Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees are licking their wounds from losing out on Soto but the vault is now open to sign some free agents to plug the holes on the roster.
Long-time subscriber, S. Safier, shared this article from the New York Post that one of deal breakers for Soto was that the Mets offered up a free luxury suite at Citi Field for his friends and family while Hal only would offer a discount (https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/sports/mets-suite-offer-yankees-didnt-match-helped-sway-juan-sotos-decision/). Echoes of A-Rod for SU. This reinforces the view that Soto is a mercenary and in the end, he was open to the highest bidder. Sure, he liked the personal touch by Cohen to invite him to his LA home as part of the wooing process. Whatever, we move on.
The Yankees made their first bold move by signing Braves’ pitcher, Max Fried, to an 8-year deal for $218 million. SU views him as an excellent starter with an injury history – what can go wrong? Apparently, some of the recent injuries are a bit fluky but you have to wonder about his durability. He will be 38 at the end of this contract. Well, not my money and the Yankees always need more quality starters. SU wishes him well and will hope for the best, but when he has “left forearm stiffness” in late March, I will not be surprised. They can now move Marcus Stroman in a trade as they need to keep Gil and Clarke Schmidt. They may have to trade Cortes instead of Stroman but we will see. They are actually fairly deep with starting pitchers now.
And what’s next? Lots of talk about Christian Walker to play 1st base. Gold glover, 33 years old – the word is a 3-year deal. That is the ideal length of any free agent contract for me. Overpay for the shorter duration. We already have DJ LeMahieu to look at when it comes to diminishing skills as players age into their late 30s. Walker sounds like a good fit although he is a right-handed hitter. Also lots of talk about Cody Bellinger coming from the Cubs in a trade. Long-time subscriber, B. Levine, is convinced the Yankees will trade top prospects for Kyle Tucker on the Astros. The one common thing about Yankee prospects is that they are overrated and overhyped. Something to watch here. SU says stay away from Alex Bregman – not cut out for Yankee Stadium as a right-handed pull hitter.
Hopefully, Cashman will save some of his money for the bullpen. For the Yankees, that has to be a top priority as we know starters rarely go past the 6th inning.
SU notes that former Yankees, Thairo Estrada signed a 1-year deal with the Rockies for $3.2 million. While his average was down in 2024, he can play multiple positions and usually can hit. Not every player has to make $20 million. These are the kind of guys that plug holes when injuries come up and he knows how to put the ball in play. Can we have some of that please? He would have come cheap.
SU expects the spending to continue now for the Yankees and we will see what comes next. It will be quick. Two priorities for me: left-handed hitters who hit for average; and guys who can play in New York or a big market. The swing and miss hitters can stay away. And hey, if they can play defense, we will take that as well.
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Fried is a really good pitcher. A solid 1B. Even with his injury risk he has had a pretty good record of taking the ball every 5th day and making a quality start. As a lefty ground ball pitcher he should play well in Yankee stadium. If you look at it as a 180 mil for 6 prime years and 38 mil for 2 grey haired years it seems more reasonable and in line with current SP salaries. When sub 500 injury history guys are getting 15 mil it is worth a bit more to pay for a higher end lower volatility guy.
Bellinger seems like a perfect fit for Yankees. Cubs want to dump his $ so it won’t cost a lot. He can cover first base or CF and could thrive as a lefty power bat at the stadium. Plus his dad played on the team. Plus it is a short term deal so little risk.
Jeff, good comments. Bellinger does have the Yankee pedigree in his genes from his dad, and they really need a left-handed bat in the line up. I used to be more hesitant to give up the top prospects in the Yankees farm system but truth be told, they are always overrated and over hyped. Hoping that Jasson Dominguez is the exception and perhaps Spencer Jones although starting to feel like he will be dealt.