KNACK FOR THE
Yanks may not need to go big, can build around kids instead
As a Yankee fan eager to peer at next year’s roster, perhaps you love the idea of a reunion with Carlos Beltran this off-season. Maybe the Yanks can steal Yoenis Cespedes from the Mets if — let’s be real, it’s more like when — he opts out of his contract and re-enters the free agent market.
Would Jose Bautista fit in pinstripes? Bring back the Cuban Missile, Aroldis Chapman? How about signing the insanely-talented but flawed Rich Hill to anchor the rotation?
Stir in some free-agent studs with the Yankees’ existing mix of youth and holdovers and who knows what happens in 2017. Maybe the Yanks get into a playoff series for the first time since 2012.
Settle down. A baseball winter can be capricious, but we believe the Yankees won’t go on any big spending sprees this off-season, aside from a run at getting Chapman back. Beyond that, perhaps they trade Brett Gardner — they have a surplus of outfielders — or Brian McCann in a bid to add another starter.
And then they work around the margins for depth items and hope that this incubation period for their young players has worked. Maybe they see the kind of quick development Boston did with some of their blossoming stars. In other words, imagine a full year of Gary Sanchez — at his current pace, he’d hit 63 home runs!
But, seriously, the Yankees — who were routed 8-1 by the Orioles Friday — have control of at least one player at every spot on the field, as well as numerous starters and relievers. They also re-stocked the farm system with those deadline trades. Maybe someone like Clint Frazier comes up and makes an impact next year.
“I think there are some answers here,” Joe Girardi said Friday before the Yankees opened their final series of the season, a threegame set against Baltimore at the Stadium.
Could be lip service, but the Yankees didn’t fade when they traded top players, like most everyone anticipated. Instead, they remained alive until Game No. 159 with those left and those called up. Maybe they’re on to something. We’ll see if that’s beyond Sanchez, who has been remarkable.
“I’m a pretty big Gary Sanchez fan,” Gardner said with a big grin. “I think we’ve got a lot of young guys that are ready to contribute at this level and I feel like we have some veteran guys here in place that are still capable of getting the job done. I feel like we have a good group of guys. I think we’re good enough to be in a better position than we are today.”
A big decision could be looming about a big player who’s gotten big headlines — the 6-7 Aaron Judge. Can he handle right field? He’ll have to make the same developmental leap he did when he progressed at Triple-A after initially struggling there. While he’s a well-regarded prospect, Judge struck out 42 times in his 84 at-bats in the majors before injury ended his season. What if he’s ultimately a bust?
There are other questions, too. With Mark Teixeira retiring, Greg Bird figures to be the first baseman. But he missed all of 2016 after shoulder surgery. Can Didi Gregorius keep his recent career upswing going?
The Yankees could really use an ace to pair with Masahiro Tanaka, but this year’s free agent class is weak, headlined by Hill, a tremendous risk at 36 with his history of health issues, and Bartolo Colon, who’s entertaining as hell, but also 43 and no one’s idea of a No. 1. Ivan Nova’s probably the third-best starter, but there’s little chance the Yanks will pay big for a guy they’ve already had. Nova made himself some money with a nice run in Pittsburgh after he was traded.
The Yankees at least have enough raw material for a rotation already — Tanaka, a rejuvenated CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda and two from a group that includes Luis Severino, Chad Green, Bryan Mitchell and Luis Cessa.
The Yanks love the idea of big bullpen arms and getting Chapman back as closer moves Dellin Betances back to setup man, where he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the last three seasons. Chapman won’t cost draft-pick compensation because he was traded, so he’s a more likely bullpen candidate than, say, Kenley Jansen. Tyler Clippard and Adam Warren round out the beginning of a solid relief corps. Girardi noted that some of the young relievers had been impressive, too. till, these are the Yankees and their rep, at least, says they are always looking for big-ticket splurges in the winter. Except for last year when they did not sign a single major-league free agent. Seems unlikely they’ll repeat that plan, though, even as they’d love to get under the luxury-tax threshold eventually.
“I don’t think anything would surprise me,” Gardner said of the possibility of a splash. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
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