The New York Yankees appear to have made a number of significant offseason moves. After all, they’ve made a number of trades that have resulted in the acquisitions of Alex Verdugo, Trent Grishman, and Juan Soto.
What’s surprising is that the Bombers have yet to spend a dime on MLB free agency. MLB Trade Rumors pointed this out on January 1. New York was one of four teams that did not sign a major league free agent in 2024. The Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies joined them.
Nobody knows if general manager Brian Cashman can keep that up until spring training begins. But, just in case, he’s been scouring the trade market for another starting pitcher.
On January 7, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale made ten predictions for the rest of the offseason. One of them was the Yankees adding another pitcher to their rotation. He mentioned that New York was in talks with the Chicago White Sox about Dylan Cease, despite their current refusal to meet the high asking price. Nightengale also mentioned the Yankees discussing Jesus Luzardo with the Miami Marlins and Shane Bieber with the Cleveland Guardians.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on January 5 that New York has a “sincere” interest in Cease. The club’s potential interest in Luzardo was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan on January 3. In terms of Bieber, Nightengale’s report appears to be the first time he’s been linked to the Bombers.
Recent Yankees blunders and current free-agent hopes
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Japanese starting pitcher, was Cashman’s white whale heading into the offseason. They fought for his services until the very end, but the right-hander chose the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 12-year, $325 million contract.
Since November 23, the Yankees have been linked to free agent Jordan Montgomery. However, a reunion with their 2014 MLB Draft pick appears to be less likely. The lefty appears to prefer re-signing with the Texas Rangers.
According to Randy Miller of NJ.com, New York has no interest in Shta Imanaga. According to a January 4 report from SNY’s Andy Martino, reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell has privately expressed interest in coming to the Bronx.
Depth is desperately needed in New York’s rotation.
Knowing that Soto could sign elsewhere in free agency next winter motivates New York to go all-in for 2024. As a result, it stands to reason that Cashman is looking for opportunities in both free agency and the trade market.
Cashman, on the other hand, is likely to prefer signing a free agent if given the choice. Bieber will be a free agent next winter, while Cease and Luzardo both have multiple years of team control remaining. That would be appealing in theory, but it would also mean a higher price to acquire them.
In exchange for Verdugo, the New York Mets sent three minor-league pitchers to the Boston Red Sox. The deal with the San Diego Padres, on the other hand, was a deal breaker. The Yankees gave up catcher Kyle Higashioka, as well as pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vasquez, to get Grisham and Soto.
Thorpe was a top pitching prospect in New York. In 2023, King, Brito, and Vasquez all made their major-league debuts. So, while the Yankees are unlikely to part with more prospects to bolster their rotation, they are clearly willing to do so if it is the best way for them to fill out this area of the roster.
