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The Yankees have been hit hard by the injury bug this spring, particularly in the rotation. But general manager Brian Cashman downplayed the po sibility of the club going outside the organization to get help, per and . Cashman said that very little is available on the pitching market at this time of year and that the Yanks will rely on what we have. While he did say they would explore other options, he admitted that tax penalties make it le s likely they go with an external addition. At this point, the rotation challenges are well known. The club lost their ace for the entire season and perhaps some of next year, with undergoing Tommy John surgery today. , last years Rookie of the Year, has a lat strain that could keep him out for roughly three months. Even deeper down the depth chart, is out with broken ribs while prospect also required Tommy John surgery. That leaves the Yanks with a rotation of , , and . Candidates for a fifth spot include , and , as well as non-roster invitees like and . That could still be a solid rotation but its obviously le s imposing without Cole or Gil. Cashman admits that the club cant afford to take too many more injury hits. That Brooks Lee Jersey has led to speculation about how the club will respond. Free agency still features guys like , , and others. Guys like , , or might be attainable via trade. Cashmans comments suggest he isnt going to make a move just for the sake of doing one. Its po sible these comments were made for posturing purposes, as he wouldnt be helping his bargaining position by admitting hes desperate to bring in another arm. However, it does seem as though the Yankees hit their spending limit. They were an on-paper fit for adding an infielder and were connected to guys like and . Polanco landed with the Mariners on a modest $7.75MM guarantee while Rodgers settled for a minor league deal with the Astros. The Yankees were connected to various relievers this winter but invested very little in their bullpen. They added in a fairly cash-neutral deal that sent to the Brewers. They sent to the Reds for , a deal that saved them money. They made modest one-year investments in and . has the clubs payroll at $285MM and their competitive balance tax figure at $305MM. They finished 2024 at $303MM and $313MM in those categories respectively, but likely want to save some wiggle room for in-season additions. As Cashman alluded to, the club faces a high tax bill. As third-time payors above the $301MM top threshold of the CBT, they face a 110% tax on anything they add. The pitching market has softened from earlier in the winter. Guys like and have recently signed deals in the $4-6MM range, well below the expectations from the start of the offseason. But for the Yankees, giving someone like Gibson a hypothetical $5MM deal would actually cost them more than $10MM, when factoring in the taxes. Theres also the question of what kind of performance can be expected out of a guy signing this late. Both Montgomery and signed well into spring last year and both struggled out of the gate. Snell got back on track in the second half but Montgomery never did, finishing the year with a 6.23 earned run average. Trading for a pitcher who is stretched out in some other clubs camp wouldnt come with that concern but each of Cease, Montgomery, Walker and Alcntara have eight-figure salaries for the upcoming year, meaning the CBT hit would be even greater than the available free agent options. It all makes for a tricky situation as the Yankees approach the start of the season. The rotation has clearly been hit and isnt in an ideal place. Upgrades are justifiable on paper but Cashman cant do much if ownership wont extend his budget. Carlos Santana Jersey |
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发表于 2026-1-21 18:35:37