New York Yankees The Complete Signing For Talented Star
While the New York Yankees went hard in pursuit of Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in December, one MLB insider explains why they are highly unlikely to make moves towards landing the next best pitchers in the free agent and trade markets.
This has been a pretty interesting offseason so far for the New York Yankees. They made the biggest splash in the trade market when they acquired three-time All-Star Juan Soto in a blockbuster deal that did not include their very best prospects.
They were also among the final three teams that were seen as favorites to land the services of 25-year-old stud pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. While they did not succeed in their chase for the Japanese ace, trying to bolster their staff behind American League Cy Young Gerrit Cole remains a top priority this winter.
However, to the disappointment of some Yankees fans, the organization may no longer be swinging for the fences in the offseason pitching market. On Saturday, ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel looked at the current situation for several teams and explained why the New York Yankees are probably not focusing their efforts on the remaining elite pitchers left in free agency like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery.
“I don’t think the top free agent options left fit what the Yankees need: Blake Snell has way too much [Carlos] Rodon-type risk to him, Jordan Montgomery will cost about what Rodon did last offseason and offer less upside while also not being the type of pitcher the Yankees have targeted (i.e., younger or with better raw stuff),” McDaniel wrote. “After those two, the remaining free agent starters are mid-rotation types and New York needs more impact than that.”
That might make it seem like another blockbuster trade, this time for pitching, might be the way the team goes soon. However, McDaniel does not think the team trading for the top pitcher on that market — Dylan Cease — is likely for New York either.
“Dylan Cease is the biggest name who could still be traded this winter. The asking price has been high, though, with the White Sox seemingly waiting until after Yamamoto signed to up the price, hoping to find a trade partner in the exact situation the Yankees are in now,” wrote McDaniel.
“The package needed to land Cease would be steep, probably something like this: Chase Hampton (the Yankees’ top pitching prospect after the Juan Soto trade), another top 100-caliber prospect in outfielder Everson Pereira along with bat-first catcher Agustin Ramirez.”
Considering that the Yankees did give up some good prospects for Soto, giving up a boatload more this offseason may not be preferred by the organization. This means fans should probably expect smaller moves, like for Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga, to be more in line for the team in the coming weeks.
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A’s Signing Has Similar Skillset to New York Yankees Reliever
The Oakland A’s claimed right-handed reliever Michael Kelly off waivers this off-season from the Cleveland Guardians, and while the move was barely reported, the 31-year-old offers a similar skillset to New York Yankees reliever Clay Holmes.
Holmes, 30, has been in the big leagues since 2018, originally with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the pinstripes midway through the 2021 season. He was an All Star in 2022 and has posted ERAs of 1.61, 2.54 and 2.86 with New York the past three seasons. He’s even racked up 44 saves the past two years.
Standing at 6-foot-5, Holmes offers four pitches. His most-used is a 96 mile per hour sinker that he tosses 69% of the time, followed by an 87.5 mph slider with 21% usage, an 84 mph sweeper at 9.5%, and finally a four-seamer that he used just 0.5% of the time that sits at 94 mph.
By comparison, Kelly throws the same pitches, but in a different usage pattern and is listed at one inch shorter than the Yankees’ righty. Kelly’s mix with Cleveland last year had him using his sweeper the most, at 53%, while throwing it at 83.3 mph. His sweeper is right around a tick slower than Holmes’. The rest of his arsenal consists of a four-seamer at 95 mph that’s used 24% of the time, an 88 mph slider 16.5% of the time, and his sinker, Holmes’ most-used pitch, at 95 mph and just 6% usage.
