Yankees losing free agent shortstop option to Japan is saddest ending yet

The New York Yankees not spending $325 million on Corey Seager? A sad, but true reality. We understand why they talked themselves out of it — though we don’t have to like it.

But the Yankees losing one of the very few positive-WAR shortstops left on the board to Japan?!  Surely, we must be dreaming.

Nobody wants to entertain the reality of New York’s “stopgap” pursuit, but as the CBA lockout deadline approaches and only Carlos Correa and Trevor Story remain unsigned from the top-tier group, names like Isiah Kiner-Falefa are becoming a clearer-than-ever reality for the Bombers.

The Rangers signing two of the best five options, then the Yankees sweeping up their scraps from a previous administration? A tremendous bummer — and that’s the best option, especially after Wednesday’s out-of-left-field bombshell.

With a news dump so strange we were sure it came from a fake account, Yankees fans learned that Freddy Galvis — an unwanted, but realistic shortstop option — is headed to Japan’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

Yes. That’s actually happening.

The Yankees lost shortstop option Freddy Galvis to a Japanese team.

When only Andrelton Simmons remains, the Yankees’ stupidest free agent pursuit in history will finally have met its destiny. The prophecy (of pure idiocy) has been foretold.

Was Galvis the “dream”? No! But most of the dream options have long since flopped off the board, and the ex-Phillie is a speedy slick fielder with moderate power. In terms of one-year wonders, he made far more sense to hold the seat warm than Simmons, a regressing fielder with a concave chart of bat talent.

Prior to Galvis’ apparent trek overseas, he ranked only behind Correa, Story and Jose Iglesias in terms of 2021 WAR. Now? We’re down to that top two (unlikely!) and the ex-Red Sox, who only thrived in Boston’s uniform last year.

The idea that Galvis, a perfectly capable MLB player who belongs in a non-starter role on a contender, decided not to find work (or couldn’t find it!) screams that the CBA problems might be worse than most lockout apologists are letting on.

And, if Galvis is so marginal that he might be squeezed out of the league by the impending stoppage, what does it say that he’s among the Yanks’ best remaining options to fill their Seager-sized void at short?

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