The New York Yankees, seemingly always ready to jump head-first into the free agent pool with hearts and checkbooks wide open, are apparently going to take a different tact this offseason, according to a report from Mark Feinsand of The NY Daily News.
Going against their free spending nature, the Yanks will not pursue any of the big-ticket free agents available this year, sources tell Feinsand.
"According to a source, the Yankees have no plans to pursue either Scherzer or Lester, the top two free agents on the market this winter," says Feinsand. "Shields, the third-best free-agent starter, is also off the Bombers' radar, as is Sandoval, the Giants' postseason hero who was given a $15.3 million qualifying offer by San Francisco before Monday's deadline."
The team will instead look to bring back two of their own free agents - Brandon McCarthy and Chase Headley. Neither was eligible for a qualifying offer after being traded to New York in July of this year.
"McCarthy, who went 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 14 starts after being traded from Arizona last July, would slot in behind Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda as a No. 3 starter, also joining CC Sabathia in the rotation."
Headley's situation on the other hand, is a little trickier given Alex Rodriguez's return from a full-year suspension.
"But the Yankees are interested in bringing back Headley, a sign that they are viewing A-Rod as a designated hitter. The 30-year-old switch-hitter batted .262 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 58 games after being acquired from the Padres before the trade deadline."
Just last year the Yanks went all out, spending more than $450 million on Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. Their payroll ranked second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The team spoke repeatedly about getting under the $189 million luxury tax last year before their spending spree. Now it looks like they're facing the reality of filling roster holes with mid-level free agents.