The Yankees have made their second real move of the offseason, the first, of course, being the blockbuster re-signing of Ahmed Rosario, by trading for left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers. The Marlins were willing to part ways with Weathers in exchange for three prospects in the Yankees’ farm system: Brenden Jones, Dillon Lewis, and Juan Matheus. The trio of top 30-ranked prospects in the Yankees’ system landed the Bronx Bombers a 26-year-old relief pitcher who experienced moderate success the last two seasons on flat-out bad Marlins teams. Since his first full season in Miami, the lefty has pitched 125.0 innings in 24 games, sporting an impressive 116 ERA+.
The truth of the matter is that while this move is not the move that most Yankees fans were expecting or hoping the front office would make, it is a necessary one. Weathers is a young, inexpensive, quality pitcher who will serve an important role on this Yankees squad, especially in the beginning part of the season, while some of the other key members of the starting rotation recover from their respective injuries (Rodon, Cole, Schmidt). Additionally, I am a believer in the old baseball adage that you can never have too many left-handed pitchers.
Now, into the nitty-gritty: what do the Yanks do from here? If you haven’t been following the drama involving the MLB’s top free agents this offseason as they pertain to the New York Yankees, allow me to briefly recap:
Cody Bellinger:
After one season in New York, Bellinger and the Yankees reportedly have reached an impasse in negotiations. According to John Heyman, the Yanks offered Bellinger a 5-year deal totalling $155 million, while the outfielder is looking for a deal that keeps him under contract for 7 years. As a result, the two parties are allegedly in a standoff.
Kyle Tucker:
Perhaps the top prize of this offseason’s free agent pool, Kyle Tucker, is receiving attention from several contending ball clubs. The Mets have reportedly offered the outfielder a 3-year contract worth $50 million per season, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, while the defending AL champion Blue Jays have offered the former Astro and Cub a more long-term contract. As always, the Dodgers are involved as well.
Bo Bichette:
After much speculation, the Blue Jays’ star infielder has seemingly narrowed his preferred destinations down to three: the Red Sox, the Phillies, and the Blue Jays. The Jays and Sox have both made big acquisitions on the pitching end, bringing in Dylan Cease and Ranger Suarez, respectively, but whiffed on inking free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
What do these three players have in common? They were all connected to the Yankees in the fall and are now all seemingly headed to play for other ball clubs. There is a world where these three high-profile free agents all sign with AL East teams that are not the New York Yankees. Which begs yet another question: What are the Yankees doing? Personally, I have no clue, but more concerningly, it seems like the Yankees’ front office doesn’t either.