It was a little over ten years ago that the Yankees saw Robinson Cano leave the Bronx for Seattle, taking on a long-term deal with the Mariners. While it may have hurt fans at the time, what should stand out even more is what the Front Office decided to do with the money they saved when Cano left.
The Yankees had felt Cano slipping away when they inked the then 30-year-old Jacoby Ellsbury to a 7-year, $153 million deal. Earlier that week, that had signed Brian McCann (30) and would later lock up Carlos Beltran (37), spreading the money around. To replace Cano, Cashman took a flier on Brian Roberts, a former All-Star with Baltimore who had long since fallen off and was now in what would be his final season in baseball at 36.
While it made sense to spread the money around on various positions of need, the money was spent on the wrong players and if affected the team both immediately and for years to come. The 2014 Yankees finished 84-78 and failed to make the postseason, with McCann and Beltran batting below .240 and Ellsbury striking out 93 times as the team’s leadoff hitter.
The reason this is being brought up is to show that the money the Yankees now have that they would have spent on Soto needs to be spent wisely. The Yankees just spent $218 on an 8-year deal for Max Fried, which one can get behind. The issue with Max has been his struggles during the postseason, but we can cross that bridge at a later date as he is slatted to be the number two starter behind Gerrit Cole.
Now Brian Cashman has to address the lineup and there are some names out there that have been tossed around, like Christian Walker for 1st base. Walker had a solid year with Arizona in 2024 and would be a nice plug-in at 1st, but only if the Yankees have a bigger move up their sleeve. Walker would slide into the bottom third of the lineup, providing much needed depth and be a low-risk move (depending on how much they shell out).
Another name that has been discussed is Alex Bregman to man the hot corner, which would slide Jazz Chisholm over to 2nd base. This is the move personally that I would welcome, which may be a bit of a hot take, but allow me to explain why. Bregman has remained relatively healthy over the course of his career and can bat almost anywhere in the lineup. In 2024, Bregman hit .260 with 26 homers and 75 RBIs in the 145 games he appeared in.
Bregman did have 10 errors in the field, but that had him ties for 30th in the league, and before 2023 had four years with single digit errors. The contract here will be a talking point for sure, but it is not talked enough about how he can be a key part of the Yankees lineup and provide an all-around type hitter the team is lacking.
There are still holes to fill in the outfield and the bullpen, and those could be had via the trade market. With Kyle Tucker now a member of the Chicago Cubs, it makes sense that Cody Bellinger would be the new trade target for the Bronx Bombers.
Do not be surprised after the Yankees dealt Nestor Cortez and Caleb Durbin to the Brewers for Devin Williams earlier today if Bregman and Bellinger are in pinstripes by the end of the weekend!
