The New York Yankees are looking to make significant changes this offseason. They did not have a season to remember this year. In fact, it is better if they forget about it as soon as possible and just move on. But it should be like a wake-up call for the Bronx Bombers that they need to reshuffle their roster. However, the owner, Hal Steinbrenner, mentioned they’ll make some changes in the personnel and some outside the personnel. But the fans are waiting for a new and strong roster that can make the postseason next year with ease. The Yankees not only want to make the postseason but also get to the World Series. They’ve won the World Series the most times in the league but have not made it to that stage since 2009.
Moreover, captain Aaron Judge previously said that the goal is to make it to the “Big Dance.” After Derek Jeter, Judge became the captain of the Yankees, and he felt a lot of pressure as his team failed to make the postseason this year. Hence, Judge knows that his team needs reinforcements in their offense as well as defense. In terms of batting average, the Yankees were the second-worst in 2023. It has been a tremendous shame for a franchise like the Yankees. They need elite hitters, and they’ve their eyes on superstars like lefty Juan Soto or even Cody Bellinger. But the Yankees also need quality pitchers. Lately, they waived pitcher Domingo German. Hence, to balance things in the pitching department, the Yankees will have a close eye on a few quality pitchers this offseason.
Pitchers That The Yankees Can Sign In Free Agency Or Just Trade For
Most of all, the Yankees should consider signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency. It’ll be a pretty good rotation move for them. This winter, the Yankees should consider Yamamoto as their top priority. Moreover, he’s just 25 years old. The Japanese pitcher might be worth $200 million. Most importantly, free-agent stars generally don’t start from 25 years of age. Moreover, Yamamoto won the Sawamura Award the last three times. In seven seasons, Yamamoto has a career 1.82 ERA. On top of that, the Orix Buffaloes mentioned they would post him as he’ll be eligible to join an MLB team. He’s too good and too young for the Yankees to pass on.
Besides, Yamamoto, the Yankees should also consider signing back lefty Jordan Montgomery. If Carlos Rodon and Cortes stay in the rotation, adding Montgomery would give the Yankees three quality lefty pitchers. Montgomery will be 31 in the next December. In 2023, he had a 3.20 ERA in 188.2 innings. The Yankees should not consider him a mid-rotation starter anymore. Shane Bieber is also a good prospect if he becomes a free agent next season. He’ll turn 29 in May. In July, Bieber sustained an injury. Later, he pitched only twice and made two starters in September. After 21 starts, Bieber had a 3.80 ERA. In 2020, he was pretty dominant as he won the AL Cy Young Award. But he didn’t have much overwhelming success since then.
Aaron Nola And Lance Lynn Can Also Be Good Prospects
Moreover, the current Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola should get an offer from the Yankees when he reaches free agency. But there’s a risk with Nola, as he gave up 32 home runs last season and also will be 31 next June. He was a great prospect in 2018. But Nola might not be the same pitcher anymore. However, Nola is pretty reliable and is comfortable in big moments, as he proved in the 2022 World Series. Moreover, the Yankees can also sign Lance Lynn.
He needs some good coaches to get him ready for the league. Lynn had a poor outing in the previous MLB seasons. He gave up MLB worst 44 home runs last season. However, the Yankees can hope to see the 36-year-old pitcher get more strikeouts. For the White Sox and the Dodgers this year, Lynn got 191 strikeouts in 183.2 innings. In that way, he is the 20th-best pitcher in the league. Anyway, the Yankees should accept any pitching help they can get.
