The Boston Red Sox are making big moves for next season and the New York Yankees have a lot of question marks. New York hinted they won't be spending big this offseason, but they might just be waiting for the free-agent market to slow down.
General manager Brian Cashman has spoken to reporters a number of times regarding the subject and he's been nothing but vague. The Yankees, as of right now, do not have definitive starters at third base, shortstop or second base, on top of having a multitude of injury issues in the starting rotation. Cashman said the team wants to focus on player development, but that would put their 2015 season in serious jeopardy.
"I can't really say if any of the big-ticket items are in play or not in play. I'm just going to say we're doing everything in our power to improve the club," the GM said last week.
"I think we have good pitching, but there's obviously some volatility in it because of the health status and health histories of some of them," he added.
With the market thin on third basemen, shortstops and second basemen, the team could very well fill those positions in-house in some manner (or with cheap free agents) and begin the overhaul of their player development. However, there are far too many valuable pitchers on the market for New York to pass up, including Jon Lester, James Shields and Max Scherzer. The bidding for Lester is already underway between the Red Sox and Cubs, with limited interest in Shields and almost no interest in Scherzer. Prior to free agency, many believed Scherzer would best fit with the Yankees. Could that still be the case?
ESPN Insider Jim Bowden predicts Scherzer will land a seven-year, $189 million contract, but it's highly unlikely New York (or other clubs) offers a deal of that size. So with little interest in Scherzer right now, the Yankees could be waiting for the market to die down to avoid competition with other clubs and watch the free-agent prices to drop. One team is bound to express interest in Scherzer and offer him a contract, but the Yankees probably don't want to be that team despite their myriad issues.
"(With) lingering doubts about Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia, no guarantee that Brandon McCarthy is coming back, no help from Ivan Nova until May or June," writes Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record. "That leaves the Yankees in the unenviable position of counting on Michael Pineda, who has terrific stuff, but a checkered history when it comes to maturity, his health and pine tar."
Scherzer rejected a six-year, $144 million extension from the Detroit Tigers last offseason, which he's probably regretting at this point because if you look around the league, there really aren't many teams willing to (or in a position to) offer a contract of that size or larger. So it's very possible the Yankees are waiting for the hoopla to die down on Jon Lester and then gauge the market for Scherzer.
"The Yankees and Scherzer's agent, Scott Boras, are said to have had a brief contact sometime since returning from the GM meetings, and word is the Yankees may 'revisit' their inclination not to make any big expenditures this winter," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
The MLB Winter Meetings will take place from December 7-11, so the Yankees can possibly have more discussions with Boras, who they are very familiar with.
