A Dream Yankee Offseason @Lonsksk

The Yankees face a franchise altering off-season this year and are faced with a multitude of difficult decisions. Who will be their franchise SS? Who will man 1st base? How will Brian Cashman go about changing a squad that looked so flawed for the entirety of 2021? These questions are yet to be answered, but I have put together what I believe is a dream off-season for all Yankee fans.

Sign SS Carlos Correa: 10 years $315 million 

Carlos Correa is a talent that rarely ever hits free agency and the Yankees are positioned perfectly to acquire the generational shortstop. In 2021 the Yankees went with the Gleyber Torres experiment at shortstop, an experiment that quickly failed and blew up in Brian Cashman’s face (something he admitted was a mistake during a recent press conference). Torres showed signs of life after being put back at 2nd base, a position he excelled at during his first two breakout seasons. The Yankees should look to right the wrong of 2021, and go sign the best SS available in the star studded class. Many will point to Corey Seager as the target the Yankees should look to acquire, but due to his defensive deficiencies Seager is seen as someone who would have to move to 3rd base in the not so distant future. While I, along with many other fans, would not be opposed to a Seager signing, Correa should be the primary target due to his overall ability at the SS position.

Trade for A’s 1st baseman Matt Olson

After trading for then Cubs 1st baseman Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees and many fans felt like they had their guy for the future at 1st base. Myself, as well as many others on the other hand see Rizzo as a declining 32 year old player who’s better days are behind him. In comes Matt Olson, a player in the prime of his career who is on a team looking to move him and acquire young talent in return. The Yankees should be salivating at the chance to get someone of Olson’s caliber, at a position of need. Olson brings the left handed power and excellent defense that many Yankee fans are calling for. As for the trade itself I could see a package centered around Oswald Peraza, Luis Gil, Luke Voit, and Josh Breaux. The A’s would be acquiring their SS of the future in Peraza, a future starter in Gil (who also has MLB experience), a proven MLB commodity in Luke Voit (who’s won the home run crown in 2020), and a solid prospect in Breaux. The Yankees could also look to add OF prospect Ezequiel Duran into a possible Olson move due to the abundance of OF talent in the Yankees system. 

Sign SP Justin Verlander: 2 years $40 million 

People will probably be asking why the Yankees should be going after a 38 year old starting pitcher coming off TJ surgery, but I believe Verlander has a lot left in the tank and paired with old friend and teammate Gerrit Cole he can become the dominant starter he once was in Houston. Verlander recently held a workout at the Eric Cressey facilities, yes the same Eric Cressey who works for the Yankees as their team director of player health and performance, and topped out around 97 mph on his fastball. It is my opinion that Verlander can be the Tom Brady of the MLB and that the Yankees should do whatever it takes to get Verlander into their rotation for 2022. 

Sign Utility Man Chris Taylor: 4 years $60 million

This would be the final nail in what would be an astonishing off-season. Taylor would add the athleticism and positional versatility that the Yankees have been lacking for the past few seasons. With Aaron Hicks returning from yet another injury and many other OF players with health concerns, adding Taylor would help ease those concerns. The signing of Taylor could also mean departing from Aaron Hicks, something myself and many fans would not complain about at all. This would step Taylor into the everyday CF job and I for one would be all for that. 

This off-season for the New York Yankees is one that can alter the trajectory of their franchise in a multitude of ways. They can splash the cash and go all in for 2022 or they can play it safe financially and try what they did in 2021. It is my belief that if Brian Cashman and the Yankees make the moves listed above, at the end of the 2022 season there will be a 28th championship in store for all of us to enjoy!