The New York Yankees on Friday signed free agent DJ LeMahieu and starting pitcher Corey Kluber in what will qualify as their biggest addition this winter. LeMahieu earned a brilliant two-year run in pinstripes, drawing for six years and $ 90 million. Kluber, meanwhile, will hope that his $ 11 million one-year deal will enable him to start his career after losing the most injuries over the past two seasons.
Although the Yankees have a better roster this weekend than just a few days ago, it’s clear Brian Cashman’s job was not done. Keeping this in mind, we need to evaluate their competitive balance sheet tax situation before addressing three needs.
The Yankees were able to decide with all their arbitration players, which means we see their tax number more clearly than we otherwise could. According to Cot’s Contracts, the Yankees are expected to have just under $ 6 million in breathing space between their current CBT number ($ 204 million) and the $ 210 million tax line.
That does not mean the Yankees can spend only $ 6 million ahead – remember that the CBT calculation is based on the average annual value anyway, and not on the total amount spent – or that they are even interested in avoiding taxes. They have regularly exceeded it since its installation, and it looks like they are going to do it again this year.
The question is how far the Yankees are prepared to use the penalty kick. Teams are fined 20 percent of their surplus the first time they exceed the mark – and that will be a first offense year for the Yankees – and then another 12 percent if they exceed the tax limit by more than $ 20 million. . There are stricter fines of $ 40 million or more, but the Yankees seem very unlikely to do so.
Hypothetically, the Yankees could have spent about $ 25 million and avoided the additional surtax. If they want to save about $ 10 million for seasonal additions and as a general rain fund, then that number is closer to $ 15 million. The Yankees could then fit another Kluber-like deal into their budget to save space.
What the Yankees cannot do – not without hitting their ticket to the surtax zone – is bring back veteran right-hander Masahiro Tanaka for a salary similar to what he earned during his MLB career ($ 20 plus million). Who could rather make the Yankees court? Let’s look at their options in different places, starting with the initial rotation.
1. Start rotation
The Yankees are expected to kick off a starting five that includes Gerrit Cole, Kluber – fine enough – and then a combination of Jordan Montgomery, Deivi Garcia and Domingo German, who did not pull up in 2020, while serving the rest of his suspension as a result of a violation of the league’s domestic violence policy.
The Yankees seem unlikely to turn shall contains the five names that appear on the opening day, according to plan or otherwise. The Yankees, for example, may point to Garcia’s age (21) and limited experience in Triple-A (40 overs) as reasons why he needs more time with minors – or, at least, in whatever form they come, in the spring a summer.
Assuming the Yankees have an open rotation to play with, they could theoretically fill it in by promoting another internal option – Michael King or Clarke Schmidt – or by introducing Luis Severino to the kraal sooner than expected. is (he is now 11 months into his recovery from the Tommy John surgery, a procedure that tends to take a year plus). The most likely outcome, however, seems to be that the Yankees want to make another addition from outside, whether through free trade or trade.
The notable candidate for free agent outside of Tanaka is James Paxton, another member of recent Yankees teams. Outside of him, the Yankees can look to people like Adam Wainwright, Jake Odorizzi, Taijuan Walker, Jose Quintana or Trevor Cahill.
As far as the trade front is concerned, Joe Musgrove, right-hand man of Pittsburgh Pirates, is the most realistic option. The Yankees are reportedly also interested in Musgrove’s teammate Jameson Taillon. In addition, the Yankees may have to gamble on someone without a good record, like Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Vincent Velasquez.
2. Bullpen
You can expect almost every fighting team to make at least one addition during the winter and before the deadline. The Yankees do not have the flexibility to do much more than that.
Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Chad Green and Luis Cessa are presumably locks to make the list. That leaves three spots behind if the Yankees have eight relievers: one could go to Albert Abreu, who is without options and must be subject to remission if he does not make the active roster; the other two could be filled by an internal competition between Jonathan Loaisiga, Nick Nelson, Ben Heller, Brooks Kriske and other arms already on the 40-player roster.
If the Yankees go outside the organization, they could look at a lower option: an Anthony Bass, a Tony Watson, a Tyler Clippard or even a Yusmeiro Petit. All four pitchers are at the bottom of our top 60 free agent rankings.
3. Bankie
The Yankees are also somewhat limited with what they can do on the bench. Back-up catcher Kyle Higashioka and fielder Mike Tauchman are both without options, suggesting they will each make the opening day schedule provided they are healthy. The other two spots belong to left-wing first baseman Mike Ford and terse player Tyler Wade.
If the Yankees are going to bump Ford or Wade against the minors – and Ford seems more likely due to its limited defensive value – then Miguel Andujar is the best candidate to take over. Andujar has not flourished since finishing second in the 2018 Rookie of the Year award, but he has added outfield in his defensive CV and could make his way back into the Yankees plans with a strong spring.
Another challenger for Ford’s place is field bowler Greg Allen, who recently acquired the Yankees from the San Diego Padres. Allen does not offer much at the table, but he has no options, and it goes without saying that the Yankees may consider him an immediate speed-and-D bench piece. This secondary value could give him an edge over Ford. (Allen’s presence also gives the Yankees coverage if they can not afford to bring Brett Gardner back on a cheap one-year deal.)
As for Wade, the only real internal threat to his place is Thairo Estrada, who showed some promise in 2019. The Yankees, as with most teams, would like to have a backup short stop on the bench. This suggests that Wade or Estrada made the cut.
Running back the same bullpen and bench is generally not the ideal outcome for the Yankees. But they may be willing to forfeit reality if it’s the rent they pay for retaining LeMahieu and adding Kluber and another valuable starting potion.