Are the Yankees on the brink of a big move?
General manager Brian Cashman was scheduled to appear on MLB Network Tuesday afternoon during the Winter Meetings in Dallas, but host Greg Amsinger said he left three minutes before the broadcast began.
This immediately sparked speculation that the Yankees were working on a trade.
“He's starting to move. Something is starting to sink in,” analyst Mark DeRosa said. “Honestly, without a doubt, he would be here otherwise.”
The Yankees entered the Plan B phase of the offseason after spending weeks trying to convince Juan Soto to stay in the Bronx, but he ended up signing a record 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets. I signed a contract and decided to move to another district. If the 26-year-old's opt-out is revoked after five years, the total would rise to $805 million.
Soto also receives a $75 million signing bonus that is exempt from state income taxes because he resides in Florida.
The Yankees offered him 760 million dollars for 2016, with a contract bonus of 60 million dollars.
Free agent pitchers like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried are at the forefront of the rotation, and Garrett Crochet of the White Sox has a trade option.
Offensively, the Post's Joel Sherman reported on Tuesday that they are in talks with free agent first baseman Christian Walker.
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Mets slugger Pete Alonso is also a potential free agent first baseman.
The Yankees missed out on a chance to acquire infielder Willie Adames, who agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants on Saturday, while they remained in the sweepstakes for Soto.
Cashman said he and Soto want to be aggressive in upgrading the roster that lost to the Dodgers in the World Series, but acknowledged there are limits.
“Usually you have to step out of your comfort zone [in free agency]” Cashman said Monday. “But at the same time, we don't want to be drunk sailors. We want to do everything we can to grow the team.”
