Yankees 2018 - Filling the Roster

CBS New York

Matt Linder

Picking up where my previous article about the 2018 luxury tax situation left off, the Yankees currently have three roster openings: two for starting pitchers and one for a position player. Their payroll for 2018 sits at $137.5, leaving Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office with about $60M to play with. Will the Yankees use up all of that money to fill their three openings? Probably not.

However, they certainly should not be cheap in addressing their holes. To fill those pitching spots, I would like to see them bring back CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka. The reinvented CC has proven his ability to anchor the back-end of the rotation and provide veteran leadership and clutch post-season performances. The going rate for one-year deals for veteran pitchers (Ex. Bartolo Colon and RA Dickey) is about $10M. CC is certainly better than those guys, so let’s say he gets 1 year, $13M. And for Tanaka, even after coming off an up and down year, I anticipate he will opt out of what’s left on his current deal (3 years, $67M) simply to gain long term insurance. He is only 29 years old and with the starting pitching market being pretty weak this off-season, expect him to get 5 years, $100-115M. If the Yankees bring back both pitchers, that would add $33-36M to the 2018 payroll, bringing its total up to around $180-183M. However, I would not be shocked if the Yankees did not bring back Sabathia or Tanaka, especially with top prospect Chance Adams knocking on the door to the big leagues.

For the last position player spot, I would like to see the Yankees use it as a rotating DH. Bring up Clint Frazier and have 5 outfielders for 4 spots (3 outfield positions and the DH). While this seems like a logjam of players, usually these things work themselves out due to injuries, as last season proved. I would not be surprised if Cashman moved either Brett Gardner or (preferably) Jacoby Ellsbury as a way to clear a position for a younger player. Gardner is a productive veteran with only one year remaining on the contract, while Ellsbury is a pricey, often injured slap hitter. The only way the Yankees are able to trade Ellsbury is if they are willing to eat a lot of money. Whether the front office makes a trade or not, I think Frazier should hold down the last position player spot. He is still on his rookie contract and will make $550,000 next year, which barely makes a dent in the payroll.

Newsday.com

Also, to fill that last roster opening, I could see the Yankees bringing in a veteran power hitting bat, who would serve primarily as the DH, but also could serve as insurance for Greg Bird. I do not love the idea, since they already tried that with Chris Carter, but the Yankees might be interested in bringing back Todd Frazier, especially if he is willing to take a hometown discount. I would prefer if the Yankees rolled the dice with the five outfielders, but they may believe that Clint Frazier needs more seasoning in AAA, which is not unreasonable.

One major piece of speculation that I have omitted so far, is the possibility of Japanese phenom Shohei Otani coming over to the states. At only 22 years old, he would be subject to the MLB’s international spending restrictions which would suppress his market value. On the open market, Otani could make close to $200M, but with the international spending limit on players under 25 years old, he would only make a few million bucks. He can hit 450ft home runs and throw 100mph. The Yankees are interested in him if he gets posted. And if they were able to sign Otani, he could replace either Tanaka or Sabathia, while also filling the DH role.  However, it is yet to be seen whether any player has the ability to accomplish this unprecedented feat.

fan-interference.com

With these various question marks floating around the team, we will see how the front office decides to fill the roster for the upcoming season and beyond, but one thing is for certain… I cannot wait for next year.  Check back in a few days to see which youngsters I think can have an impact in 2018.

If you have any questions, comments or criticisms feel free to reach out to me at mattlinder2@gmail.com