3 bold predictions for the New York Yankees at the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings
The New York Yankees are expected to be active this offseason and nothing is out of the question for GM Brian Cashman, especially at the winter meetings.
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.
New York Yankees sign Cody Bellinger
At the trade deadline, the Yankees needed a left-handed bat and Cody Bellinger was an option, but the Chicago Cubs decided to hold onto the outfielder and just missed out on making the playoffs.
He had a big season in Chicago this season, slashing .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI. It was a career year in terms of batting average, two percentage points higher than in 2019 when he clubbed 47 home runs and drove in 115 for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His swing is made for Yankee Stadium and the short porch in right field and he showed what his swing would look like with a home run on July 7 at Yankee Stadium in a Cubs win. If healthy, he could hit over 30 homers and his defense will be an upgrade that what New York currently has.
Of course, Cashman could just go ahead and swing a deal with A.J. Preller and acquire Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, who is entering the final year of his contract. Signing Bellinger to a multi-year deal is the better option for the Yankees than just one season of Soto will will more than likely seek free agency after next season.
New York Yankees trade Gleyber Torres
Shortstop Anthony Volpe had an impressive rookie season that ended with him falling short in the American League Rookie of the Year Award to Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles. Volpe proved that he was ready to handle the position full-time in the Bronx.
Oswald Peraza is the future at second base as Volpe’s partner up the middle and is on the cusp of breaking into the majors full-time. His rise makes Gleyber Torres tradable and now is the time for Cashman to sell high on him.
A two-time All-Star, he had 25 home runs and 68 RBI for the Yankees and a deal for him could get them a pitcher that is needed. He is expected to cash in on a big payday and it doesn’t make sense for Cashman to give him the money when there are younger options at manager Aaron Boone’s disposal. Moving Torres makes sense this season to fill a need to get New York to contend in a loaded AL East next season.
Friday, the Yankees made a minor move by trading outfielder Jake Bauers to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league outfielders Jace Avina and Brian Sánchez. That is only the beginning on what can come this winter in the Bronx.
You can bet that the Yankees are going to be tied to a lot of players in rumors, but signing Rodriguez and Bellinger fills needs and won’t be overly expensive while trading Torres opens up salary space. It’s going to be a very interesting offseason in the Bronx and it feels like Cashman needs to act like his job is on the line.
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