The New York Yankees had a tough outing in 2023. They failed to make the postseason. It was for the first time since 2016 that the Bronx Bombers could not go past the regular season. Moreover, they narrowly managed to maintain the streak of winning seasons. This year, the NY side finished with 82-80. It has been a tremendous pain to swallow for the fans of the most successful side in the history of the league. But what can anybody do about it?
Now, the Bronx Bombers are looking to reshuffle the roster. They waived six players already. The Yankees need to create more cap space if they want to sign the biggest free agents available in the market. A star outfielder that the Yankees had eyes on is Cody Bellinger. As per rumours, the NY side is the favourite to sign him this off-season.
Yankees Will Likely Land The Biggest Offensive Free Agent
Moreover, the 27-time champions are looking to bolster their offense. They had the second-worst batting average in the major league last season. Only the Oakland Athletics were worse than the NY side. Hence, Cody Bellinger is the ideal choice to solve this issue because he’s the biggest offensive player available in the current free agency after Shohei Ohtani. As per Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, the Yankees and also the San Francisco Giants are the favorites to sign the Chicago Cubs star. Moreover, the NY side would love to see the first baseman/center fielder roam their outfield along with Juan Soto.
Since the last season, rumors linked Bellinger with the Yankees. But the Cubs didn’t want to trade him then. However, he’s available again, and the Bronx Bombers again have shown interest in him. For a long time, there has been a rumor that linked the Yankees with Juan Soto, who currently represents the San Diego Padres. Moreover, the Yankees have been looking for a star lefty outfielder like Soto. But the Padres might not want to trade him this offseason. Hence, the NY side needs to look elsewhere.
Perhaps The Buffaloes Phenom Is Coming To New York
Moreover, Nightengale also suggests that the phenom from the Orix Buffaloes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, may sign with the Yankees after all. For a long time, the Yankees had been trying to land the 25-year-old pitcher. But now, apparently, the NY side has a good chance to land him. As per rumors, the Buffaloes will post Yamamoto on Monday. Then, a lot of teams will target the top free agent. After a terrible 2023 season, the NY side looks to redeem themselves. All they can do is just move on and make significant changes in the organization.
That’s what the owner and GM were talking about early in the offseason. Hal Steinbrenner mentioned the Yankees will bring changes in the personnel and some others as well. Echoing the owner, captain Aaron Judge also said that he wants to lead the team to the “Big Dance.” Moreover, the 27-time champions have not made it to the World Series in a really long time. The last time they did was back in 2009, when they actually won it for the 27th time. Things just got worse for the Yankees as they could not make the postseason either this year.
