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3 players who priced themselves out of Yankees trade rumors on arbitration day

By Adam Weinrib |
Cincinnati Reds v Cleveland Guardians
Cincinnati Reds v Cleveland Guardians / Jason Miller/GettyImages
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The Yankees entered Thursday's arbitration deadline with a rather large list of financial scores to settle. Helpfully, they also received a dose of clarity from across the league.

Several Yankees-adjacent names settled well ahead of the Thursday evening deadline, and a few names that have been tossed around in New York's sphere got hefty raises (all while the Yankees were putting aside cash for Luke Weaver).

A few players in the Yankees' orbit are still very affordable. Dylan Cease's second-to-last year before free agency will cost just $8 million, making him an even more enticing target for teams already bidding on his services (cough, cough, Baltimore). But a few other players may no longer fit into the budget.

Obviously, no one on the arb-3 docket was rewarded with a princely sum (um, except Juan Soto), but just because someone isn't making $26 million doesn't mean a team will be ready and willing to absorb $12+ million just before Opening Day (though it gets easier to swallow as you await the trade deadline).

Some players settled nicely before entering the war room on moderate bargain deals. Others received more money than I think most anticipated -- including the Yankees. Combine the current rumor mill with these figures, and you settle on three names who likely won't be acquired by Brian Cashman (some now, some in July).

3 players who priced themselves out of Yankees' budget (yes, really) with arbitration deals

Ramon Laureano

The Yankees' outfield went from barren to overflowing with the acquisitions of Alex Verdugo, Juan Soto and Trent Grisham ... though it's worth noting the departures of Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney and Willie Calhoun mean the next line of defense is slightly weakened (or, at least, will include some different names than last season, which isn't a bad thing).

That means New York could be grabbing for flyers as the year drags on and injuries pile up. Don't expect that list to include Ramon Laureano, though, who's been a rumored Yankees trade target/defensive specialist since his Oakland days.

Laureano went to Cleveland last summer, and ultimately settled with the Guardians this year for $5.15 million back in November. The Yankees surely believe they'll be able to beat or match Laureano's production internally, especially for a $2.5 million deadline hit.

Shane Bieber

Shane Bieber fan? So are the Guardians, apparently.

Bieber is entering his final year before free agency with the perception that he's damaged goods; he was hobbled with an elbow issue in 2023 and watched his numbers regress across the board. Nobody outside the Guardians organization knows him as well as Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, who came from Cleveland, crafting a natural connection this offseason. The Yankees thinned out their pitching depth in the Soto trade. Why not build it back up by getting Bieber at a relative discount, considering his proximity to free agency and pre-walk year regression?

Then the Yankees traded for Guardians righty Cody Morris instead of expanding the talks into a bigger deal. Huh.

Are the Yankees afraid of Bieber's medicals? Are they offering a discounted package, while Cleveland's countering by valuing the righty more highly? Who knows? All we do know is that Bieber settled on Thursday at a $13.125 million sum for the 2024 season, which is likely a higher figure than the Yankees were expecting/are comfortable with.

The reason the needle has moved so little this offseason might just be teams waiting for arbitration numbers to finalize so they can know what the margins of their budget look like. Bieber was projected at $12.2 million and earned an extra $900,000. Silly, sure, but it seems to matter, especially for a former ace who's no longer a known quantity.

Willy Adames (and Corbin Burnes?)

It's unlikely the Brewers trade either Willy Adames or Corbin Burnes in the first place, considering the NL Central remains both weak and winnable, and Milwaukee -- and top prospect Jackson Chourio, who should be there Opening Day -- don't have much reason to throw in the towel.

Of course, any reason they do have is financial. Both Adames and Burnes will be free agents when 2024 ends, and after the Brewers were forced to non-tender Brandon Woodruff during his shoulder rehab, can they really stomach getting nothing for their next batch of walking stars?

Last winter, they chose to fight Burnes over $750,000, permanently tarnishing their relationship and likely sending him into free agency free of worries. This season, things went more amicably; Burnes and the Brewers surprisingly settled at $15.6 million, a hefty (but not unreasonable) price tag.

Milwaukee also settled with their Derek Jeter-loving shortstop; they'll be paying Adames $12.25 million. That's an unpalatable sum for the Yankees, who would prefer to pay Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza rookie scale to man the position. Maybe the Yankees will entertain one or both of these names in free agency (after Gleyber Torres leaves), but they likely won't do it now.

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