The Winter Meetings in National Harbor, Md. have come to a close and the New York Yankees have answered only a few blinding questions.
The total chaos that is the Winter Meetings have finally reached its conclusion and the New York Yankees appear to have their roster primarily filled out.Ending with the Rule-5 Draft, in which the Yankees lost four players during the MLB phase and three during the minor league phase, general manager Biran Cashman and the rest of the front office will now head on home and evaluate the remainder of the offseason.
Matt Holliday and Aroldis Chapman were the big moves made this week but no one can declare them as having a “successful” time down in National Harbor.
Their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, seemed to have made the big move in trading for ace Chris Sale which leaves New York as an immediate afterthought in the AL East.
That, of course, left the Cashman party with some questions as they scattered from the Gaylord National Resort on Thursday:
Will Holliday, Chapman and the Baby Bombers be enough to ensure a successful season? Should they have made more moves? What should we expect from now until Spring Training?
Today, ESNY breaks down what every Yankees’ fan should take away from 2016’s Winter Meetings:
Two Primary Goals? Check.
Heading into the Winter Meetings, Cashman was confronted with two holes in need of filling.
The DH vacancy left by the deal that sent Brian McCann to Houston and an opening at closer — which was apparently unoccupied thanks to Dellin Betances’ conflicts last September.
By the end of the uncontrolled atmosphere at the Gaylord National Resort, Matt Holliday was signed on a one-year, $13 million and Aroldis Chapman was summoned back to the Bronx for five years, costing $86 million.
Holliday will take over the DH duties while being the backup left fielder. He played 84 games in left and 10 at first base a year ago.
This suggests that Girardi can still keep it flexible with Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird, as the catcher and the recovering first baseman can still receive time at DH. Additionally, Holliday’s capability in left field can promote Cashman to deal Brett Gardner — a topic of discussion for later in this piece.
Not to mention his more than a proficient bat (20 home runs in 2016) on the short term, which makes his deal more than reasonable.
Chapman, who struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings with the Yankees before being traded to Chicago, creates a dynamic duo at the back-end of New York’s bullpen with Dellin Betances.
The three-time all-star setup man will return to his natural habitat with Tyler Clippard and Adam Warren providing Chapman/Betances with a formidable middle relief unit — a luxury “No-Runs DMC” never had.
These two moves may help the Yankees accomplish what seems to be their main goal for 2017: stay in the hunt while assessing the highly touted youth making their way up the ladder.
Staying Put.
Earlier in the offseason, the front office expressed their interest in dealing Chase Headley, a slant that has since been changed.
On Thursday morning, Cashman stated how he will “pass on and keep Chase [Headley]” after receiving calls but inadequate proposals for the 2012 National League All-Star.
In 2016, while Headley didn’t hit an extra-base hit until May 12 and maintained a .178/.265/.178 slash line leading up to that day, he would go on to hit 14 homers for the rest of the year and sustain a respectable .268/.344/.432 batting line.
The switch-hitter’s on-base plus slugging percentage (.716) was the highest it was since 2013 and his defensive runs above average increased from -0.7 in 2015 to 8.6 (third in AL) last season.
Headley is signed through 2018 on a four-year, $52 million contract signed on December 15, 2014, but the odds of moving that salary appears to be eliminated by Cashman indicating that he’ll continue to man the hot corner in the Bronx.
No Help On The Way?
Thanks to the poor supply of impact arms out on the market, Cashman has made it clear that bringing in a rotation savior is plausible.
“I think it’s less likely that we wind up with a starter,” Cashman told Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record. “It’s a tough market to be finding one.”
Instead of going out and spending or selling any appraised prospects for a starter, it appears as though manager Joe Girardi’s rotation will consist of young arms that have experienced a taste of big league success.
Of course, that comes after the three apparent locks in Masahiro Tanaka, who maintained the third best ERA in the AL in 2016, CC Sabathia,who’s coming off his season since 2012, and Michael Pineda, who was the AL Leader in K/9.
Following them on the depth chart to battle for the last two spots in Spring Training will presumably be Luis Severino, Luis Cessa and Chad Green.
As far as reinforcements other than the aforementioned squad? Don’t count on it.
You’re more likely to see Adam Warren, Jordan Montgomery or Dietrich Enns get a shot more than you’re chances of seeing Jason Hammel or any outsiders step in.
Most Likely To Be Traded?
While Cashman was shutting down the idea of a Headley trade and explaining how the Yankees’ heavy lifting is done, he kept the possibility of dealing Brett Gardner very much alive.
According to Bryan Hoch, Cashman said New York will ride in a steadfast cruise control for the remainder of the offseason “unless I trade (Brett) Gardner.”
The 33-year-old left fielder has two years and $25 million dwelling on what’s considered to be a decently fair contract which includes a club option of $12.5 million for 2019 and a $2 million buyout.
Last season, Gardner slashed .261/.351/.362 with his highest on-base percentage since 2010 and while no specific teams were mentioned by the Yankees’ GM (Baltimore was a rumor), it is reasonable to field offers and try to make a deal.
Heck, every single fan hopes the highly touted Clint Frazier takes over as soon as this season.
Should Cashman pursue a deal, anticipate the Yankees to target a starting pitcher since, as mentioned, only three spots are locked down as we are 66 days from Feb. 13, the day pitchers and catchers report to Tampa.
As far as Gardner’s replacement, Mason Williams, Tyler Austin and Aaron Hicks could fill the void in left field before Frazier is ready to take over.
What do you think, Yankees’ fans? Are you satisfied, or disappointed by how this year’s Winter Meetings went? Are there any moves you would have made? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.