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The Yankees are entering the 2021 season with essentially the exact team they rolled out in 2020, but they are doing so with $50M less in payroll.
This sets them up really nicely to add a big pitcher next year.
Who might that pitcher be? (cont.)...
This sets them up really nicely to add a big pitcher next year.
Who might that pitcher be? (cont.)...
It could either mean retaining Kluber (if he returns to form), or it could mean adding from the strong crop of '21-'22 FA's (Syndergaard, Kershaw, Scherzer). Either way, it would ensure a very strong rotation for the coming years...
The *only* players coming off the books next year are Kluber and (potentially) O'Day. This means the Yankees don't have to worry about replacing anyone other than one starting pitcher...
As much as 2021 is a gamble, we still go in as a top-3 World Series favorite, and we're in *really* good shape for 2022 regardless of how things shake out...
The following year, things get interesting. Chapman, Britton, Green, Judge, Sanchez, Severino, and Taillon all come off the books. As long as the top of our rotation has already been ensured, a lot of creative avenues open up at this stage...
Perhaps Judge is retained at 30/per, Sanchez and Severino walk, and the remaining 30-40M is used to replace the bullpen with a combo of retainments and cheaper alternatives. As long as the top of the rotation is locked in, we'll have a lot of flexibility here.
It's wise for the Yankees to avoid big contracts for the sake of big contracts (i.e. Machado, Bauer). By leaving a certain degree of room for cheaper alternatives to emerge (Urshela, Taillon?), you set youself to get the big guy when it really matters, extending your window.
