t guarantee either signs with the Yankees but they will be in play. Late this week Cashman informed representatives for free agents and other executives he has been talking trade with that he was waiting until the Yankees had a better understanding of the recently completed, but not ratified, CBA. “Hopefully we will be able to hit the ground running Monday at the latest,’’ Cashman said Friday. Encarnacion, 34 in January, doesn’t fit the Yankees’ modern day-profile: an older player on a long-term contract worth a lot of money. However, when the Yankees dealt Brian McCann, who was going to be the primary DH, to Houston, a need opened up, and the right-handedhitting Encarnacion’s credentials are impressive. And he can play f irst base if Greg Bird needs a break against tough left-handers.
Early in the free-agent process, $100 million for five years was floated as Encarnacion’s goal, and that is believed to be too rich for the Yankees. Nevertheless, if the years and price drop, the Yankees will be in play. The Blue Jays, whom Encarnacion has played for since 2009, have shown a strong interest.
Paul Kinzer, Encarnacion’s agent, told The Post on Thursday his client could decide during the winter meetings which team will get the slugger — who averaged 39 homers, 110 RBIs and a .912 OPS across the past five seasons.
The Yankees had interest in bringing Carlos Beltran back to The Bronx, but the switchhitter agreed to a one-year deal for $16 million with the Astros on Saturday.
That leaves Matt Holliday on the market, a much cheaper investment than Encarnacion. Holliday isn’t being looked at by the Yankees as a left-field possibility. He is considered a DH at this point with the possibility of playing some first base, a position at which he has played just 10 games in the big leagues.
Five years and $100 million for Chapman might be too much for the Yankees to invest on a Chapman II experience. They have Dellin Betances, an All-Star in each of the past three seasons, to close but would be comfortable using him in front of Chapman’s 105 mph fastball.
The Nationals, Dodgers and Cubs have closer openings, but the Cubs, whom Chapman helped win the World Series, don’t seem interested. The price might be too high for the Nationals, and the Dodgers could bring back free agent Kenley Jansen. The Marlins like Jansen over Chapman.
Mark Melancon and Greg Holland, who missed all of 2016 because of Tommy John surgery, are also free-agent closers.
What Cashman isn’t likely to do is use the plethora of prospects — home grown and those obtained in trade deadline deals — for a big-name starter such as Chris Sale or Justin Verlander, if the White Sox and Tigers put them on the trade market.
Cashman repeatedly has said this offseason that those types of moves are for teams “one player away,” and at this point he says that term doesn’t apply to the Yankees.
As for the very shallow freeagent market for starters, Rich Hill is the jewel, and the Yankees are interested.
A year ago Cashman improved the Yankees by getting Castro and, to a lesser degree, Green and Cessa. Now he is searching for a DH, closer and starter. If he does as well this time the Yankees, on paper, will be improved again.