Grading Yankees’ offseason signings and trades ahead of Opening Day

The New York Yankees have gotten better … but it doesn’t necessarily feel that way. It’s hard to please this fanbase, but when you’re a $6 billion franchise with sky-high expectations and charge spectators the most money imaginable for an experience at the ballpark, this is what happens.

Maybe by the time you’re reading this, the team will have signed Aaron Judge to a contract extension and we can change our tune a bit. But do we really think that’s going to go as smoothly as it should?

With plentiful needs prior to the 2022 MLB season, general manager Brian Cashman had his plan thrown a bit off course due to the MLB lockout, but that’s no legitimate excuse since every other team operated under the same restraints.

Then again, despite the apparent deficiencies on the Yankees’ roster, many have forgotten that team-wide regressions were the true culprit and Cashman didn’t really need to make any blockbuster moves … even though a number of them were well within reach.

This is a $6 billion franchise with a terrible lack of success since their last World Series victory in 2009. The urgency just feels like it’s not there, which is where much of the frustration is derived from. And with so many other teams willing to push the envelope from a financial perspective, every time the Yankees pass on someone notable it feels like a failure.

So how can we possibly grade the offseason moves thus far with a level head? It’s not going to be easy, but it’s worth discussing this with our emotions put on the backburner for the moment.

Grading the New York Yankees’ offseason moves ahead of 2022 Opening Day

Cutting the Dead Weight/Players Who Didn’t Fit

• Yankees release Clint Frazier, Chris Gittens and Rougned Odor (A+)

What other option was there? Honestly, many fans were surprised this list wasn’t longer. Miguel Andújar probably should’ve been included, too, but in the end the Yankees got rid of players who simply didn’t move the needle.

Clint Frazier’s ongoing injury issues (and whatever other baggage that came along with him) held this team back mightily for years. Chris Gittens, already 28 years old, unfortunately didn’t shine in his short-lived opportunity in 2021, and will hopefully succeed in Japan. Rougned Odor, who was believed to be a spark plug and potential 30-homer bat, underwhelmed as he’s done for years now.

The Yankees needed some sort of a facelift, and employing the same players who were producing at a below-average level and eating up a roster spot that’d be better filled by a top prospect or an addition via free agency/trade would’ve been a massive oversight.

• Letting Andrew Heaney and Corey Kluber walk in free agency (A-)

Did you see Andrew Heaney’s first spring outing with the Dodgers? More of the same. The Yankees trading for the left-hander was a mistake, but letting him go without trying to convince themselves they can “turn him around” made up for last year’s disaster. He’s never proven to be a capable arm on a consistent basis and there was no room for him in this rotation.

On the other hand, this grade gets an A- and not an A+ solely because Corey Kluber signed with the Rays and we all know how that’s going to turn out. But again, Kluber is an over-the-hill veteran who made 16 mediocre starts with the Yankees (outside of his no-hitter against the Rangers) in what was another season overshadowed by injuries. The Yankees believing he could reach the No. 2 ceiling with so little work under his belt the last two years was wishful thinking and fans are glad they did not run this back because it would’ve shown there really isn’t a plan to get better.

Yankees’ Offseason Trades

• Yankees trade UTIL Tyler Wade to Angels (D+)

First, the Yankees DFA’ed Tyler Wade, who had his best MLB season to date with the Yankees after coming up through the farm system. Already a fairly senseless move. But it was even more crazy it happened after Gleyber Torres was moved off of shortstop and the Yankees … didn’t have a single shortstop on the roster. Wade’s primarily a shortstop, though he transitioned into more of a utility role, but in hindsight it would’ve been prudent to keep him on the roster as the backup SS/utility guy/speed option off the bench instead of signing Marwin Gonzalez, who is old and slow. After the DFA, Wade was traded to the Angels, and we’ll be tracking his progress in 2022 without a doubt.

• Yankees trade Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela to Minnesota Twins for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt (B-)

The “blockbuster” of the offseason, if you even want to call it that. This confusing move imported Yankees’ enemy Josh Donaldson, who has trash talked this team plenty in the past, with the most recent incident coming last year with Gerrit Cole. He’ll cost the Bombers $50 million through the 2023 season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is the new starting shortstop, so we guess that’s good, but again, not a move that sends a message or puts this roster above and beyond by any means. Ben Rortvedt is already injured, too, and we have no idea what he’ll bring to the table. Though Sánchez being shown the door is largely a good thing, the Yankees don’t have a starting catcher and will look to figure out that area of the roster with a defense-first platoon. Hope it works!

• Yankees trade 1B Luke Voit to San Diego Padres for prospect P Justin Lange (B-)

Had the Yankees properly balanced their lineup with lefty hitters and more capable contact bats, Luke Voit would’ve never had to be traded and we wouldn’t have had to deal with any awkwardness since last July. Voit’s been one of the Yankees’ best hitters when healthy, but he’s struggled with injuries ever since arriving in a trade from the Cardinals. Replacing him with Rizzo isn’t a bad situation, but it definitely played a role in upending chemistry in some capacity. But now that he’s gone and the Yankees got a top-10 Padres prospect out of it in the hard-throwing Justin Lange, everybody can move on from this complicated situation without feeling too badly about. Again, solid move, nothing special.

And that sums up the entire offseason for the Yankees.

Yankees’ reported ‘interest’ in star free agents might’ve been fake

Wondering why the New York Yankees lost out on so many free agents they were reportedly "interested" in? It's because they were never really interested.