The New York Yankees need to have a great offseason this year. After all, they are looking for redemption. The last season was one of the worst in the NY side’s history. They earned an extra month in the offseason because they failed to make the postseason. Moreover, they barely managed to win the regular season. The Bronx Bombers were 82-80. It was a tremendous shame because the 27-time champions expected to be a contender prior to the 2023 season. But the team eventually disappointed the fans again. Moreover, the NY side is famous for making the dominoes fall. But lately, in the offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies re-signed Aaron Nola. The Bronx Bombers were one of the contenders to sign Nola if the Phillies had traded him in the free agency.
However, re-signing Nola was the first big move of the current free agency. Hence, the Yankees would like to get back to the role of making dominoes fall. What are the moves that can help them do that? As per ESPN, the Yankees can look at a couple of international deals to help them improve their offseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the one everybody’s talking about. The NY side has a good chance of acquiring him. But other than Yamamoto, there are two Japanese players whom the Yankees can target this offseason.
Two International Deals That Can Make Key Differences For The Yankees This Offseason
According to ESPN, another pitcher, Shota Imanaga, can be a good choice for the NY side. ESPN estimates Imanaga can sign with the Yankees for a four-year deal worth $68 million. Moreover, the Yokohama DeNa Baystars should post Imanaga shortly. He may not be as famous as Yamamoto, but he did start and earn the win for Japan against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic championship. Imanaga is a two-time All-Star and has a 3.18 career ERA. On the other hand, ESPN believes the other player the Yankees should target is the Korean Jung-Hoo Lee.
ESPN estimates the NY side can sign Lee for a five-year deal worth $63 million. The Kiwoom Heroes player in the Korea Baseball Organization must be a free agent soon. Lee suffered a left ankle injury that ended his 2023 season. In 86 games, he managed to hit only six homers. However, last year, Lee was the KBO MVP. He had a slash line of .349/.421/.575 in 2022. Albeit, neither Lee nor Imanaga are major splashes. But they can be the players whom the Yankees might need to fill in the gaps in their roster.
Big Changes Coming Up This Offseason For The NY Side
It has been a long time since the Yankees made it to the “Big Dance.” Albeit, in the league’s history, the Bronx Bombers are the most successful team in terms of World Series wins. But the last time the Yankees won or appeared in the World Series was back in 2009. Hence, it has been more than a decade wait for the fans to see their team go the distance. To get themselves out of darkness, the Yankees would like to make significant changes in the roster as well as in the coaching and analytics department.
Moreover, the Yankees are in desperate need of elite lefty hitters. They have close eyes on Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres and Cody Bellinger of the Chicago Cubs. But only hitters won’t win the franchise games or any series. They need quality pitchers as well. However, the Bronx Bombers have plenty of options for pitchers who they can even use for trade assets.