The Yankees won the American League Wild Card game for a second consecutive season in 2018 but were bounced from the playoffs at the hands of their biggest rivals, setting up an active offseason for general manager Brian Cashman and his staff.
Bolstering a rotation that was rife with uncertainty following an up-and-down 2018 season was the Yankees’ top priority in the 2018-19 offseason. GM Brian Cashman acted quickly and decisively in the early-going, bringing back CC Sabathia for what will be the likely Hall of Famer’s final season and acquiring one of the best available starters on the trade market in the form of James Paxton. New York parted ways with vaunted prospect Justus Sheffield and another potential big league starter, Erik Swanson, in order to acquire the final two seasons of control over Paxton. While that move could ultimately prove beneficial to the Mariners, the Yankees have more immediate postseason aspirations and needed more certainty than the pair of promising young hurlers could provide. Paxton’s acquisition looks all the more critical now that it seems as though Luis Severino will be sidelined into the summer.
With Paxton and Sabathia secured, the Yankees sought to lock up one of their more successful midseason acquisitions in recent memory and managed to accomplish that goal at a lower rate — or, at least, on a shorter term — than many expected. J.A. Happ’s two-year, $34MM contract looks eminently reasonable for a pitcher who thrived to the tune of a 3.48 ERA over his past 690 MLB innings. Happ didn’t truly break out until his age-32 season, but he’s turned in four consecutive seasons of at least 25 starts with a 3.65 ERA or better in each of those years.
Outside of the rotation, the top need on a stacked Yankees roster was to round out the infield in the wake of Didi Gregorius’ Tommy John surgery. Gleyber Torres’ ability to play either middle-infield slot meant the Yankees didn’t need to limit themselves to solely exploring true shortstops. New York was frequently connected to Manny Machado and even took him to dinner in Manhattan to talk shop, but the team’s interest always seemed to be less serious than that of the Phillies or White Sox. By the time the Padres emerged as a late, serious bidder in the Machado auction, the Yankees were a distant memory. The team undoubtedly had a price at which it’d have jumped into the bidding, but that clearly was nowhere near the Padres’ $300MM mark and may not have even been especially close to the White Sox’ distant second-place bid of a reported $250MM.
Rather than pursue Machado, the Yankees rolled the dice on a player who was at one point as highly regarded as Machado is now. Troy Tulowitzki didn’t play a game in 2018 and hasn’t been a high-quality regular in nearly a half decade, but when the Blue Jays ate the remainder of his contract, the Yankees felt comfortable in taking a league-minimum gamble on the five-time All-Star. Tulowitzki’s addition was supplemented by a two-year deal with one of his former teammates, DJ LeMahieu, whose presence deepened an impressive collection of infield talent.
Around the time of the 2018 trade deadline, first base looked like it’d be an area of focus for the Yankees in the offseason, but Cashman and his lieutenants made a savvy bargain pickup of Luke Voit. While the Yankees surely liked Voit at the time of his acquisition — in a trade that sent since-DFA’ed lefty Chasen Shreve and Triple-A righty Giovanny Gallegos to St. Louis — no one could have foreseen Voit’s Ruthian surge down the stretch. The burly slugger captured the hearts of Yankees fans with a preposterous .322/.398/.671 slash and 15 home runs in just 161 plate appearances as a Yankee following the trade (and kicked off the 2019 season with a three-run round-tripper as well). Between Voit and the talented but fragile Greg Bird, the Yankees suddenly had a pair of useful and inexpensive options. LeMahieu, too, is expected to log some time at first base in 2019.
Though the bullpen was already robust even with some key names departing, the Yankees doubled down on their “too much is never enough” strategy with regards to their relief corps. Though David Robertson was allowed to depart, they re-upped Zach Zack Britton on a three-year contract and brokered another three-year pact with Adam Ottavino on the heels of a breakout season in Colorado. Pairing that duo with incumbent options like Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, Dellin Betances and Jonathan Holder creates yet another uber-pen for second-year skipper Aaron Boone.
Of course, all of this writing so far has overlooked the Yankees’ first move of the offseason — one that now looks particularly prudent. Brett Gardner might not have filled a dire need outside of deepening an already strong roster, but injuries to Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and ever-fading Jacoby Ellsbury have suddenly made the decision to retain Gardner an important one. It’s true that the organization could have found some more affordable depth late in the offseason — Adam Jones took a year and $3MM with the D-backs in March — but Gardner is a known clubhouse asset that the team trusts all over the outfield.
Certainly, the Yankees pursued other avenues to improvement this winter. They were never in on Bryce Harper despite the expected barrage of rumors connecting the two sides early in free agency. Harper said after signing in Philadelphia that he never heard from the Yankees, in fact. But the team was linked to the likes of Noah Syndergaard and Patrick Corbin (whom they also hosted for an in-person visit) as they sought to bulk up the rotation, and there was even talk of potentially shipping out Miguel Andujar for rotation help (in a scenario where they’d then sign Machado to man third base). The Yankees are always at the forefront of free-agent and high-profile trade rumblings, and this offseason, as one might expect, was no different.
Clearly, the biggest question surrounding the Yankees right now is whether they’ll be able to get their roster up to full strength. Severino signed a four-year, $40MM extension and was shut down first for a couple of weeks due to shoulder inflammation and now for six more weeks due to a lat strain. Hicks passed on free agency in favor of an extension that promised him an additional six years and $64MM on top of what he was already slated to earn in ’19. He went down with a back issue in Spring Training and has yet to play a game. Meanwhile, Stanton is out for much of April with a biceps strain and Andujar is faced with the possibility of surgery to address a labrum tear in his right shoulder.
That pileup of injuries, though, is precisely the reason that the Yankees added LeMahieu and re-signed Gardner despite lacking clear paths to regular at-bats for both players. Winning teams have placed an even greater emphasis than ever on depth in recent years (e.g. Dodgers, Brewers), even if it means that a full-strength roster would appear to have a number of logjams.
The Yankees are likely asking themselves whether they have enough depth in the rotation — particularly with Dallas Keuchel still unsigned. Paxton, Happ and Tanaka makes for a fine top three, but Sabathia’s durability isn’t what it once was and it’s hard to be confident that Severino will simply bounce back without any lingering effects or flareups once he does make it back to the mound. None of Paxton, Happ or Tanaka has a track record of 200-inning seasons, and Gonzalez will need some time to get up to speed in Triple-A. Internal alternatives like Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga and Chance Adams have promise but also come with the potential to leave the Yankees with a weak, overexposed rotation for an unacceptable period of time in a competitive three-team race.
It’s also a bit surprising that the Yankees’ top plan at shortstop was to simply hope for the best with an injury risk as significant as Tulowitzki, who logged just 66 games in 2017-18 and was last a convincingly above-average hitter in 2014. It’s true that if Andujar were healthy, Torres could’ve slid to shortstop with LeMahieu taking over at second base in the event of a Tulo injury, but they’d have had a much more stable middle-infield setting by making that Plan A and signing a glove-first backup. There was no shortage of affordable options, with Freddy Galvis, Jose Iglesias and Adeiny Hechavarria all on the open market. I’ll buy that the Tulowitzki gambit presented the highest possible value upside, but it was a reach to pencil him in for significant playing time while Gregorius mends. If Gregorius has any setbacks in his recovery from Tommy John, it’s easy to see the Yankees looking for middle-infield help this summer.
Injuries will test the considerable depth cultivated by the front office this winter. The Yankees are in a three-team race with the Red Sox and Rays — a pair of teams with notable questions themselves; Boston’s bullpen is the type you’d expect to see on a rebuilding club, whereas Tampa Bay is again banking on a series of creative bullpen machinations and affordable young position players. Neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox look as imposing early on as one might’ve expected midway through the offseason, but all three of the top dogs in the AL East have viable postseason chances. The Yankees are a lock to be in the mix for the playoffs, but the rate at which their current glut of 11 injured players can mend will determine the extent to which they need to augment the roster to keep pace come June and July.
C.. In a vacuum, they did a lot, but they seemed to make the wrong choices. Zack Britton over David Robertson looked bad at the time, worse now. Expecting anything out of Tulowitski was hilarious. Skipping Manny Machado when you need infield help is borderline negligence. Passing on Patrick Corbin because you don’t want to pay for his late 30s and then turning to 36-year-old JA Happ is just pathetic. DJLM and Paxton were decent moves for not a lot.
I feel like the Yankees really could have vaulted past the Red Sox with that team having only made themselves worse in the offseason, but they mostly just stood pat when you compare the players they had and the new ones they replaced.
How does Britton over Robertson look any worse now than it did at the time of the deal? Robertson has a 7.71 ERA right now.
Robertson has thrown less than 5IP.
And so has Britton. So if they’ve both pitched less than 5 inning and Britton has the more respectable ERA then why make that point?
They new Uankees have a budget!
First, the disclaimer that we are only 2 weeks into the season and it’s way too soon to make any judgement on any player on any team.
How is choosing Britton over Robo a bad move as of today? In a tiny sample size Britton has been as good if not better than Robo. Since Britton is a lefty I would say that the Yanks replaced Robo by bringing in Ottavino.
Didi will return and it seems a bit silly to spend $300 mil for Manny if you have Andujar at 3b and expect Didi to return this year.
You’re acting as if they didn’t have a back up plan should Tulo end up on the DL. They did and his name is DJ. The injury from Andujar was unexpected. Otherwise it would be Andujar at 3B, Torres at SS and DJ at 2b.
And again, it’s only 2 weeks into the season but it looks like the Yanks, with Severino, Betances, Andujar, Stanton, Sabathia, Hicks and others on the DL still are off to a better start than the Red Sox who are now 3-9.
How did they stay pat when they added Paxton,Ottavino and DJ and brought back Britton and Happ for a full season? What player departed that has was an impact player other than Robo? But even with Robo they brought in Ottavino.
Same old Yankees. They need to go younger. They have some young guys but it’s not sustainable.
Every position player is in their 20’s aside from Gardner, who will likely be replaced by Frazier once Hicks and Stanton return, and DJ who is 30.
Don’t forget bringing back CC.
If Frazier has a breakout season and Stanton and Hicks come back healthy and push Gardner to a 4th of would you still say they made a mistake? I wanted the Yanks to bring in Harper, Brantley or Markakis because I wasn’t sure what to expect from Frazier. But I don’t get the others mentioned.
We are 1 week into the season and already you’re calling Voit a failure. What’s so great about Pollock? Why would we need Adam Jones? Dude, you sound like a spoiled fan. So fickle.
I gave the Yanks a D.
Probably a bit generous. Looks like another Phillies/Tampa World Series.
It’s hard to judge the big market behemoths based on only their off season moves. They can look at their issues, close their eyes, and be ready to pounce on July 31; there really is no great rush. It’s a looooooooooooooong season.
It’s what the roster looks like on August 1, not April 1.
All we heard about with all the get below the threshold talk was inferring they would make a big FA splash this past winter. Instead of a big splash they barely made a ripple.
The only big splash is a Scrooge McDuck type from Hal into his money bin.
I would rate the offseason a B before opening day. Once 1/2 the starting line up and our ace went down with injuries, it’s a C-. Hindsight being of course 20/20.
The Hicks extension looks solid considering what the Jays paid Grichuk. Or maybe the Jays just got fleeced.
Hope Hicks gets back soon, amongst the other dozen or so guys on the DL.
How is extending a player who’s never been able to stay on the field solid?
Almost 600 PAs last season. Career highs in runs, HRs, BBs, OPS+, wRC+, WAR with paltry BABIP. Seems like a good guy to keep around.
I think some of the comments are over the top. Not signing Machado to play shortstop (a position where his metrics are declining) because Didi is out for half a year? Keuchel for enormous early ask when he hasn’t been a #1/2 for 3 years? Kimbrel to not close?
It’s so stupid to read comments from 1 guy and say that”s the entire fan base. They’re a lot of stupid fans from every team.
Exactly. Honestly people wouldn’t be saying a thing if they didn’t get hit with all those injuries because they would be fine, and with the schedule they’ve had, likely in 1st.
Tell me the last time a player with a awesome beard came running to them in free agency.
Brian McCann and Andrew Miller are the first two that come to mind.
And if that player doesn’t want to be a Yankee because of their beard then so be it. Not really a smart point you’re trying to make.
It’s an idiotic outdated rule. If having a beard takes out 1 guy from FA wanting to come play for you it’s dumb. It’s 2019 not 1945 you aren’t a “clean cut gentlemen” because you choose to shave. How much does it really harm the Yankees in reality? Not all that much but it doesn’t mean it isn’t a dumb outdated rule.
ITT: Some of the most foolish come out to express their frustrations that the Yankees did not spend $60MM more to triple down on some positions they already had covered.
Anyways, I rate this offseason a B. People love to complain about the CC and Gardner signings but I dont know what there is to complain about cheap depth. I did not really care for the Happ signing as I would have rather seen the Yankees grab Kikuchi. I would have liked to have seen Corbin in pinstripes but the Nationals decided to bid a cool extra $40MM over anyone else. If you look past the hindsight 20/20 and injuries think they did good not getting Harper or Machado. Just wish they did a little more for SP.
More SP woulda been great if there was any worth getting. I’m OK with Happ except for the third year vesting option.
As to the whining of a lot of the Yankees fans about not spending like George used to do, they conveniently forget what that got the team. It got them a bunch of overpaid, hard to watch, crap players that were never in contention for a title.
If Cashman can find another good SP, especially while Sevy is out, I still like their chances.
EXACTLY. George gave us 2 WS in the late 70s but the Yanks were horrible from 1981 to the mid 90s. What was great about an owner who traded away prospects for past their prime guys?
I have heard different takes on Kikuchi and not sure what to think about him.
Kikuchi was and still is an unknown. You never really know how guys will fare in the transition from Japan to USA baseball. A lot of people went out and said he was just another bust before he pitched a day in the majors which doesnt make a lot of sense considering he has only shown to be successful in professional baseball. Kikuchi couldve been had for less of an average salary than Happ (yes, I know more total years for Kikuchi) so his contract fared as a low-mid range SP and he could easily be just that if not better so I would have wanted to take that risk.
Once he gets more playtime under his belt we’ll get a better understanding of what he can do. No reason to make a conclusion one way or the other on him just yet.
CC, Gardner and Ottavino signings weren’t necessary. Could’ve played Frazier and had German or Adams or the other guy replace Ottavino, with the remaining money heading toward a starting pitcher.
In my mind Andujar and Torres would be on the left side with Lemahieu at 2B and Tulo on the bench. Tulo would play against lefties and the odd start when starters needed a breather. The talk all off-season seemed to lean toward more playing time for Tulowitzki. At his salary of just over a half million, bench role would seem fit for a guy missing the entire 2018 season. Had he remained a Blue Jay, different story.
Injuries killing the Yankees for now. I think they’ll grind the second half and still reach the postseason.
There’s a difference between not having the money to sign a FA and not wanting to pay way more than how you’ve valuated the player. You really think they couldn’t afford Corbin?
And who cares about Tulo starting or being of the bench if the back up plan was to move DJ to 2B and slide Torres to SS in case Tulo was injured or in effective? Seems like you’re splitting hairs.
I didn’t mention Corbin. Why did you mention him?
The Tulo point was he should have never been starting over DJ, Torres or Andujar. Nobody is splitting hairs here.
Sorry. The Corbin was for someone else.
As for Tulo or not to Tulo, does it matter? They took a chance to try and get lucky but had a back up plan. It doesn’t matter. It’s only $550k. Your point would be valid IF they didn’t have DJ to play 2nd and Torres could slide to SS.
Huh? The point was to play your best player at each position. Not sure how or why you want to pick an argument over that.
I also don’t buy your Corbin excuse. You made an assumption, own it. Or look up the word “accountability”. Pick one.
Had Chapman opted out, Kimbrel was the signing to make. Not Ottavino. I know, I know, Kimbrel struggled in October. I get it. I trust Kimbrel more than Ottavino and paying Kimbrel to win now IF Chapman opted out was the decision to make.
Kimbrel would NOT have been the signing to make. He still wants a 5/$100 mil deal. You think he would’ve lowered his price if the Yanks were desperate? Beside, if Chapman had opted out, and there was no reason why he would, then the Yanks still have Betances, Ottavino and Britton who have all closed before.
If Chapman opted out, that replacement is Kimbrel like it or not. Your words. And are you sure you meant to say “valuated”? Or was that meant for someone else like your false presumption of Corbin?
If you’re going to evaluate NY at this point … how has not signing Patrick Corbin been a difference maker?
I gave the Yankees an A. I didn’t like the Brett Gardner, CC Sabathia and Troy Tulowitzki moves. However, everything else the Yankees did was very good. At the time, I thought the acquisition of DJ LeMaheau was overkill but, it has especially turned out to be a great signing.
I predicted the Yankees would acquire Patrick Corbin and Freddie Galvis and not resign Gardner and Sabathia.
Why didnt you like the Tulo move? Its practically a no risk move. If it doesnt work out then they only payed league min. for him and if it does then you have a really good player playing for the league min.
Sabathia hasn’t been what he once was health wise since 2013.
I agree with pretty much everything Cashman did including getting Tulo. If there is a chance he could find a piece of what he once was for the league minimum any GM would take a shot. The Yankees were not the only one attempting to land him. He had his pick of several competitive teams and chose the Yankees. I do think they should have signed a solid glove first middle infielder to a minor league contract with a late April opt out. More than likely Tulo would have came out of the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI Tube by then, saw his shadow, and hit the IL. We all know the only thing he has been able to hit for 5 years is the IL but the talent and potential is just to tempting.
I think Cashman will make a couple of shrewd trades at the deadline when Frazier has rebuilt some value and one or two of his RHP prospects take a step forward. They will be trade bait for expiring contracts of solid veterans that will help the Yankees to the playoffs, similar to last year. Hopefully one of those kids develops into the TOR pitcher the Yankees desperately need. They have 2-3 that have the ceiling. If everything breaks right one of them will be ready for Yankee stadium sometime next year. Sorry about the novel. You know how I am once I get going. It’s an addiction.
What 2-3 pitching prospects have a ceiling of a TOR starter, because nowhere have I seen anyone writing this?