JUST NOW:Nearing spring training, the Yankees still need to strengthen their bullpen and rotation.
It seems like only six weeks remain until pitchers and catchers report to spring training once the calendar is turned to 2024.
Before then, the Yankees have some work ahead of them.
Nearly a month later, the offseason that got off to a great start with the trade for Juan Soto is still far from over. They now only have one season with Soto in their lineup, which increases the pressure to go all in in 2024. However, that move also cost them three starting depth options (Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, and Drew Thorpe) and one member of their starting rotation (Michael King).
The obvious next step would have been to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but despite the Yankees’ valiant effort to acquire him, they were defeated by the Dodgers.
It’s far less clear-cut now that they have to figure out what the next best choice is to fill the hole in their rotation.
Just a year prior, the Yankees completed their major winter roster additions and re-signed Aaron Judge before failing to make any more significant transactions in January.
This time, unless they want to take a chance on prospects Will Warren or Clayton Beeter being their fifth starter, they will need to keep acquiring after trading for Soto, Alex Verdugo, and reliever Victor Gonzalez.
The Yankees still have the following tasks to complete before traveling to Tampa:
Cover the rotation gap and Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell currently lead the remaining free-agent pitching market.
Both left-handers have Scott Boras as their agent, which may let them to take their time raising the price because there are still many clubs looking for starters.
Although Snell seems more logical for the Yankees than Montgomery, the former Yankee is anticipated to use Rodon’s six-year, $162 million contract as compensation.
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Jordan Montgomery and Frankie Montas
There won’t be a Frankie Montas reunion for the Yankees, but Jordan Montgomery is still a possibility.
With a lot of questions surrounding Gerrit Cole, the Yankees would benefit from Montgomery’s stability and consistency as they attempt to bolster their rotation.
Shota Imanaga, a left-hander from Japan, is the next best free agent available behind Snell and Montgomery, but things get bleaker from there.
For depth, the Yankees might give another possible bounce-back arm a shot, but first they need to have some stability in their rotation.
Additionally, the Yankees may search the trade market for
Although Cease has two years of team control remaining before becoming a free agent (as opposed to Burnes and Bieber, who each have one), it is expected to come at a high cost, and the White Sox may decide to hold off on signing their right-hander until the top free agents have signed.
This offseason, the Yankees have already traded from their farm to acquire Soto and Verdugo; will they be willing to further deplete it for Cease?
Bullpen support?
The present lineup of the Yankees, which includes Austin Wells or Jose Trevino, Trent Grisham, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza, might theoretically be situated on the bench and in the bullpen. However, it wouldn’t hurt to add alleviation assistance.