Winter Meetings will officially commence next week. Several teams, including the New York Yankees, are expected to reach a consensus on a couple of free-agency targets. Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is one of them. However, his timeline exceeded the winter meeting window, which suggests that Yamamoto won’t sign until or after Christmas.
Nevertheless, the Yankees can still go after the likes of Cody Bellinger, Juan Soto, and many other high-end names. Having said that, acquiring high-end names comes with its own set of challenges, primarily monetary hurdles. Thus, ahead of the meetings in Nashville, Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner opened up on how much he is willing to spend this free agency to build a robust lineup.
Hal Steinbrenner Hints At Building Younger Lineup For Next Season!
As the MLB offseason gathers momentum, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has made it clear that the team is gearing up for an active role in free agency. In the latest interview with MLB.com, the owner said the club will remain active in the free agency market as always. “As always, [when] money comes off the payroll, my family does everything we can to put it back in. That’s not going to be any different this year,” said Steinbrenner. Having said that, Hal once again reaffirmed that the Bombers are not willing to build a roster worth $300 million of total payroll as he does not believe that spending such a hefty amount is necessary to win a world championship.
Hal Steinbrenner also cited the examples of the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers to validate his point. Further, the ownership dropped hints on the potential structure of the 2024 season’s lineup. Hal confirmed the return of Baby Bombers 2.0 in 2024. The Yankees lineup will be relatively younger compared to 2023, as a couple of players inducted during September will be a part of the opening day lineup. Not only that, Steinbrenner promised to back those thriving prospects as strongly as they did with Anthony Volpe. “I don’t know how many of them, but we are going to get younger,” said Steinbrenner. Undoubtedly, the ownership’s words days ahead of the winter meetings have reignited new hope amongst the Yankee fanbase, who are desperate to witness necessary changes.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Playing Chasing Game With Yankees!
Meanwhile, the New York Yankees’ most sought-after free agency, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is playing hard to get. Initially, only the Yanks were drooling over Yamamoto. But as soon as the pitcher made it to MLB, he has been receiving extensive attention from almost half of the league. Now, eyeing the increasing attention, Yamamoto has upped his stakes.
Apparently, he would only sign after the winter meeting, as he is in Japan. Yoshinobu will meet with interested teams virtually and will visit the USA only once a list of shortlisted candidates is finalized. This process could take weeks, and thus, the Yankees are not expected to sign Yamamoto until or after Christmas break. Also, now that the competition has soared, the Yank’s odds of landing Yamamoto have also lowered significantly.