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New York Yankees MLBTradeRumors.com Offseason Predictions

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Yankees were a surpise team in the MLB Postseason in 2015. What will they do to ensure a return there in 2016? Check out what MLBTradeRumors.com predicts for their offseason.

MLB Free Agency officially started Saturday, as the window for teams to negotiate with their own free agents before hitting the market has passed. That means it is time for agents and teams to start working the phones and get some deals done. This is a big time of year for MLB, as teams will begin shaping their teams for the 2016 season.

By now we have seen a ton of different free agent lists from every site out there predicting where and how much players will sign for. Over at one of the inside scoop sites, MLBTradeRumors.com, they have released their list of the top 50 free agents and where they will be going.

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For the New York Yankees, this list could come as a surprise to some. Gone are the days of the Yankees bullying people in free agent negotiations, basically buying and outbidding other teams for players they want. But if what MLBTradeRumors.com predcits comes to fruition, it seems like those days could be back, at least for one offseason.

Arguably the biggest surprise on this list is that Jason Heyward will receive a contract of 10-years and $200 million. Some people will never buy into the defensive metrics that Heyward brings, and will call this contract an asinine one. That is the kind of money only big power hitters usually receive, which Heyward has not shown he will develop into thus far. But at only 26-years old, there is still a chance that he does, and his defense is top notch.

That contract being that big is surprising, but what is arguably more surprising is that it will come from the Yankees. MLBTradeRumors.com is predicting that is where Heyward ends up and for how much. That would be a huge surprise as the Yankees have been trying to slash payroll in recent seasons, and just handed out a massive contract to Jacoby Ellsbury that has not given much return on the investment. But Ellsbury was 31 when he signed that contract, Heyward is approaching his prime at 26.

It would be tough to see the Yankees stomaching another long term contract like that, but if there is going to be a team to break the bank and hand out a $200 million contract, the Yankees are one of the few teams on that list. That is not the only addition they are predicting for the Yankees to their lineup, as they are also having Ben Zobrist pack his bags fresh off a World Series title and newborn daughter for the Bronx.

Zobrist is predicted to get three-years, $51 million from the Yankees. That is a massive contract for a player that will be 35 in May, but the Yankees have a big hole at second base. It is tough to imagine them just handing Rob Refsnyder the job, as they didn’t give it to him even with Stephen Drew batting around .200 all 2015.

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His versatility would be huge for the Yankees, who have aging players all across the diamond, so Zobrist could help fill in at those spots if injuries occur. Zobrist could hold out for that fourth year, and easily get it though as he is coming off a strong season and the versatility he brings is second to none.

The last player they are predicting the Yankees to bring onboard is Chris Young. Young spent the 2015 season with them, and should be brought back to play against lefties. He crushes lefties, and is worth a contract for that alone. He also gives insurance at all three outfield spots, which is a nice luxury to have if you want to carry an extra pitcher or infielder for a series.

Curiously missing from their predictions is the Yankees adding a starting pitcher, or bullpen arm. The back of the Yankees’ bullpen is elite, but there is not much help in the middle innings; Justin Wilson, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller can’t pitch every day. The starting pitching is an area of concern as well for the Yankees, as they cannot count on much beyond youngster Luis Severino, as all the other starting pitchers have major red flags.

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They do not predict the Yankees to sign any big named pitchers, but they will be in the running for some. Jeff Samardzija and John Lackey are two pitchers they expect the Yankees to be in on. If they miss out on Heyward or Zobrist, expect the Yankees to also be engaged in talks with Justin Upton, Howie Kendrick, Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes.

Despite what the Yankees say that they will be looking to cut costs this offseason, MLBTradeRumors.com does not buy it. They are expecting the Yankees to pull out the big guns this offseason to help retool and reload after making a surprising run to the AL playoffs and hosting the Wild Card game.

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