Yankees' Brian Cashman Claims New York Finished Second In Superstar Sweepstakes

It sounds like the New York Yankees were very close to landing one of the top free agents this offseason.

New York entered the offseason hoping to improve the outfield and starting rotation. The Yankees have done both and have had a successful offseason. While this is the case, they were close to landing another star. 

The Yankees attempted to land former Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto but missed out as he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York reportedly offered Yamamoto a massive deal, but couldn't come to terms. 

It's not that the Yankees weren't close, though. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made it sound like the club finished in second place for the young star while appearing on the "Talkin' Yanks" podcast.

“We were confident we did everything we possibly could," Cashman said. "He came down to a very difficult decision between us and the Dodgers. We did everything right but we can't necessarily simulate California West Coast."

New York pivoted and signed two-time All-Star Marcus Stroman to help the rotation. The Yankees have been linked to other starters since and there's a real chance another deal gets done.

Star hurlers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery still are available and both have been linked to the Yankees. 

Landing Yamamoto would've been an amazing pickup for the Yankees. They seemed like the favorite to land his services, but Los Angeles was able to get a deal done instead.

New York still is in a much better spot, but landing Yamamoto certainly would've helped.