Gio Urshela contract tells you everything about Yankees' interest, Red Sox budget

The more former Yankees who come off the board and sign with teams other than the Red Sox, following rumored interest from Boston, the better. The "Jordan Montgomery to Not The Red Sox" notification is, at this point, the only one Yankee fans still need to collect the full set.

Gio Urshela, after departing from New York in the Josh Donaldson trade with Minnesota, with Gary Sánchez by his side, found a new home less than 24 hours after Sánchez's long-floating Brewers deal was finally polished off.

Turns out, following early interest from the Yankees and Mets, and recent Boston rumors, Urshela landed in Detroit for only $1.5 million for 2024. The market is growing more (collusion-filled, whoops, sorry, can't say that) dire by the day as players grow increasingly desperate, and Urshela became the latest player to accept a below-market deal simply so he could report.

The fact that the Yankees didn't match that shows you that their interest in Urshela was likely overblown from the start; they'd much rather learn what they have in Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera than import a veteran. Hopefully, their strategy of keeping the bench young plays well once you get off paper and onto the field. This doesn't exactly bode well for a Tony Kemp fit, either.

As for the Red Sox? Either Boston has absolutely nothing whatsoever left in their budget, or they're saving every last scrap for Montgomery. Ideally, it's the first one, because $1.5 million to upgrade on Bobby Dalbec is nothing.

Yankees, Red Sox let Gio Urshela sign with Tigers

There was certainly world where the eternally generous Urshela, who hit .299 last year before a pelvic injury and posted a 119 OPS+ with Minnesota in 2022, fit in with the Yankees' bench unit or became a nightmare piece of infield glue for the Red Sox this year.

Instead, Urshela's final frame with the Yankees remains him sacrificing his body at third base, sprawling into the dugout to help preserve a 0-0 tie in 2021's harrowing Game 162. You know, the Yankees' inspirational win that paved the way for them to lose a heartbreaking Wild Card Game at Fenway Park? No need to talk about it further.

That feels like ages ago. Now, Urshela will fulfill a need on an up-and-coming Tigers team and attempt to swing a winnable AL Central. It's a great move by Detroit, and one that also proves the Yankees were barely involved, given where the financials landed.