Grading the New York Yankees' Offseason Post-Winter Meetings
The sun has been shining and the weather has been warm these past few days in San Diego, California.
Most importantly, baseball moves have been made.
Every year some of baseball's most powerful people—owners, general managers, managers, agents and of course, players—make their way to the league's annual winter meetings to set the game's hot stove on fire. Getting to head out west and enjoying the temperate weather of "America's Finest City" is just a bonus.
Like San Diego's climate, the New York Yankees' offseason has also been relatively temperate. While both Chicago teams and division rivals like the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays have made quite the splashes, the Yanks have just been testing the waters while making less flashy moves.
With the winter meetings, and thus a significant part of the offseason gone by, it is time to grade how things are going for New York.
Re-Signing Chris Young
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One of the most exciting players to watch by the end of the Yankees' season last year was...Chris Young?
After hitting a dreadful .205 and being released by the New York Mets, the Bombers decided they would give the former Arizona Diamondback a shot for the month of September. After a few dramatic home runs and some sparkling plays in the field, Young started to get some attention.
He would go on to hit .282 with three homers and 10 RBI in 23 games for the Yankees, so they decided to bring him back on a one-year, $2.5 million deal.
If Young meets certain marks, he could earn up to $6.325 million based on incentives.
If all goes right, Young will serve as the team's fourth outfielder, replacing Ichiro Suzuki. He should be able to provide guys like Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury some days off in the field while also providing some pop off the bench.
Other than that, do not count on Young for too much. If he does anything more than that, Yankees fans should be thankful.
Trading Francisco Cervelli for Justin Wilson
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It sure seems like the Pittsburgh Pirates have a thing for being the next stop for catchers who call the Bronx home.
In the past few years the Pirates signed Russell Martin and traded for Chris Stewart. Francisco Cervelli became the latest New York backstop to make the switch when the Yankees agreed to ship him out in exchange for left-handed reliever Justin Wilson on Nov. 12.
Cervelli brought a strong defensive game to the Yankees, serving as the backup to Brian McCann and others in recent seasons. The 28-year-old also managed to handle the bat fairly well, hitting .301 in 49 games last season. With Martin moving on from Pittsburgh to Toronto in one of the previously mentioned splashes, Cervelli should have a chance to start behind the plate for the Pirates come spring training.
It should also mean that John Ryan Murphy will be named the Yankees' backup catcher by the time the season starts.
As for Wilson, the Yankees are getting a southpaw with power stuff who managed to make 128 appearances the past two seasons. With a career 8.3 K/9 ratio, Wilson should at the very least be a durable middle-innings guy capable of getting the ball by a few guys. Expect him to play a somewhat key role in a stacked Yankees bullpen led by Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances.
Overall, it was a fair, small-time deal for both sides.
Trading for Didi Gregorius
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Perhaps the most interesting move of the Yankees' offseason was the three-team trade they pulled off with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers that landed them shortstop Didi Gregorius.
To complete the deal, the Tigers sent lefty Robbie Ray and prospect Domingo Leyba to Arizona and acquired surprise Yankees standout Shane Greene. A one-time 15th-round draft pick, Green was impressive in his first taste of big league ball, going 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 15 games, 14 of which were starts.
But hey, you have to give up talent to get talent, right?
Heading into 2013, Gregorius was ranked as the 80th-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. That season he would hit .252 with seven home runs and 28 RBI. Now, he is succeeding Derek Jeter.
If Gregorius can put those numbers up in 2015 with the Yanks paying him close to minimum salary, that would be more than enough. Swinging from the left side, he could even see his power numbers go up at Yankee Stadium.
His real value, however, comes with the leather. Gregorius can pick it as well as anyone at shortstop and should have an immediate impact at the position defensively.
Greene may very well turn out to be a nice pitcher, but the guy the Yankees got back in return is going to be their shortstop for some time.
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Signing Andrew Miller
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In 2014, Andrew Miller established himself as one of the most dominant relief pitchers in baseball while dividing time between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
Now, he will be coming out of the Yankees bullpen after the team locked him up with a four-year, $36 million deal.
Like Wilson, Miller is a lefty, but do not deem him a specialist of any kind. Both righty and lefty hitters fear the guy, as Miller held his opponents to a mere .153 batting average last year. Miller also sported a 2.02 ERA, 0.802 WHIP and staggering 0.4 HR/9 and 14.9 K/9 ratios. The previous season he was just as good with the BoSox, putting up a 2.64 ERA and 14.1 K/9 mark.
Clearly, the 29-year-old is nothing short of a go-to, shutdown reliever when it gets late in the ballgame. With the addition of Miller and his deadly slider and mid-90s fastball, the Yankees should have one of the better pens in baseball in 2015.
Letting David Robertson Walk
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For the second winter in a row, the Yankees have lost a homegrown star to free agency.
News broke at the winter meetings that closer David Robertson would be bolting the Bronx in favor of the Chicago White Sox and The Windy City. The 29-year-old officially signed his four-year, $46 million deal with the South Siders on Dec. 10.
In Robertson, the White Sox obtained an electric pitcher capable of closing out the ninth inning of ballgames, which is exactly what they needed. The Yankees, on the other hand, felt comfortable letting him go given the money he is getting.
That is because the Yankees already had Miller and more importantly, Dellin Betances. After a rookie season that saw Dealin' Dellin post a 1.40 ERA and 13.5 K/9, it would appear the Yankees are now comfortable handing the reins to the ninth to the 26-year-old.
Despite having zero experience as a closer, expect the young fireballer to be finishing ballgames for the Yankees come 2015.
Letting Brandon McCarthy Walk
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Robertson was not the only player the Yankees lost during the winter meetings.
After completely turning his season around after the Arizona Diamondbacks traded him to New York, Brandon McCarthy spurned the Yankees in favor of the Los Angeles Dodgers. News of the 31-year-old starter's four-year, $48 million pact was first reported by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
After going 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA for the Yankees in the second half, McCarthy will now join forces with a talented LA rotation that is fronted by reigning National League Cy Young and MVP winner Clayton Kershaw.
The Yankees actually never made an offer to McCarthy, which is surprising. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Brian Cashman did not want to go where McCarthy's market was heading.
With his departure and Shane Greene having been traded, the Yankees now have CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Masahiro Tanaka and Ivan Nova in the rotation. All have some type of injury risk.
They may also need to look at giving the likes of David Phelps, Adam Warren or Manny Banuelos a chance in the rotation if they fail to replace McCarthy.
The Final Verdict
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With the winter meetings coming to a close, plenty has happened to the New York Yankees.
Many fans have voiced their complaints over the team's apparent patient approach, citing that this team still has holes in the lineup and starting rotation.
With Greene and McCarthy gone, the Yankees will almost be forced to find a fifth starting pitcher, because the guys currently on hand are not going to turn that staff into a contending one. The bullpen is a different story despite Robertson's departure. With Miller now in town, the Yankees were able to save a little money while maintaining a well-above-average group of relievers.
Fans may not be familiar with him, but Wilson will help with that as well. If they want some insurance for Betances, or even Miller who could possibly close, the Yanks could look at former closers like Sergio Romo or Jason Grilli.
Defensively, the team made a huge upgrade with Gregorius as short. It will not take long for his glove to save the Yankees some runs. If he can hit at least as well as he did in 2013, all the better.
Hanging on to Young and giving Murphy the backup catcher job will provide the Yankees with two nice bench pieces.
Of course, do not think the Yankees are done just yet. There is still a lot of offseason to go. Expect them to be in the running for Chase Headley and Max Scherzer. However, until those things possibly happen, their winter grade is far from perfect.
Grade: B-
The Yankees kept their bullpen strong and upgraded defensively, but this rotation is incomplete and the lineup could use a reliable bat.
All stats were obtained via Baseball-Reference.com.
Question or comments? Feel free to follow me on Twitter @GPhillips2727 to talk New York Yankees and Major League Baseball.
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