Yankees offseason plans; $300 million shopping spree

[Station 13]

NEW YORK -- While all the talk to begin the offseason is about the New York Yankees' stated desire to cut the yearly payroll to $189 million, the front office is devising a plan that could have the team going on a $300 million shopping spree, sources have told ESPNNewYork.com.

 

The Yankees will begin their organization meetings Monday where they will settle on a strategy that they believe can cut payroll to $189 million while spending big on free agents.

 

The Yankees' initial main targets are expected to include their own Robinson Cano, Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka, Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran, according to sources.

 

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9845063/sources-say-new-york-yankees-go-offseason-shopping-spree

 

 

 

Business as usual.

[redsoxrules]

200M + of that will be on Cano

[Bellhorn04]

All the more reason we need them stuck with paying A-Rod this year.

[Station 13]

200M + of that will be on Cano

 

They're back into a corner with Cano. If they want Tanaka, it'll be another $100M. $300M for two players, it won't be enough to get them back on top anytime soon.

[Station 13]

All the more reason we need them stuck with paying A-Rod this year.

 

Their off-season is really hanging on what happens to A-rod, taking $25M and possibly $6M in bonus off their payroll would allow them to go after Ellsbury or Choo.

[Palodios]

Very strange to think about it, but 300 million won't get them very far unless they get rid of their best player... and that point they need to find a way to replace their best player.

[Northern Star]

They never learn. Beltran? Going with the youth movement, I see.

[redsoxrules]

He'd do well there with the short porch though.

[yankees228]

They never learn. Beltran? Going with the youth movement, I see.

 

I'd sign up for 2/30.

 

They could do so much damage if they just let Cano walk, but it'll never happen. Could completely revamp the team.

[jacksonianmarch]

I would fully support a Beltran deal. I would like to see us get young players (like Tanaka) or older vets on short term deals. Beltran would be perfect. Our minor leagues shat the bed this year, but they aren't barren. They just need more time. We know from our glory days that you build the core through the farm and supplement with FA's. We successfully bought one championship, but that isn't the way to make a sustained winner. Tanaka may cost $100 mil, but only $50 mil or so will count vs the cap. McCann would be a stopgap measure, but would be another back end disaster. If we somehow get McCann, we'll be better in 2014, but will probably be dealing with another albatross by 2016 or 2017.

[Dojji]

Do you guys see the Yankees maybe looking at Stephen Drew, or do you think they try to squeeze one more year out of Jeter and rusk another utility mishmash if he can't make it back again?

 

Yankees have some real issues on the infield, heck they have issues period. I don't think they're going to be able to spend their way all the way out of this particular hole. At least with the Sox last year, you had the sense that they had talent that just didn't show up. I'm surprised by just how little of that I'm seeing in the pinstripers. If anything they got more wins than they probably should have because they scored slightly fewer runs than they allowed.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Dojji

[Palodios]

Do you guys see the Yankees maybe looking at Stephen Drew, or do you think they try to squeeze one more year out of Jeter and rusk another utility mishmash if he can't make it back again?

 

Yankees have some real issues on the infield, heck they have issues period. I don't think they're going to be able to spend their way all the way out of this particular hole. At least with the Sox last year, you had the sense that they had talent that just didn't show up. I'm surprised by just how little of that I'm seeing in the pinstripers. If anything they got more wins than they probably should have because they scored slightly fewer runs than they allowed.

 

The Yankees prepare for October. They're not going to spend lots of money on a guy who is 4-50 this year. That's why Beltran seems like a good target for them.

[PaulaSox9]

The yankees are a desperate bunch. They are finding out that the Sox are no longer second fiddle. They will be chasing us ,they are going downhill while we improve. The Yankees have only won 1 world series in the last 10 years, think about it .The Sox are on the verge of their 3rd Championship in 10 years.I think the stats say enough. Have fun shopping this off season YANKEES .Haaa.Be sure not to spend too much. Edited October 30, 2013 by PaulaSox9

[jacksonianmarch]

You do know that up until this season, the Yankees had won the WS more recently, right Paula? And as we saw with the Red Sox, a few good breaks and a few solid additions can take a team from worst to first. Hell, NY isn't even the worst team in the AL East, lol and we had horrendous injuries limiting this team. I do think the Yankees will still be a borderline playoff team in 2014 due to their monetary limitations, but once the pursestrings open again in 2015, they'll be fighting for the top. Enjoy your time on top people.

[User Name]

Different situations. You are very much in denial here, and it's hilarious. The lucky breaks happened this year considering your records, and let's see how many "solid additions" you can squeeze into that roster unless some idiot like the Dodgers come in and takes most of your crappy contracts.

 

I'll wait here.

[jacksonianmarch]

Like I said, I think the Yankees will make enough acquisitions to be a 85 win team next yr. They'll be in playoff contention. The shackles come off in 2015. Hopefully, by then, our minor league system will produce some depth and we can really show our financial might.

[Station 13]

$12M for Jeter, nice parting gift.

[BSN07]

I thought the 9.5M player option was the parting gift? lol

[jacksonianmarch]

By doing this, they lower his cap number. They shouldn't have given him this gift, but it does behoove them on the AAV. If he exercised his option, the AAV for the contract would have been $15 mil. Instead, they sign him for 1 yr at $12 mil and save $3 mil in cap space

[SoxFanForsyth]

Like I said, I think the Yankees will make enough acquisitions to be a 85 win team next yr. They'll be in playoff contention. The shackles come off in 2015. Hopefully, by then, our minor league system will produce some depth and we can really show our financial might.

 

Sorry but I just really don't see the Yankees keeping up with the Sox, Rays, or Orioles over the next few years.

 

The Yankees rode a dominant 15 years on the tail of Jeter, Pettitte, Posada, and Mo. Guys that were lifers other than a year with the Astros for Pettitte.

 

That era is officially over. You can go out and sign all the big name players you want but it doesn't work anymore. Look at the Blue Jays, Marlins, Angels. The way to long term, sustained winning is by building from the core and complimenting those pieces.

 

As much as the sabermetricians hate to admit it, chemistry is a real thing. You can't just go sign a bunch of aging veterans and expect to win 93+ games.

 

And the Yankees have ARod, Tex, CC on the books being incredibly overpaid.

 

The Yankees needs: 3B, SS, 2B, RF, C, 3 SP, 2 RP, Bench.

 

The Yanks have Mason Williams (who had a disgusting year between A+ and AA), Gary Sanchez, Slade Heathcott (pretty down year, certainly not a big prospect type year) and that's about it. We will see on ManBan how he recovers from TJS.

 

And now, with all of the free agent albatross contracts and underperformance (Crawford, Hamilton, Pujols, Fielder, etc), teams are locking up talent early via extensions, so it's nearly impossible to build a contender without a huge core of talent on the team already.

 

Meanwhile, the Sox are loaded with talent both at the core and in the minors. Bogaerts, Bradley, Cecchini, Betts, Barnes, Ranaudo, Owens, Ball, Swihart. The Sox could easily have 6 top 50 prospects and 9 top 100 prospects. The Rays and Orioles also have significant talent in the minor leagues.

 

Point blank, the Sox, Rays, and Orioles all have better teams than the Yankees right now, and have much better farm systems than the Yankees have. The only advantage the Yankees have over these teams is the ability to spend, but with the trend of the MLB turning from big-name FA signings to locking up talent early, the FA market is as dry as its ever been.

 

Sorry, Jacko, the Yankees are in for a massive, massive demise and a ton of 3rd place or lower finishes over the next 5+ years.

[User Name]

Which sabermetricians "hate to admit" that chemistry is a real thing? Big-time Sabr guys like Tango, Dave Cameron and even Bill James himself have acknowledged the impact that a problematic clubhouse can have on a team's performance. Edited November 3, 2013 by User Name?
James Cameron...really?

[SoxFanForsyth]

Which sabermetricians "hate to admit" that chemistry is a real thing? Big-time Sabr guys like Tango, James Cameron and even Bill James himself have acknowledged the impact that a problematic clubhouse can have on a team's performance.

 

Dave Cameron, Dan Szymborski, etc. all dismiss it as a post hoc explanation of success rather than as a reason for success

 

Almost all of the fangraphs writers completely dismiss it

[User Name]

Dave Cameron, Dan Szymborski, etc. all dismiss it as a post hoc explanation of success rather than as a reason for success

 

I heard Cameron issue a mea culpa sometime ago on a podcast regarding this issue, so i wouldn't count him among the doubters anymore. I think that, in general, the Sabr community has begun embracing the reality of intangibles just as they did the importance of defense some time ago.

[yankees228]

I don't disagree with anything you said, SFF, except the chemistry part. Why can't the Yankees have good clubhouse chemistry going forward?

[User Name]

He's implying that if they go out and buy a bunch of big names it's likely they'll have poor team chemistry a la 2012 Red Sox. Joe Torre was masterful at making teams filled with big names and short-term mercenary types mesh and win, so i guess SFF's point might not be true if Girardi can do the same.

[Bellhorn04]

Sorry, Jacko, the Yankees are in for a massive, massive demise and a ton of 3rd place or lower finishes over the next 5+ years.

 

I think you went much too far out with the 5+ years part. That's well beyond what we can foresee.

[yankees228]

He's implying that if they go out and buy a bunch of big names it's likely they'll have poor team chemistry a la 2012 Red Sox. Joe Torre was masterful at making teams filled with big names and short-term mercenary types mesh and win, so i guess SFF's point might not be true if Girardi can do the same.

 

Yeah, I mean, no one has any idea what sort of chemistry a team will have -- and pretending to have that sort of clairvoyance is an exercise in futility. Chemistry is important, but it's also difficult, if not impossible to predict on a year to year basis. Lets stick to predicting how a collection of players will perform on the field, rather than off it.

[User Name]

Yeah, I mean, no one has any idea what sort of chemistry a team will have -- and pretending to have that sort of clairvoyance is an exercise in futility. Chemistry is important, but it's also difficult, if not impossible to predict on a year to year basis. Lets stick to predicting how a collection of players will perform on the field, rather than off it.

 

As of right now, the only thing we can safely project is that the Yankees will look vastly different next year.

[jacksonianmarch]

Yeah, they will. But hell, they looked vastly different this yr. I have seen enough of infields manned by guys who cannot hit their weight and cannot field.

 

They tendered offers to Granderson, Cano, and Kuroda. I let Kuroda and Granderson go. I try to resign Cano unless the offers surpass 6 yrs, which they likely will. Assuming they do, let him walk.

[Palodios]

Yeah, they will. But hell, they looked vastly different this yr. I have seen enough of infields manned by guys who cannot hit their weight and cannot field.

 

They tendered offers to Granderson, Cano, and Kuroda. I let Kuroda and Granderson go. I try to resign Cano unless the offers surpass 6 yrs, which they likely will. Assuming they do, let him walk.

 

Let Kuroda go? He was your best pitcher, and if the Yankees don't sign him, they might not get a draft pick anyway.