The New York Yankees could make some intriguing offseason moves as they look to make major changes.
New York had another disappointing playoff exit as the Yankees ran back a very similar roster. It was a frustrating result, and now the Yankees could make some major moves this offseason.
The Yankees do have some key pending free agents, which could free up openings to go and add other impact players to replace them.
New York Yankees Predicted to Sign Luis Arraez
The Yankees could use another second baseman like Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is a pending free agent, and it seems likely he will be playing elsewhere.
Ahead of free agency opening, MLB analyst John Harper of SNY predicted the Yankees will sign Luis Arraez to fill the second baseman void.
“Luis Arraez: Yankees. This feels like a move the Yanks really need to make,” Harper wrote. “For a team that strikes out too much and never seems to get enough timely hitting in the postseason, Arraez offers an obvious solution as perhaps the best pure contact hitter in the majors. And he improved his defense dramatically last season, ranking high in various defensive metrics as a second baseman. That, plus his bat, makes him a better option at the position than Anthony Volpe.
“Arraez, who sports a .316 career batting average, also added some slug to his contact bat, with a career-high .419 slugging percentage to go with hitting .310 last season. And he only struck out 28 times in 655 plate appearances, putting him in the 100th percentile among all major leaguers in strikeout and swing-and-miss percentage. The Yankees seemingly have to try something different in October to win their first championship since 2009. Arraez, who turns 30 in April, is an intriguing option.”
Signing Arraez would be a bold move, but one that could make sense. He’s a three-time batting champion. So he could get on-base for the power hitters like Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Ben Rice.
Arraez is also a four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
New York Extends GM Brian Cashman
Ahead of the offseason, the Yankees gave general manager Brian Cashman an extension.
Cashman said the deal is nearly finished, but everything is locked and loaded. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, meanwhile, felt like Cashman deserved the extension, despite another early playoff exit.
“Well, look, Cash is great every season,” Steinbrenner said. “I think the roster he put together, the team that we rolled out of spring training with, was as good as any in baseball, in my opinion. We had a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, but the team was fantastic, and it was a world championship-caliber team.”
Cashman will now be tasked with adding more talent and helping New York win its first World Series since 2009.
New York Yankees Predicted to Sign 3-Time Batting Champ in Bold Offseason Move