Yankees: 3 surprise extensions NYY should consider before end of 2021

Fans got a chance to root for what felt like an entirely new version of the New York Yankees this weekend.

Did the offense explode and pummel the Miami Marlins in a free-wheeling sweep? Well … not quite. But the pitching was dominant and the clutch hits flowed from a brand-new source, and New York was finally able to finish a job for the first time in forever.

With the beginning of August came some new and unexpected accolades, as well as a comforting presence the likes of which we hadn’t seen in quite a while.

We’re not going to mandate that this past month of action change the front office’s intentions, but there’s a lot of solid evidence now on the board that the Yankees should jump at a few extensions before the free agency process runs its course.

The Yankees rarely jump at the chance to extend their players well before free agency, and when they do, it typically doesn’t work out. The team broke the mold for Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks, and look at ’em now. They’ve both missed significant time since they signed what seemed like well-timed deals.

This season (and offseason), though, Brian Cashman has a few prime candidates ahead of him, and should at least consider discounted deals for a couple of the big names. The league will be entering a bit of uncertainty as the CBA expires, we’re not sure what the free agent market will look like, and the Yanks will finally be below the luxury tax.

Two of these are obvious. One of them would’ve sounded ridiculous prior to a few days ago. All three have to be weighed when the offseason begins.

The Yankees should consider these 3 extensions as soon as possible.

3. Anthony Rizzo

You heard Aaron Boone this weekend, didn’t you? There’s a chance that new acquisition Anthony Rizzo could outlast the manager in the Bronx, considering how perfectly he balances this lineup and how much he’s been seemingly reinvigorated by a pennant chase (though he was already coming alive in Chi-Town before a trade was struck.

Sure, a Rizzo extension would likely spell an end to Luke Voit’s time in the Bronx … though if the interest is low league-wide, there’s no reason it has to. What’s the harm in playing Voit at DH and Giancarlo Stanton in left field every once in a while? Voit’s injuries have been repeated and painful thus far in 2021 (and 2020 with his foot, and 2019 with his gut …). Maybe reducing his playing time while still keeping his powerful bat on the bench occasionally wouldn’t be the worst idea?

On the surface, there’s no reason to sacrifice offense in an unforced error. There’s also no reason a Rizzo deal should block, say, a Corey Seager contract (and a potential Gio Urshela/Gleyber Torres trade). This is the New York Yankees we’re talking about. They print money. And if something works, you pay that something.

We’re not sure what a Rizzo deal would cost (he’s barely older than Voit, about to turn 32). Three years at $18 million per? Is that ridiculous or reasonable? Let’s see where the rest of this year carries us, but you have to at least consider adjusting your offseason if Rizzo turns out to be a stabilizing force that props the window back open.

1. Jonathan Loaisiga

Now that the Yankees won’t be threatened by the dreaded CBT, maybe it’s time to take care of one of their own a little ahead of schedule, much the same way they did with Severino prior to the 2018 season?

Jonathan Loaisiga has proven this season that he’s not your run-of-the-mill middle innings arm, but has much more potential than that. He’s come a long way from … well, from the tail end of 2020, when it kind of seemed like he might be a tweener who’d never “make it” or carve out a role for himself.

Now, he’s showing off the poise of a future closer, both on the mound in every non-fatigued outing he’s thrown this year, as well as off the field, where he seems to praise his teammates at every turn and take full responsibility for his failings like a young and humble Mariano Riv–don’t say it. But it’s been refreshing.

Loaisiga is under control through 2024, and he only strikes out a batter per inning, atypical for a shutdown late-innings option — but that doesn’t tell the whole story. We all know relievers are fungible, so we’re not expecting the Yankees to shoot the moon here, but it would be nice to lock up his final arbitration years at a cheap price, as well as one more season after that, keeping him in place for the next four years after this one.

If you believe in him as the heir apparent to Aroldis Chapman, you make this move now.

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