As the New York Yankees went after Japan’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto hard in December, an MLB insider explains why they’re highly unlikely to make moves to acquire the next best pitchers on the free agent markets and Trade.It’s been a pretty interesting offseason for the New York Yankees so far
. They made a splash on the trade market by acquiring three-time All-Star Juan Soto in a blockbuster deal that didn’t include their top prospects. They were also among the final three teams considered favorites to sign 25-year-old pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Even though they failed to capture the Japanese star, trying to bolster their roster behind American League Cy Young Gerrit Cole remains a top priority this winter. However, to the disappointment of some Yankees fans, the organization may no longer be poised in the offseason pitching market. On Saturday, ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel took a look at the current situation of several teams and explained why the New York Yankees likely won’t focus their efforts on the remaining elite pitchers still in free agency, like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery.“I don’t think the top remaining free agent options fit what the Yankees need: Blake Snell has too many Rodon [Carlos]-like risks ahead of him, Jordan Montgomery will cost about the same as Rodon last season and will offer less upside, while not being the type of pitcher the Yankees are targeting (i.e. younger or better raw material),” McDaniel wrote. “After these two, the remaining free agent starters are a medium rotation and New York needs a bigger impact.”This could make it seem like another blockbuster trade is in the works, this time for pitching, which could be the direction of the team soon. However, McDaniel doesn’t believe the team trading for the best pitcher in that market – Dylan Cease – is likely to be New York either. “Dylan Cease is the biggest name that could be traded this winter. “The asking price was high, however, as the White Sox apparently waited until Yamamoto signed before raising the price in hopes of finding a trade partner in the exact situation the Yankees currently find themselves in,” McDaniel wrote. The package needed to sign Cease would be vast, probably something like this: Chase Hampton (the Yankees’ top prospect after the Juan Soto trade), another top-100 caliber prospect in outfielder Everson Pereira along with bat-first catcher Agustín Ramirez. . »Given that the Yankees gave up some good prospects for Soto, it may not be desirable for the organization to give up more this offseason. That means fans should probably expect smaller moves, like that of Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga, to better fit the team in the coming weeks.
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