Yankees’ latest rumors point to a club in decline as AL East foes grow stronger

Christmas has come and gone, and by the looks of it, Santa missed the Bronx. This year, fans of the New York Yankees found nothing under the tree or in their stockings. However, St. Nick could hardly be blamed for the Yankees' excruciatingly underwhelming offseason.

By all appearances, the Yankees are looking to field the same team that failed last season, albeit with a few subtractions. Their focus now is to retain star outfielder Cody Bellinger. How are they doing on that front?

According to New York baseball insider Jack Curry, the Yankees are taking a “wait and see approach.” As such a statement would suggest, nothing is certain. However, this likely means the Yankees are out on Kyle Tucker.

While the wait drags on, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has laid a few of his cards on the table— and Yankee fans are not enthusiastic. 

Latest news and rumors from the Bronx 

After re-signing Ryan Yarbrough, the Yankees have been noticeably quiet on the pitching market. According to Curry, the team has not attempted to contact Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai. Imai pitched to a 1.92 ERA in Japan’s NPB last season and was previously thought to be a target of interest. 

As a potential backup plan to signing Cody Bellinger, the Yankees have reportedly shown interest in outfielder Austin Hays, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. Hays hit .266/.315/.453 with 16 home runs in 380 at-bats with the Reds last year.

The Yankees re-signed Amed Rosario, a capable middle-infielder, but will be trying him at first base. He will likely replace Paul Goldschmidt as Ben Rice’s platoon mate, pointing towards a blatant, budget-minded approach. Rosario hit .276/.309/.436 with six home runs as a member of the Nationals and Yankees last year. In 191 plate appearances, he only walked 10 times, but his plate presence is still favorable compared to Rice when facing lefties. 

In a small flurry of minor-league depth moves, the Yankees have reportedly signed Mexican League MVP Nick Torres. Torres, who spent five seasons in the minors, broke out in Mexico, hitting .347/.425/.730 with 27 home runs in 326 at-bats this past year. His success in Mexico makes him a truly intriguing addition to the Yankees, but given his flexibility (Torres can play first base and the outfield), it makes one wonder if he is an inexpensive Bellinger backup plan who may or may not pan out. 

Having made very little movement this winter, the Yankees have seemingly ignored their unstable bullpen (4.37 ERA last season). With the recent signing of Pete Fairbanks by the Marlins, the opportunity to add a reliable bullpen arm seems to be past them.

What this means for the Yankees 

The AL East has been at the center of this winter’s offseason action. The Blue Jays bolstered their pitching staff in a major way, acquiring two of the top arms on the market in starter Dylan Cease and reliever Tyler Rogers. The Red Sox managed to score Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras in trades with the Cardinals. The Baltimore Orioles brought in a haul of Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, Ryan Helsley, Shane Baz and Andrew Kittredge, among others.

In this hotly contested division, three teams have clearly gotten stronger. The Yankees, on the other hand, have grown weaker, adding doubt to their standing as contenders. The offseason isn’t over yet, but if these developments say anything about the Yankees, it’s that fans shouldn’t expect anything extravagant.