The 2021-22 MLB offseason is a few weeks old and we’re still waiting for the hot stove to really heat up. That’s not unusual — like the MLB season itself, the offseason is a marathon rather than a sprint — though the impending expiration of the Competitive Bargaining Agreement throws a giant wrench into the hot stove. Still, baseball’s offseason is underway.
With that in mind, we’re going to examine each prospective buyer’s offseason wish list over the next few days, beginning with the New York Yankees. Let’s get to it.
Shortstop
The No. 1 priority this offseason. The Yankees signaled their intentions to acquire a shortstop when they moved Gleyber Torres to second base in August, and played third baseman Gio Urshela at short the rest of the season. Improving the defense will be a priority, though offense is not to be overlooked. New York finished 10th in the American League in runs scored even though Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton stayed healthy and were excellent.
Wish list: It’s a good offseason to need a shortstop and have money to spend. Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are the top two free agents on the market and either would represent a massive upgrade for the Yankees, as would the second-tier free agent shortstops (Javier Báez, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story). GM Brian Cashman met with Correa’s and Seager’s agents at the GM Meetings last week and said he plans to speak to the representatives for all the top free agent shortstops.
“It’s certainly the year of the shortstop, with a lot of high-end talented players coming out at the same time,” Cashman told reporters, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, last week. “It’s an impressive group of players, no doubt. I’m sure that they’re excited about the opportunities that are going to present for them. I’m sure the agents are looking forward to doing business.”
The Yankees appear poised to spend big this offseason — Cashman indicated he has payroll “latitude” — in which case signing either Correa or Seager feels fait accompli. Correa is the superior defender but brings sign-stealing scandal baggage (Yankees players have been very critical of the Astros). Seager fits the lineup better as a high-contact lefty bat, though his defense leaves something to be desired. Ultimately, they’re both excellent, and New York’s decision could come down to which player takes the more favorable deal.
Center field
Last month Cashman indicated the Yankees will “evaluate” the center field position this offseason. Aaron Hicks, who is signed through 2025, missed most of 2021 with wrist surgery and has played only 145 of 384 possible regular season games the last three years, or 38 percent. Stalwart Brett Gardner has frequently stepped in to replace Hicks, though he is now a free agent and he turned 38 in August. New York may cut ties with Gardner completely this winter.
Wish list: Give the Yankees a truth serum and I think they’d tell you they’d prefer a trade for Bryan Reynolds to signing Starling Marte. Marte is very good and will only cost money, though he turned 33 last month and center field is generally a young man’s position. He may not be a center fielder (or at least a top-flight center fielder) much longer, which means the Yankees would again have to look for a center fielder in a year or two despite having both Hicks and Marte under contract.
The switch-hitting Reynolds turns 27 in January and is an All-Star caliber player who will remain under team control through 2025. He’d give the Yankees a younger (and cheaper) player than Marte, though the prospect cost would be exorbitant. The Pirates reported asked the Mariners for top prospect Julio Rodríguez at the deadline, which leads me to believe they’d want top shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe from the Yankees. If you’re going to trade top prospects though, trade them for a player like Reynolds.
New York’s center field search could be tied to their shortstop search. For example, if they miss out on Correa and Seager, they could pivot to a cheap stopgap shortstop (Andrelton Simmons, Freddy Galvis, etc.) and then spend what it takes to sign Marte. Signing Marte and a top shortstop seems unlikely. Cashman’s ideal offseason likely involves signing Correa or Seager and swinging a trade for Reynolds, preferably while keeping Volpe (though that may be impossible).
First base
Luke Voit’s persistent knee issues prompted the Yankees to bring in Anthony Rizzo at the trade deadline, and Rizzo performed well with New York (but not spectacularly). Rizzo is a free agent and Voit is under team control as an arbitration-eligible player, though the Yankees are expected to seek a lefty-hitting first baseman with strong defensive chops. Voit, the 2020 MLB home run leader, is a right-handed hitter and essentially a DH given his poor defense. The same applies to Chris Gittens, New York’s Triple-A first baseman who is on the 40-man roster.
Wish list: Matt Olson. This is such an obvious fit. Olson offers everything the Yankees want at first base (lefty power, great defense, control beyond 2022, etc.) and the Athletics are poised to sell and sell big this offseason. With Oakland reportedly set to cut payroll, could New York lower the prospect cost to acquire Olson by taking on, say, the $7.75 million the A’s owe Elvis Andrus? Re-signing Rizzo would be the obvious alternative here. The Yankees do have a fallback plan in Voit, though this early in the offseason, why wouldn’t you try to upgrade your roster as much as possible?
Pitching depth
Every team needs pitching depth — the 2021 postseason was a war of pitching attrition and I expect contenders to load up on arms as much as possible this offseason — though the Yankees are in good shape on the mound. They finished third in the league in ERA (3.74) and second in ERA+ (115) this past season, and the only pitcher coming off their roster this winter is free agent Corey Kluber, who missed half the season with a shoulder injury. The Yankees will seek pitching depth because every team wants more pitching in the offseason. It is not the No. 1 (or even No. 2) priority this winter, however.
Wish list: When the Yankees add pitching, they usually do it one of two ways. They either drop the hammer and blow every other team away to sign someone like Gerrit Cole or CC Sabathia, or they buy low on a talented pitcher coming off an injury or a down year, like Kluber and Jameson Taillon. The mid-range free agent, the good but not truly great starter who gets 3-4 years at decent money, is not really a pool the Yankees swim in. They either go big or go reclamation project.
A Max Scherzer pursuit seems unlikely — for what it’s worth, Scherzer said he would not accept a trade to New York at the deadline — though the Yankees could target Justin Verlander, who is coming off Tommy John surgery. So too is Noah Syndergaard. Any of Oakland’s top three starters (Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas) could appeal to the Yankees. One name to keep in mind: Masahiro Tanaka. There are rumblings Tanaka will pursue an MLB contract this winter after posting a 3.01 ERA in 23 starts with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan in 2021.
Catcher
Although they have not said publicly they will move on from Gary Sánchez, the Yankees telegraphed their intentions when Sánchez was benched late in the season for the second straight year. Sánchez is entering his final season of team control, and with the free agent market devoid of quality catchers, he could have trade value. Then again, teams may wait to see whether the Yankees even tender him a contract at the Dec. 1 deadline. It’s possible the Yankees will make a clean break and non-tender Sánchez, even in a poor catching market, and then look elsewhere behind the plate.
Wish list: I’m not sure the Yankees themselves have an ideal target given the current catching market. My guess is they’d prefer a younger catcher with control beyond 2022 to trading for Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, the No. 1 trade candidate behind the plate who will become a free agent next offseason. Diamondbacks backstop Carson Kelly could be a target should Arizona rebuild. Pirates backstop Jacob Stallings is another potential trade candidate. Maybe there’s a Reynolds/Stallings package deal to be made?
