3 payroll-saving moves Yankees need to execute this offseason

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The New York Yankees don't need to save money. They're a financial behemoth. Problem is, they don't operate that way anymore. The organization, for the first time ever, dipped below the luxury tax threshold in 2018, the year after they came within one game of the World Series, and did it again in 2021, which undoubtedly has had a negative effect on this window with Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole.

If the Yankees are still going to remain in the business of saving money, avoiding hefty tax penalties, and crying about the Miami Marlins getting a couple hundred thousand from them every offseason due to cost sharing, then they better have a wish list in order to try and get money off the books as early as they possibly can in the offseason.

If they trade for Juan Soto, that's another $30 million added to the 2024 payroll. If they sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto, that's another $25-30 million. Same goes for Blake Snell. Aaron Nola is probably closer to the $20 million range. Cody Bellinger, even as a secondary desired target, will still be close to the mid-20s.

Unless there's a grand plan to add without subtracting, more players will probably need to be shown the door, leaving Cashman with a bigger pile of potential trades and tough decisions on his desk. And honestly, it's not the worst thing. This roster needs the shakeup of all shakeups, because there's much more to be done even if the Yankees manage to pull off two of the above blockbusters.

3 payroll-saving moves Yankees need to execute this offseason

Trade Anthony Rizzo with a top prospect attached

Anthony Rizzo makes $17 million in 2024 and has a $17 million team option (or a $6 million buyout) for 2025. That means he's essentially a one-year, $23 million commitment for 2024. So why trade him?

Even if Rizzo had a 2023 season uninterrupted by cognitive impairment, this would've been a move fans pondered. Rizzo's 32 homers in 2022 were objectively awesome, but he's a redundant bat (outside of being a lefty) because he bats .224 and isn't a good situational hitter (at least in New York). He's also terribly slow and lacks athleticism, which is more of what the Yankees have to offer.

See where we're getting at? Rizzo is a fine player as a complementary piece, but the Yankees have somehow made him an intrinsic one ... and his .768 OPS in 278 games just isn't going to get the Yankees to where they need to be. And now that's he's pretty much been out of action since the beginning of June, his contract year could be spent "getting back on track," which will be a detriment to an already unprepared 2024 roster.

Somebody will take him, though, if you pay down some of the money or throw in a top-15 prospect. No reason this shouldn't get done. No reason the Yankees shouldn't be able to find a comparable first baseman.

Trade Gleyber Torres for ... whatever else you need

This has somehow become a controversial opinion, solely because Torres was the Yankees' second-best hitter in 2023 ... but that was exactly the problem. Torres shouldn't be any contending team's second-best hitter. And his .800 OPS and 118 OPS+ should further prove that.

Torres had a great year. But he's still far from a complete player. His situational hitting is bad. His mental lapses are inexcusable. His defense can either be sterling or bush league. There's far too much hot and cold with his play for the Yankees to stomach.

He'll be making around $15 million in 2024 (his final year of arbitration eligibility), and if he's not part of the team's long-term plans, there's no reason for the Yankees to let his time in the Bronx merely expire. Use a young asset at second base and improve elsewhere.

In Torres' defense, he's been good and it's unclear how he might help get the Yankees what they need. Nobody is trading controllable starting pitching for one year of him. Nobody is trading an impact lefty bat for him. Maybe a couple of prospects to replenish the system after other deals plus unloading payroll? Wouldn't be the worst idea.

Clear Out the Bullpen

The Yankees' bullpen might've been great by looking at the counting stats in 2023, but the average fan knows there's a lot to clean up here. And once again, the Yankees have a chance to free themselves of unneeded commitments.

First order of business? Non-tender season. Say goodbye to Lou Trivino ($4.1 million), Jonathan Loaisiga ($2.5 million) and Albert Abreu ($1 million). Right there, without any heavy lifting, you just freed up $7.6 million.

Then, it's time to go a step further. Tommy Kahnle, who Yankees fans love, was brought in as a luxury addition last offseason. He signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract, but he's very much not what the Yankees paid for. He was terrible at limiting the damage when inheriting runners and he typically made his outings far more stressful than they needed to be.

That said, Kahnle is still a serviceable pitcher. His changeup is a great asset for almost any bullpen to have. He's making $5.75 million in 2024 and it just doesn't seem like there's much use for him in the Yankees' bullpen, especially with guys like Scott Effross and Luis Gil returning next year. Jhony Brito has emerged as a key player in the relief corps. So has Ian Hamilton.

The Yankees already partially cleaned house when they released Domingo Germán, Jimmy Cordero and Matt Bowman, but there's still plenty to fine tune. Getting rid of those four pitchers, who are either injured or not very good, can save the Yankees over $12 million. That money can be spent better elsewhere.

Kahnle as bullpen fodder isn't worth $5.75 million. Trivino playing for half the season (at best) as he recovers from Tommy John isn't worth $4.1 million. Loaisiga never being available isn't worth $2.5 million. You can find 100 Abreus for the league minimum.

Clearing this money, Rizzo's salary and Torres' salary could end up totaling $40-$45 million when all is said and done. That's two high-end salaries for top starting pitchers. That's one Juan Soto and two new bullpen arms. That's ... whatever you want it to be, and it'll probably be better than what we have right now.

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