The Yankees have been chasing former starter Jordan Montgomery all winter and are now also considering NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.
If they have a choice, they have no choice. Go to Snell. Follow your passion. But here is the first big question. Will they have a good shot with both pitchers when they pitch our team this winter?Can you blame the Yankees if their confidence took a hit after the Yoshinobu Yamamoto debacle? They enjoyed their chances until the end. Yamamoto showed great interest in Yankee knowledge during our conversation. But he might actually be interested in history.Of course, the versatile Yamamoto eventually fulfilled those early West Coast rumors by joining friend and superstar Shohei Ohtani to lead the Los Angeles superteam to greater greatness. Who’s to say Montgomery and/or Snell wouldn’t want to go somewhere else? It is clear that they have a choice. Either way, Montgomery is probably the more difficult of the two. The possibility of him returning to Texas and playing a key role in helping the Rangers win their first World Series could be on the way to a local television deal for the team. It’s easy to imagine that they would want that. But while some question whether Snell, a Seattle native, wants to stay in the West, his best chance might be with the Giants facing the Angels and Dodgers, who are at least a year or two away . And who’s to say he’ll win if the West wins?“Snell won Cy Youngs on the East and West coasts and in both leagues. He’s open to all clubs and looking for a winning, competitive environment,” agent Scott Boras said when asked if the Yankees had a chance. Yamamoto’s staff also denied early rumors of a lefty move. We’ll never know for sure, since the Dodgers made the best offer ($325 million, including a $50 million signing bonus), but nothing Yamamoto said in the press conference suggested he was headed for east.Of course, no one shows their cards. However, Snell had some success in the AL East before being traded to San Diego.Either way, the Yankees will have to gamble if they want to win this winter. Montgomery’s Market is safer than you think. Philly is another, so is Boston. The Harvard-educated Boston wife is a resident at Beth Israel Hospital. To be honest, Snell is a good pitcher. Yes, the Yankees have questions about Snell’s rough season and even his durability in the game. But he may be the most talented lefty in the game. And after trading Juan Soto, the Yankees need pitching. Snell gives them the ability to have one of the best 1-2 pitching combinations in baseball. A great arbiter of talent, Gerrit Cole suits them all. At worst, he won’t accept them, which will continue the winter of rejection for our two teams in the world’s greatest city. First came Craig Counsell, who seemed like a prime candidate to come to the Mets because he wanted to set a new salary standard for managers, and Counsell’s old boss was the new Mets boss. Ultimately, Counsell loved New York so much that he decided to visit his old Brewers’ hated rival 90 miles down I-94 and be hated in his hometown of Whitefish Bay. Wisconsin.And then there was Yamamoto, the apple of the Big Apple team’s eyes. The Mets’ entire winter (Counsel aside) was built around Yamamoto, arguably their favorite free agent pitcher. Despite the publicity and early reports that he preferred the West Coast, the Yankees seemed strangely confident. They kept the number 18 jersey and displayed it proudly. You can also imagine cleaning out a closet. Although Yamamoto was well received growing up, he never pitched in the majors. Snell is a more proven product and has a price tag of around $375 million. Yamamoto prices include shipping. Boras likes to point out his similarities to Randy Johnson in the 28-30 age group (Snell actually limited opponents to a slightly lower slugging percentage, .201 to .207, and had a higher slugging percentage high, 31.5 to 28.3). While not exactly a minor leaguer, he is one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Snell led the majors in opponent OPS at .579, while Cole ranked second at .581. If the Yankees sign Snell, they would become the first team to have both Cy Young Award winners since the Royals in 1989, when Brett Saberhagen and Mark Davis won in 1990. The Soto-Snell offseason combination may not be the best record of the Dodgers this winter, but the Yankees will surely be the hottest team in the American League. Now is not the time for cold feet. It’s time to go.
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