The New York Yankees spent over $170 million in salaries last season but didn’t even manage to sneak into the postseason, finishing fourth in the American League East division with an 84-78 record. The offseason is expected to be an interesting one for the Evil Empire with the front office looking to make a series of wheeling and dealing. Let’s take a look at three items that are probably atop the team’s top priorities this offseason.
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Offseason Plans for the New York Yankees
Improve the rotation
The Yankees are definitely looking to upgrade their pitching staff. Last season, their starters had a collective ERA of 4.15 and a FIP of 4.06, which were 17th and 13th, respectively, in the majors.
Currently, the Yankees have Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and Michael Pineda as their top three starters but the trio’s age and susceptibility to injuries are obvious concerns for New York. Fortifying the backend of that rotation or getting a stronger number one, two, or three option from the free market is something Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman is keen on doing this offseason.
Deal away the constant Gardner
Gardner has been a fixture on the Yankees’ roster since 2008. He was there when New York won its last World Series title. He was also there in every season the Yankees sucked since that year. But sending Gardner to another team will create more positives than harm for the storied ball club. For one, the Yankees are going to save money.
Being economical isn’t the best of words to describe the Yankees, but getting rid of Gardner also means getting read of his $25 million salary for the next two years and avoiding breaching the luxury tax cap. The Yankees just paid Aroldis Chapman to a big contract so trading Gardner will help a lot in easing the team’s expenditures.
Don’t overpay free agents
Although they’re looking for help and depth in various positions, the Yankees should be careful on how much money they are willing to shell out to lure a marquee free agent to The Big Apple. The market has the likes of Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo but signing any one of these stars will only compromise the Yankees into paying big money when they shouldn’t be. The team is in a rebuilding phase and hooking up with high-profile free agents is counter-intuitive, considering that the Yankees are not expected to be playoff contenders at least for the immediate future.
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