As Winter Meetings Near, New York Yankees Attempt To Shore Up Outfield

The winter meetings get rolling next week in Nashville, where a decent amount of the transactions expect to get settled.

The week before can be considered the calm before the storm for teams as they engage in preliminary discussions with the idea of laying the framework for trades and signings that may get announced at the massive event that is returning to Nashville for the first time since 2015.

Back then the Yankees were two years removed from the outlay that netted Masahiro Tanaka from Japan along with free agents Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann. At the 2015 edition of those meetings, the Yankees obtained Starlin Castro from the Cubs, an unknown Chad Green and Luis Cessa from the Tigers.

This year, bigger moves are anticipated or at least hoped for by a fanbase who endured an 82-win season that was more tedious to watch than 2021 but took less time to complete thanks to the pitch clock.

Besides the obvious of pursuing Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a contract likely surpassing the $155 million allotted to Tanaka, there is the matter of possibly adding an outfielder of some degree to fill center field and play some left field.

Cody Bellinger seems to be the obvious one based on his resurgence from last year when he signed a one-year “prove it” deal with the Cubs. He wound up hitting a career-high .307 to go along with 26 homers and 97 RBIs, figures that represented his best output since getting 47 homers and 115 RBIs in 2019 with the Dodgers.

Even if those numbers suggest an obvious fit for the Yankees, the feeling may not be mutual depending on what the front office thinks of some of his advanced numbers.

Putting aside any opinion about advanced numbers lacking, the Yankees may not feel comfortable with another number – his potential salary. Bellinger was paid $17 million last season and since he proved it in terms of standard numbers, his salary may rise to about $25 million.

The Yankee roster already contains four players with roughly 25 million of average annual value. Aaron Judge is getting $40 million in year two of his long-term deal, Gerrit Cole is slated to make $36 million in a year when he can opt-out and renegotiate, Carlos Rodon is making about $28 million heading into the second of his six-year deal and Giancarlo Stanton is getting nearly $25 million coming off his worst and most frustrating season.

The other prominent name linked to the Yankees is Juan Soto, who can be acquired via trade if the Padres decide to pare their roughly $255 million payroll after underachieving their way to 82 wins. The Padres may also decide to take the view that their 2-12 record in extra-inning (overtime) games and 9-23 mark in one-run games is a fluky thing like the Jets beating the Eagles with Zach Wilson earlier this year.

If the Padres opt to deal Soto, the Yankees likely would be shedding some of their top prospects since San Diego would want to recoup some of the prospects they dealt to Washington in July 2022. The thing not going in the Padres’ favor may be the fact that Soto is heading into free agency and teams may not want to shed their best for a player who may not re-sign with their team.

Beyond Bellinger and Soto, Kevin Kiermaier is viewed as a fit due to his being lefthanded along with being an elite defender with plenty of AL East experience with Tampa Bay and Toronto.

Another one being floated is Charlie Blackmon, a name mentioned by SNY recently. While Blackmon also is left-handed at 37 he is four years older than Kiermaier who rebounded from hitting .228 to batting .265 for his second-best average in his 11-year career.

As for Blackmon, he batted a respectable .279 and finished with 40 RBIs in 96 games due to a fractured left hand. Blackmon was paid $18 million last year and it seems due to his age and recent injury history that figure may drop.

Of course there always is the possible of a name people least expect but either way, this week seems to be the time for the Yankees to lay the groundwork for the winter meetings and find an outfield match that best suits them and avoids some of the outfield production woes from last season, especially in left field.