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The Yankees have reached the offseason many believed would see them make monumental moves that push them back to the head of the pack in the American League as they aim for a 28th World Series title.
Here is an update of rumors surrounding the Yankees pursuits, followed by my take on how things currently stand and may shake out…
Backup plans for Machado evolving
According to the New York Post's George King III, the Yankees are interested in infielder Freddy Galvis if their pursuit of Manny Machado comes up empty. King also reports that the Yanks have serious competition for Galvis's services in the Pirates. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo says the Yankees will "monitor" the market for recently released shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
MY TAKE >> Galvis is a switch-hitting infielder who owns a .248 batting average, .299 on-base percentage and .380 slugging percentage in just over 3,000 career plate appearances. Galvis owns a bit of home run pop and is a durable player, playing all 162 games in each of the last two seasons. Despite playing mainly shortstop in his career, he has made appearances at second and third base. This versatility could go a long way provided Didi Gregorius comes back strong enough to regain control of the shortstop position. Galvis is considered a solid defender, though defensive metrics have wavered up and down the last few seasons with the 29-year-old saving seven runs defensively in 2018.
As for Tulowitzki, this isn't the player the Yankees seemed high on so long ago. The 34-year-old played in just 66 games in 2017, didn't play at all in 2018, and has battled injuries his entire career. Therefore, the notion that he would be a solid replacement for Gregorius begs the question of who would replace Tulowitzki? If anything, if Galvis is scooped up by the Pirates or another club, the Yankees may take a closer look at Tulowitzki.
More Realmuto talk?
The Yankees have deemed Gary Sanchez as the club's starting catcher, but that has yet to remove the team from the J.T. Realmuto rumor mill. SiriusXM's Craig Mish reports that the Yankees are still considered "in" on Realmuto and among several teams with a shot.
MY TAKE >> I tend to believe Yankees GM Brian Cashman regarding Sanchez, so if the Yanks were to somehow trade for Realmuto, it may be in part to spin the Marlins' backstop to another club. The Yankees are said to still be interested in starting pitching and who knows if the mega three-team deal with the Mets, in which the Yankees would receive Noah Syndergaard, would reformulate. While that particular trade looks fun on paper, chances are it may never fully develop.
Kluber, Bauer off the market?
Fancred's Jon Heyman tweeted that the Indians might not be as motivated to trade Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer after finding financial relief in recent trades.
MY TAKE >> The only reason the Yankees would make another rotation move this winter would be for an elite-type starter. The Yankees were said to be still interested in the starting pitching through the trade market, with Kluber and Bauer among those mentioned, so if they are indeed more likely to stay put, it would severely shrink the pool. New York's rotation is improved from 2018, but there are enough questions among the group to warrant keeping an eye on developments as the winter and then season progress.