Yankees aren't done: 3 more predictions and our way-too-early 2024 roster projection
Leading up to the Yankees’ trade for Juan Soto, manager Aaron Boone mentioned the potential ripple effect of impact deals at the Winter Meetings.
“Sometimes one move can make the need something else,’’ Boone said. “That’s part of what the front office is working through right now.’’
Having since secured Soto and Alex Verdugo to bolster a lineup desperate for a dynamic left-hitting presence, the Yankees’ aim was to add more pitching.
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“We like the pitching we have, but we also recognize that if we can add to it, it’s important to do,’’ GM Brian Cashman said after the Soto trade.
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Cashman was in the market for both starters and relievers, either “from an insurance standpoint or something established,’’ though one name – Yoshinobu Yamamoto – ranked above all.
Here now are a few predictions about the Yankees’ final winter shopping list, and an all-too early projection on their Opening Day roster:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto signs a 10-year contract
Deep interest in Yamamoto by MLB’s wealthiest big-market teams – especially the Yanks, Dodgers and Mets – have pushed predictions of his final contract north of $250 million.
And that doesn’t include the posting fee due to the Orix Buffaloes, based on a percentage of Yamamoto’s deal.
After the 2019 season, the Yankees signed free agent Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324 million contract, which is expected to become a 10-year, $360 million contract (the Yanks can add an extra year at $36 million to cancel Cole’s opt out clause after the 2024 season).
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Scouted extensively by the Yankees, Yamamoto is clearly a priority target as Cole was four years ago.
At age 25, with his arsenal and the demand for his services, is it unreasonable to think Yamamoto could sign a guaranteed 10-year contract?
The ace Japanese right-hander chooses the Yankees, signing a 10-year, $280 million contract with options that can make it a 12-year, $336 million deal.
Frankie Montas returns to the Bronx
In his year-and-change tenure in pinstripes, Montas made just eight starts – all of them in 2022, following his trade deadline acquisition from Oakland.
Montas’ shoulder issues eventually led to arthroscopic surgery last February, robbing the right-hander of the entire 2023 season – except for a brief late September appearance.
By then, Montas was declared sound and was expected to have a normal offseason.
The anticipation is that Montas, who turns 31 in March, will be fielding a lot of short-term offers as he looks to bounce back into form as a frontline starter.
In need of starting depth, and having supervised his shoulder rehab, the Yankees take another flyer on Montas with an incentive-laden one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025.
A future commitment to closer Liam Hendriks
Last June, the Yankees made a public gesture of their admiration for Liam Hendriks, and his battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, shortly after he’d resumed pitching with the Chicago White Sox.
Before a game at Yankee Stadium, Cashman and Boone presented Hendriks a $10,000 check from the organization, a donation in the reliever’s name to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Hendriks personally matched that donation.
Weeks later, an elbow problem led to Tommy John surgery. Now a free agent, Hendriks – who turns 35 in February – hopes to resume pitching in the majors by midseason.
The potential of having an All-Star closer as a setup man during the second half of 2024 might be appealing to the Yankees, with the added benefit of having him in 2025.
Hendriks signs a two-year deal with the Yanks, with escalators based on appearances and other incentives.
Yankees' projected starting rotation
Gerrit Cole, RH
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RH
Carlos Rodon, LH
Nestor Cortes, LH
Clarke Schmidt/Frankie Montas, RHs
Relievers
Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loaisiga, Ian Hamilton, Scott Effross, Victor Gonzalez, Nick Ramirez. (Liam Hendriks begins on IL).
Infielders
Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe, DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera.
Outfielders
Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham, Giancarlo Stanton.
Catchers
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees trade news and roster projections for 2024 MLB season
