Have the Yankees Found a New Offseason Strategy?

According to Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com, the Yankees are the only team yet to sign a free agent to a major-league contract this offseason.

"“New York’s offseason has been limited to mostly trades, with some minor-league free agent signings and waiver claims mixed in,” Axisa said. “That’s all. No major-league signings.”"

Since the birth of free agency in 1975, the Yankees have never gone an entire offseason without signing a free agent to a major-league deal, Axisa added.

The Yankees have long been known as one of Major League Baseball’s highest spending clubs. They frequently sign high-profile free agents to huge contracts, which makes their moves this offseason all the more interesting.

So is this new strategy of not signing any major-league level free agents going to stick around in the Bronx?

Yes, but only until after the 2018 season.

Thinking about the future has never been a staple of the Yankees organization. However, the acquisitions the Bronx Bombers made this offseason clearly indicate the team is looking ahead.

I’m not saying the Yankees didn’t bring in players this offseason who won’t have an immediate impact. I can’t wait to see what Aroldis Chapman and Starlin Castro can do.

But, the Yankees brought both Chapman and Castro in by trade. They didn’t sign either of them to exorbitant free agent contracts.

By doing this, the Yankees saved money. Money they can put towards signing players from the ridiculously loaded free agent class that will be available after the 2018 season.

Bryce Harper, Matt Harvey, Clayton Kershaw, Jose Fernandez and Josh Donaldson are just a few of the names that will be eligible for free agency in 2018.

The Yankees have the potential to see even more savings with a few of their marquee contracts set to expire soon.

Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia are signed through 2016. Alex Rodriguez is signed through 2017.

By 2018, the Yankees could conceivably have all three of their contracts off the books.

If the Yankees choose to do that, it will give them an excellent opportunity to shell out a big contract to any of the free agents available after the 2018 campaign.

While this offseason’s free agent market featured some flashy names, including David Price and Zack Greinke, the majority of the crop was nothing special.

While I would have liked to see the Yankees make a play at either Price or Greinke, passing on them was really the smart move.

Right now, the Yankees don’t need to take on another huge contract. They already have plenty of players signed to lucrative deals and now is a good time to look toward the future.

The Bronx Bombers’ farm system is ripe for the picking. Gregory Bird and Luis Severino have already shown they belong in the big leagues.

For the first time in a while, the future nucleus of the Yankees looks like it will be made up of homegrown talent, not expensive free agents.

2018 is when the Yankees will go back to being big spenders. For now, the team looks like they found their new offseason strategy.

The Yankees have a bright future ahead of them. Fans should be excited to see what this team will look like just a few years down the road.