3 Keys to the Yankees Offseason

On September 15, the Baltimore Orioles won the American League East for the first time since the 1997 season. With the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics winning the two Wild Card spots, the New York Yankees were kept out of the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since the 1992 and 1993 seasons. While fans and team executives alike are no doubt disappointed, there are simple steps the team must take in the offseason in order for them to be relevant in 2015.

1. Resign Brandon McCarthy

Acquiring Brandon McCarthy and Martín Prado from the Arizona Diamondbacks before 2014’s trade deadline was Brian Cashman’s best move of the season. Prado, however is locked up with the Yankees until 2017, which is excellent news for them, but McCarthy’s contract is up in 2015. He needs to be resigned. No questions asked. Once McCarthy traded in Diamondbacks’ Mike Harkey for the Yankees’ Larry Rothschild he became a completely different pitcher. In his 14 games with the Yankees, McCarthy’s performance improved in any and every way statistically. His FIP went from 3.82 to 3.22, his H/9, BB/9, and HR/9 all went down while his K/9 increased. Aside from Hiroki Kuroda, he was the only sure thing in the Yankees rotation in the second half as the staff was plagued with injuries. He should be resigned, and with the loads of pitching on the market, the Yankees should be able to scoop him up no problem. The Yankees should tie the 31-year-old down for at least 3 years, and can do so at about $11 million per year.

•  Get Jeter’s Replacement – Sooner Than Later

Derek Jeter is gone. Yes, it sucks. Yes he was one of the best, but the Yankees need to move on, and quickly. Without him and Stephen Drew who will (and should) also be leaving this offseason, the Yankees have virtually no one up the middle. Without a decent player at either shortstop or second base, the Yankees will be in for a long 2015. There are really only two viable options for the Yankees on the free agent market. Firstly is Hanley Rámirez. While easily the best overall shortstop available, he doesn’t really fit the organizations needs as well as other candidates. He’s injury prone – 2014 was only the second season he played over 100 games in since 2011, and injuries are the last thing this aging roster needs. The only other viable option, Jed Lowrie, is a much better fit. He’s younger, cheaper, and plays more consistently. The Yankees can sign him for relatively little money compared to someone like Ramirez, which is especially good because they don’t have much money to work with.

 

• Sign A Second Tier Pitcher or Better

While there were numerous problem areas in the Yankees’ system this season, the biggest holes were easily in the rotation. On opening day, the rotation consisted of Kuroda, Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova. Nova had Tommy John surgery, Sabathia knee surgery, Tanaka went down with a partially torn UCL and Pineda had shoulder issues throughout the season. It was a mess. Now, many people believe that Kuroda is going to retire, Sabathia just isn’t the same pitcher he used to be, and no one knows how Nova will bounce back from the surgery. This is the main reason that the Yankees need to resign McCarthy, and should they not, it makes it imperative that they get someone to front that rotation. While yes, Sabathia may still possess the ability to pitch deep into games, he’s just not as effective. Since 2011 both his FIP and his H/9 have gone up each season, and who knows how long his knees will keep up with him. While the market is full of excellent big name arms this offseason, there are many teams also looking to improve their rotations, including AL East rival Boston Red Sox. While the Yankees will always be in the mix when money is the issue, and any team would be happy to have a Scherzer or a Shields, it may make more fiscal sense to try and bring in someone like Francisco Liriano, Ervin Santana, or even Johnny Cueto if the Cincinnati Reds don’t pick up his option. Any one of those guys they could sign to a 3-year deal worth anywhere from $9-13 million a year.