King: Latest Rumblings About The Yankees

George A. King of the New York Post is reporting that “early industry vibe is that the Yankees aren’t going to spend big money this winter.” Although, he noted the Yankees are expected to be active in the off-season. What the Yankees regard as big money is not the same as the definition other teams may have. As you may know, the Dodgers, Angels and Yankees are owners of a totally different dictionary when it comes to this. It is expected that the Yankees will make moves to fill their holes and will likely go hard after star pitchers like Jon Lester (Oakland), Max Scherzer (Tigers) and James Shields (Royals) as well as diving into the heavy shortstop market in order to acquire the heir to Derek Jeter’s thrown. 

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Speaking of shortstops, King also noted that current Baltimore Oriole J.J. Hardy is the current front runner to join the Bombers come 2015. The two-time All-Star has had a down year offensively, batting just .268 with 9 home runs and 52 RBI, but his defensive prowess is still among the best at his position. With a surplus of infielders including Manny Machado (Who they would like to move back to his natural position of shortstop at some

September 3, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jon Lester (31) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

point) and Jonathan Schoop (A natural third baseman) the Orioles aren’t likely to blow Hardy away but will probably extend him a $14-million dollar qualifying offer, which would guarantee them a draft pick if he bolts. Hardy is known for his superb defense, normally above-average offensive ability, and reputation as a clubhouse leader. It’s still early but he appears to be on New York’s radar.

To be fair, the Yankees won’t have to spend the equivalent of Fort Knox in order to fill their glaring holes. After all, they finally have the second base position covered (Marin Prado and/or Rob Refsnyder) as well as the outfield (Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran) and catcher’s position (Brian McCann and a lot of others). First base seems secure with Mark Teixiera, but they’ll definitely look into finding a proper backup for the aging slugger. Third base will be covered by Alex Rodriguez part-time and perhaps current Yankees free agent Chase Headley.

As for starting pitching, they could spend on their own Brandon McCarthy, as well as one of the top free agent starters. King is correct in saying that they probably won’t spend “big” this winter because most teams don’t spend half a billion (With a B!) in the off-season like they did last year. To put this all in perspective, industry vibe said that the Yankees were unlikely to spend much at all last season as well. Oh well. Keep an eye on all those rumors, fans!