Yankees Will Come To Regret Offseason Strategy Used During Free Agency

The New York Yankees suffered a massive loss this past offseason when right fielder Juan Soto departed in free agency, agreeing to a historic 15-year, $765 million deal with the crosstown rival New York Mets.

His departure created a huge void in the lineup. He and Aaron Judge were one of the most productive duos in MLB history, with Judge taking home his second American League MVP Award and Soto finishing third.

The job that general manager Brian Cashman did to pivot and upgrade other areas of the roster following Soto’s decision was praised.

An emphasis was placed on pitching and defense, which was their ultimate downfall during the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a series they lost in five games.

Cody Bellinger was acquired from the Chicago Cubs to take over in center field, pushing Judge back to right field. Those are two sizable defensive upgrades, along with Paul Goldschmidt taking over at first base for Anthony Rizzo.

On the mound, Max Fried was signed away from the Atlanta Braves with the largest contract in baseball history for a left-handed pitcher. All-Star closer Devin Williams was acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers as well.

Injuries have kept the plan from coming all the way together, but there was a good amount of talent added to the roster this past winter.

Unfortunately, there is one massive hole that remains in their lineup at third base.

It was perplexing that the team was comfortable going into the season with DJ LeMahieu as the starter at the hot corner. That plan lasted two at-bats into spring training before he got injured again.

That has pushed Oswaldo Cabrera, their most versatile bench piece, into essentially an everyday role at third base, with Oswald Peraza and Pablo Reyes taking some at-bats as well.

To this point, no one has risen to the occasion to be the surefire everyday starter at the position. And, it is something for which there is no one to blame but themselves.

As shared by The Yankees Superfan on X, broadcaster Michael Kay revealed that New York wanted to sign Willy Adames in free agency but passed on pursuing him as they waited for things to play out with Soto.

It was a topic of discussion because he ended up signing a seven-year, $182 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, who were paying a visit to Yankee Stadium over the weekend.

Adames went 2-for-10 in the series with one double, scoring three runs while drawing three walks and striking out three times.

He hasn’t gotten off to a great start with his new team, owning a .186/.269./.237 slash line without a single home run.

But, opting not to pursue him to address their biggest need is something the Yankees will come to regret if they don’t already.

The self-imposed spending limits that New York has compared to some of their big market peers, such as the Mets and Dodgers, cause understandable frustration within the fan base.