Yankees: Best free agent signings of the past decade

It’s been a tough decade for Yankees free agent signings, but a few have stood above the rest.

Most Yankees fans likely feel that the team took a step back in free agency this past decade, splurging on CC/Teixeira/Burnett to win a title in ’09, then suddenly getting self-conscious about their bloated payroll.

That perception isn’t quite accurate. It’s more valid to say the Yanks rode out what they thought could be a dynasty with that offensive core, only won a single ring, and used the money targeted for Robinson Cano’s extension (sorry, kid) on a second splurge. We just perceive it differently because, well … that splurge involved Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann.

But, 2014 spending spree aside, the Yanks really did learn from their mistakes as the decade dragged on, utilizing targeted spending to bolster their big league roster, as well as add gems to a downtrodden team in order to yield future trade dividends.

As we survey the decade’s end and the monster deal that ushered in a new era, these rank as the best free agent signings of the past 10 years.

5. Hiroki Kuroda

Hiroki Kuroda doesn’t get nearly enough respect for what he did with some stunningly average Yankees teams.

When a 37-year-old Hiroki Kuroda joined the 2012 Yankees, coming off four impressive seasons with the Dodgers in the NL West, he was an unexpected supplement for a three-time-running postseason participant. He’d never posted an ERA above 4.00 in MLB action … and, as it turns out, he never would.

Kuroda slotted in wonderfully for the Yanks, debuting with 219.2 innings of 3.32 ERA baseball for the 2012 AL East champs. He continued to dominate in the postseason, steadily tossing 8.1 innings of two-run ball in the Raul Ibanez Game against Baltimore, then following that up with 11 whiffs in 7.2 innings against Detroit in a doomed ALCS outing.

It feels like #HIROK is mostly remembered for toiling in vain for the punchless 2013 and 2014 Yankees, but he got to briefly taste the previous era, and fit like a round peg into that boisterous clubhouse. The man simply went about his business, devouring innings on a cheap-as-hell deal. It’s a shame he never got to the absolute biggest stage in the Bronx, because every time he came close, he delivered.

Not for nothing, but his final year in 2014 coincided with the Yankees debut of one of his countrymen, and his veteran presence no doubt led to an easier transition for that particular ace.

And speaking of…

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4. Masahiro Tanaka

Masahiro Tanaka has been worth every penny for the Yankees.

It’s very “Yankees” to judge free agent signings on how they perform in the postseason. If that’s your sole criteria, Masahiro Tanaka deserves such a high spot it’d bleed onto his own individual list called “One Best Guy of All Time.”

Tanaka’s so impressive because he’s been forced to reinvent himself repeatedly in New York, and every time, he emerges on the other side with a brighter outlook and a better arsenal.

When he arrived as a “rookie” in 2014, he threw hard — 95-96, devastating split, pinpoint control. Pitching was effortless … of course, until his UCL was partially torn that summer. Against all odds, he rehabilitated the injury, never went under the knife, and returned in 2015 and 2016 looking just as good as ever, with slightly diminished velocity (who remembers his ’16 season, where he went 14-4 with a 3.07 mark?).

Unfortunately, his stuff deserted him in 2017, and his fastball lost any semblance of his trademark zip, no longer a viable big-league pitch. No matter; by the time October rolled around, he’d figured out once again how to keep hitters off balance with constant changes of speed, and it paid off with seven shutout innings against Cleveland (ahh, the Greg Bird game!) and 2 ER in 13.0 innings against an Astros team that had his signs.

In sum total in October, Tanaka has posted a 1.76 ERA in eight starts, allowing 25 hits in 46 innings. Hopefully, the Yankees extend their October Blackout God when the 2020 season ends, and he makes a similar list for the next decade. He’s earned it.

2. DJ LeMahieu

DJ LeMahieu has given the Yankees more than they deserve.

How is this guy real life?

LeMahieu is currently in Year 2 of a two-year pact with the Yankees that will go down as one of the greatest bargains in baseball history, and the best $24 million ever spent on something other than seed money.

His first season, he never turned off, hitting .327 with 26 bombs in a near-MVP campaign. He hit .346 in a six-game ALCS, and tied Game 6 on the road with a two-run shot in the ninth inning that should’ve gone down in Yankees lore — either way, it really got Yanks fans buzzing, before reminding the Astros to get buzzing, too.

His follow-up? Oh, just a casual .400 attempt during a shortened 60-game season.

LeMahieu has long been a favorite of talent evaluator Jim Hendry, and the Yanks should thank their lucky stars every day that the former batting champ has left Coors Field behind and prospered further.

Remember the 2019 offseason, when whiny Yankees fans wasted three months of energy tracking Manny Machado’s moods and crying about privilege when they spotted him taking BP in a White Sox hat? Now, we have LMHU — and out-bid the Rays to receive him, for what it’s worth — and in just over a year, he’s reset the entire methodology of this lineup. He’s done more than enough to already rank near the top of the pile here.

Hopefully, his next deal makes our future edition of this list, minus all the “bargain” talk. The Machine’s going to be ingesting dollar bills all offseason long.

And, speaking of someone who’s already redefined the roster after a limited time…

1. Gerrit Cole

The Yankees changed everything when they signed Gerrit Cole.

Yankees Ace and Unpaid Second Pitching Coach. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

Full stop, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees ever signing a more impactful addition, and more perfect target than Gerrit Cole.

The lifelong Yankee fan from California has been developing his arsenal, digging deep, and building up his stamina for decades, seemingly with the sole intention of someday hearing the Bronx chanting his name.

Once the first overall pick in Pittsburgh, Cole’s electric fastball blossomed in Houston in 2018 as he took full control of the natural gifts he’d always had. The very second H-Town was eliminated in 2019, he made his intentions for departure known, plopped on a Boras Corp hat, and essentially waited for the Yankees to make the proper overture.

After a decade of bargain shopping for hits, misses, and Ellsburies (yes, that’s the plural), the Yankees didn’t hesitate. How often have we derided Yankee playoff teams for being an ace short? And how often is the perfect ace available forever for money alone?

Cole’s the smartest signing they’ve made since CC Sabathia. The money and years are irrelevant. The culture has already changed. He was the key.

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