Predicting moves Yankees will make at 4 key positions after MLB lockout

2. Predicting Yankees Moves: Pitching

OK, let’s get the easiest move out of the way: yes, the Yankees are going to sign Matthew Boyd, formerly of the Tigers, who’s now been DFA’d two years after Detroit demanded Gleyber Torres in exchange for him at the deadline.

New York never did end up with Robbie Ray, their other 2019 white whale, but Cashman has always coveted Boyd, who struck out 238 men in 185.1 innings that season. That’s far more Ray-like than Andrew Heaney’s ever been (yes, we know, the Dodgers will turn him around, we’ve heard it all). He’s available for money alone, and shouldn’t command more than $7 or $8 million. He’s a Yankee. We don’t even have to think about it.

As for the rest of the pitching help? We’re adding Chris Bassitt into that A’s-Olson trade. Assuming Boyd comes to the Bronx, adding Sean Manaea to a rotation that also includes Jordan Montgomery and Nestor Cortes Jr., in some capacity, feels a little redundant. Bassitt, who got his face broken by a possibly-juiced baseball last season, is a pitching wizard who can fill the change-of-pace rotation role we’ve previously imagined Kyle Hendricks in. Last season, the 32-year-old posted a 3.15 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, legitimately dazzling as the A’s ace. If you have to add an additional piece to the package you’re sending to Oakland, you do it.

As for the bullpen? The Yankees won’t spend big there, instead relying on Matt Blake to emphasize changeups throughout the upper minors (look for recently-protected Ron Marinaccio to step in). These small deals could be very possible, though:

• Steve Cishek: One Year, $3 Million
• Jake Diekman: One Year, $4.5 Million
• Matt Andriese: One Year, $5 Million (love the Rays)
• Dellin Betances: MiLB Deal, $500K