The New York Yankees need to address the depleting pitching depth as much as they addressed outfield concerns this off-season. While the outfield lineup is sealed for the impending MLB season, the starting rotation is still incomplete, with only Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Nestor Cortes floated as permanent pieces.
Having said that, it’s not that the Yankees didn’t try. The front office pulled every string they could to land Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, the extra $25 million added by the Dodgers at the last minute led to a fallout. Nonetheless, the Yanks can fetch a better option with extensive MLB experience, given Hal Steinbrenner is up for another trade.
Yankees Linked To Corbin Burnes Despite Future Uncertainty!
Milwaukee Brewers superstar staring pitcher Corbin Burnes is the new talk of the town as the rumors about his alleged trade have gained momentum. Burnes, a former CY Young awardee and a three-time All-Star, is contracted until 2025 but has hit arbitration this off-season. Since the Brewers have yet to officiate his contract, rumors have it that Burnes has perhaps been put on the trade block. If such is the case, the New York Yankees have emerged as the top landing spot. Zachary Rymer of Bleacher’s Report says that if Yanks succeeds in trading him this off-season, the next obvious step is to seek an extension. However, Burnes is not very keen.
In a recent podcast with Foul Territory, the pitcher said that it would take a mind-boggling offer to convince him not to explore free agency post-2024 season. “This is probably going to scare some teams off, but the Yankees shouldn’t be one of them,” adds Rymer. He explained that the Yankees had already committed to big risk by signing Juan Soto on a one-year rental deal. So why can’t they emulate the same with Burnes if winning the championship in the 2024 season is really the end goal? Having said that, Corbin Burnes is really the candidate who could bolster the team’s pitching rotation. He posted a 3.39 ERA across 32 starts in 2023. Not only that, the pitcher has maintained an ERA lower than 3.50 in the past three seasons while pitching 28+ starts. Thus, Corbin Burnes is the risk worth taking for the Bronx Bombers this off-season.
Yanks Fall Back Option To Meet Teams On New Year!
After the Yoshinobu Yamamoto pursuit fell apart, the New York Yankees sorted out a couple of fallback options. Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga was one of them. He got posted earlier this month, and his deadline is set to expire on January 11. Thus, ahead of the deadline, the pitcher has set a timeline for negotiations with interested teams.
As per Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Shota Imanaga will start meeting teams right after the new year. Moreover, the teams such as the Yankees and the Mets that fell short on Yamamoto will contest for Imanaga. While Shota is no Yamamoto, he offers intriguing services that will be hard for teams to resist if they are eyeing a good starting pitcher this off-season.
