YES Hot Stove all but confirmed every Yankees fan's offseason fears

Hello. Were you afraid of the New York Yankees "running it back" after their ALDS loss to the Toronto Blue Jays? Well, good news! They might not be running it back after all. Bad news? It's because they could easily get priced out of Cody Bellinger's market by their own hubris.

Yeah. "Not running it back" in the way where they just ... get worse.

Fans flocked to the YES Network feed in droves Wednesday night for insider Jack Curry's first "Hot Stove" appearance of the offseason, just a few days before the Winter Meetings. While Curry never outright admits to the Yankees' plans, he typically does a great job of telegraphing where their interest lies, as well as shooting down a few rumors without substance. Last year, he was all over Paul Goldschmidt, and basically screamed from the rooftops that Nolan Arenado wasn't happening. Right on both counts.

This year? Hoo, boy. With the caveat that obviously Curry isn't going to spill all the team's beans, you can usually get a temperature check on the Yankees' interest in certain players based on how he characterizes their pursuit. So, who would it be this year, after Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Juan Soto in previous seasons? Well, it kind of sounded like the Trent Grisham decision got in the way of the Yankees' top priority. As we suspected it might.

Instead of setting out the breadcrumbs for any Yankees excitement, Curry instead noted that, when the season ended, Cody Bellinger was their clear top priority. Now? With Grisham's money in the fold, and Bellinger due to have expensive suitors, he no longer sounded certain that the Yankees would be willing to pay the price, and mentioned Jasson Domínguez/Spencer Jones as potential alternatives.

Yankees may be priced out of Cody Bellinger by Trent Grisham pursuit

Curry also used the opening segment to mention how often the Yankees get looped into offseason rumors/used by agents as pure leverage, providing Edwin Diaz as an example of someone they have no plans to chase (Michael Kay chimed in with Pete Alonso).

You know how you know it was bad? Typically, YES tweets out several clips of Curry, both fueling rumors and debunking them. This time? They posted a few nuggets from the show's Cam Schlittler interview, a short clip of Brian Cashman reminiscing on his career, and a Don Mattingly Hall of Fame discussion.

Nothing from the Opening Monologue. None of the cold water. Just ... erased.

I'm all for avoiding a reckless Bellinger deal, but I also prefer when the Yankees give it to me straight. Additionally, I prefer when they don't clearly misread the market entirely (or, worse, know full well they won't be paying for Bellinger/Kyle Tucker and want to make certain they can lock down at least one outfielder, even if it's an overpay).

We collectively looked to Curry on Wednesday for an exclamation point on the Bellinger chase or some surprises about the Tatsuya Imai market. Instead, he kept things very close to the vest, and his coded language indicated that the Yankees might not be so enthused with the way Bellinger's market is developing after they took aim at their own foot in the Qualifying Offer pool. Discouraging doesn't even begin to cover it; this winter could be full of dead leaves and the dirty ground.