Yankees: 3 worst-case scenario free agent nightmares for NYY

1. Red Sox Paying for Kris Bryant

We thought we were about to begin, like, a nice two-year gap where we didn’t have to care a lick about anything the Red Sox planned to do. We really thought that! Sign whoever you want, trade for whoever you fancy, you’re still maxing out at 84 wins for a little while.

Well … wrong. The Sox rampaged to first place through the end of July. Then they collapsed … and still punched our brains in and slugged to a 2-1 ALCS lead before the Astros’ pitchers started cheating again and finished them off. Bad times for us. Dark, even.

So, now, it’s once again time to dread Boston’s next steps. We’re both 92-win teams, but they proved they’re much closer to postseason glory than our dead-behind-the-eyes robots. This offseason, they could really make an infuriating splash by targeting the son of a former Ted Williams mentee/Red Sox minor-leaguer by using their Kyle Schwarber money on Kris Bryant.

Schwarbo was beloved in Boston because he’s beloved everywhere, but the addition without a position made very little sense when it happened, and even less after he hit .120 in the ALCS. That grand slam, though! That completely washed-away grand slam!

Anyway, what about ticketing five years and $110 million for Kris Bryant? Stick him in left field, move JD Martinez to full-time DH (unless he opts out), Alex Verdugo in right, Jarren Duran/Hunter Renfroe in center, Kiké Hernandez at second.

The beastly Bryant would abuse the Monster at Fenway and get himself back on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He’s just 29. You know it. I know it.

Then, just when he’s peaking, the famously cheap Red Sox can shift him to third base after 2023 and let Rafael Devers walk … ok, you know what? This is a good idea. Go get KB, Sox! Backtracking now!

New York Yankees: The 2022 Opening Day Dream Lineup

Let's take a look at our dream lineup for the 2022 New York Yankees assuming the right moves are made this offseason by GM Brian Cashman.