The 2023 season was that will create change for the New York Yankees. They spent a part of the second half in the basement of the American League East and if it wasn’t for a September slump by the Boston Red Sox, they could have ended up there when the season concluded.
Instead, the Yankees took advantage of Boston’s struggles and put together a good final month of the season and finished in fourth place. That is still not a position that they are used to or happy with. That is going to cause some offseason changes and most likely some pretty big ones. GM Brian Cashman will head to Nashville in a couple of weeks for the Winter Meetings and expect some business to be done.
Here are three bold predictions for the Yankees at the meetings.
New York Yankees sign Eduardo Rodriguez
Eduardo Rodriguez opted out of his deal with the Detroit Tigers (and who could blame him) and is a free agent. He left three years and $49 million on the table to look for a new home in 2024.
The Yankees need pitching after there were a lot of questions after Gerrit Cole and his Cy Young season. Rodriguez would be a dependable left-handed arm in the rotation and the former Boston Red Sox hurler is coming off a good season with the Tigers.
He went 13-9 for Detroit with a 3.30 ERA in 152.2 innings pitched before being shut down in September for a team long eliminated from the postseason with an injury. New York can look to make a big pitching splash with Aaron Nola, but Rodriguez could be a cheaper option.
Another option is going after Jordan Montgomery again, but it seems like that ship has sailed for good and Rodriguez would be a more durable option to take the ball every fifth day.