The New York Yankees have signed a high-priced free agent, a person familiar with the situation said.
That leaves coveted players like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman among the 164 free agents who still have just 37 days left before pitchers and catchers depart for spring training in Florida and Arizona on February 14th. This means that there are players on the market who will be able to compete.
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The New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are among the teams still shopping.
But the Yankees are different. They made all the signings and trades after losing Juan Soto, who signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets, just before the start of winter meetings in Dallas in early December.
Since then, they have acquired pitcher Max Fried for eight years and $218 million, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt for one year and $12.5 million. They also re-signed reliever Jonathan Loaisiga to a one-year, $5 million deal.
New York also traded outfielder Cody Bellinger to the Chicago Cubs ($25 million this year with a $22.5 million player option next year) and Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin, who signed an $8.4 million contract this year. -Acquired from Williams. Free agent next year. Additionally, the Yanks traded backup catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for reliever Fernando Cruz and another backup catcher, Alex Jackson.
“We’ve been doing the heavy lifting with (Freed), Devin Williams and Bellinger,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said recently. “But there is still work to be done.”
The Yanks are still looking to acquire a left-handed reliever in center field and release starter Marcus Stroman and his $18.3 million contract, but that’s about it. If Stroman pitches 140 innings this season, an additional $18.3 million will be split next year.
This appears to prevent them from signing Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki, who could potentially earn a ticket to the West Coast club. The Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are reportedly among his targets. Sasaki can sign with a Major League Baseball team at any time between January 15th and January 24th, but if not, he will return to his hometown team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, a Japanese professional baseball team. There is a need.
The Dodgers have already spent $270.6 million in luxury taxes on 19 players, which ranks New York second behind Los Angeles’ $336 million. The Yanks were third in 2024 behind the Dodgers, with the Mets sandwiched between them when considering the entire 40-man roster.
Although the Yankees lost to the Dodgers in five games in the World Series in 2024, they are the likely favorites to return in the cost-effective American League. But along with Soto, the AL championship team also lost Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, John Berti, Nestor Cortez and Trevino.
AL teams haven’t been spending as much this offseason as the National League. In particular, clubs in the National League West, with the exception of the Colorado Rockies, who have only spent $119.4 million so far, are trying to keep up with the Dodgers’ spending to stay competitive. Similarly, in the National League East, the Mets ($252 million), Philadelphia Phillies ($267 million), and Atlanta Braves ($185.7 million) all spend.
In the AL East, the Red Sox ($182.6 million) and Blue Jays ($163.1 million) have solid payrolls, but they haven’t generated much buzz in the free agent market so far this offseason. Neither the Baltimore Orioles ($102.9 million) nor the Tampa Bay Rays ($62.9 million) have done so. The Rays will have to play at the Yankees’ spring training stadium (capacity 11,026) this season because their home field, Tropicana Field, was damaged in the storm. The team ranks 28th in MLB in spending.
Even the Houston Astros, the Yanks’ biggest arch-rival so far, have cut back on spending this season. Their annual salary is 9th in MLB at $183.1 million, a significant decrease from last season’s $264.8 million.
And the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers cut his annual salary by $52 million to $212.8 million.
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