Throughout the entire 2014 season, and so far this offseason, many viewed the New York Yankees to be the perfect fit for starter Max Scherzer, but that may no longer be the case. The other New York team has re-entered trade talks with the Colorado Rockies about one of their All-Stars.
Although the Yankees are in need of an ace atop their starting rotation, we can now end any speculation of them chasing Max Scherzer, at least for the time being. The right-hander is looking for a contract of at least $200 million this offseason after rejecting the Detroit Tigers' six-year, $144 million extension prior to the 2014 season. Yankees' president Randy Levine weighed in on the matter on Thursday.
"The chances of us bringing in a guy for six [years] and $25 million or over in my opinion is virtually none,'' he told reporters on Thursday, via Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. "At the end of the day you have to be realistic in any organization.''
Another source added:
"[Scherzer's] a great pitcher, but not even the Yankees can have three $25 [million] to $30 million pitchers on the payroll. You just can't ... Long-term deals for pitchers over 30 [years old] generally don't work out. The only one I can recall that did is Mike Mussina.''
However, this is no surprise. Reports surfaced toward the end of the season that suggested New York would not be chasing the top free agents this offseason because they weren't looking to spend big dollars. They already signed reliever Andrew Miller to a four-year, $36 million deal and third baseman Chase Headley to a four-year, $52 million deal, and that seems to be as far as they'll go. The team already has Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia earning at least $20 million next season and the payroll is over $200 million right now. New York can only hope Sabathia, Tanaka, Ivan Nova and Michael Pineda are healthy and can remain so for the duration of 2015.
Interest in Scherzer is significantly limited right now because of his contract demands, so it looks like his price will decrease as time progresses. Perhaps New York will jump in if it gets low enough for their liking, but as of right now it looks extremely unlikely.
In Queens, the New York Mets are looking to make some moves of their own. The team tried to trade for Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki prior to this year's deadline, but Colorado's then-general manager Dan O'Dowd rejected a package that featured prospect pitcher Noah Syndergaard. The Rockies now have a new general manager, Jeff Bridich, and he previously noted he was open to listening to trade offers for both Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.
New York has reportedly re-opened such talks with the Rockies regarding Tulowitzki, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Syndergaard remains the centerpiece of the potential deal, along with other young talent, but Adam Rubin of ESPN New York notes the chances of "something ever materializing are five percent at best." Despite that report, Heyman noted the talks have been progressing a bit over the past few weeks and that the Mets still have "ways to go" if they wish for a deal to come to fruition.
Based on the recent moves in the NL West, maybe the Rockies are looking to make some big moves and follow in the footsteps of the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The San Francisco Giants are coming off their third World Series title in the past five years, so they remain a threat as well. The Dodgers and Padres have been the two most active teams this offseason and improved their rosters in a variety of ways, while the Diamondbacks added Yasmany Tomas, Jeremy Hellickson and received young talent in exchange for shortstop Didi Gregorius and starter Wade Miley.
Tulowitzki is coming off of hip surgery and if the Rockies are looking to trade him, they might be waiting until he returns to full health so they can get maximum value. Regarded as the top shortstop in the game when healthy, Tulowitzki is owed $118 million through the 2020 season, which is a huge hit to the Rockies' payroll. The 30-year-old has only played in 264 games over the past three seasons, so perhaps it's time they get value while they can because it doesn't look like they'll be contending in the near future.
