About the Off-Season: And Away We Go
By Tim Kabel
December 4, 2023
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The winter meetings are underway in Nashville Tennessee. Over the next few days, we should get a pretty good idea of which way things will be going for the Yankees this off-season. Now, they don't absolutely need to make a move or multiple moves at the winter meetings. They could lay the groundwork for something this week and then finish it shortly afterward. But considering how 2023 went, and the messages that have been delivered by Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees really should do something this week.
We will read and hear multiple rumors over the next few days. That process is already well under way. I have seen multiple stories regarding a potential trade between the Yankees and the Padres for Juan Soto. Those talks have reportedly stalled due to the initial high demands of the Padres. That is not unusual. That has almost always been the case every off-season. It is usually a process that involves a lot of back and forth. However, it is different now.
In the past, even when you heard the Yankees had broken off negotiations with a free agent or trade partner, you didn't worry. You were confident as a fan that the team would get things done. It's not possible to feel that way any longer. Lately, Brian Cashman has been the person who goes out to buy a new car but instead comes home with a package of meat from Omaha Steaks because he bumped into the salesman on his way to the car dealer. Nothing he has done recently has given fans a lot of confidence. Now, he is not going anywhere, and he will remain the general manager for the foreseeable future. We have to hope things will be different this off season.
If we wake up on Wednesday morning and discover that the Toronto Blue Jays have traded for Juan Soto and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is signing with the Mets, there will be rioting in the streets. Yankees' fans want something big. They want changes to the team that will matter. They want players who can help Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, and the others win a World Series.
Yankees' fans are frustrated because although the team has not had a losing season in over 30 years, they have not won the World Series since 2009. Yankees' fans are tired of coming up short and finishing out of the running. That applies to their performance on the field as well as their performance when it comes to making trades or signing free agents.
It used to be that when the Yankees wanted to sign a player or trade for him, he was a Yankee in short order. That is no longer the case. First, it's very hard to tell what the Yankees actually want. There is a level of indecision and a lack of clarity in what this team is trying to do. Brian Cashman now seems focused on bringing home the likes of Matt Carpenter, Willie Calhoun, and Oscar Gonzalez. It would be one thing if the Yankees told us that they were not going to make big moves. We would not be expecting them to do so. However, they promised big changes and big moves this off-season.
I would like to say that if the Yankees don't make any major acquisitions at the winter meetings or shortly thereafter, heads will roll. However, no heads will roll. A lot of eyes will roll, including mine, but no heads will roll. Hal Steinbrenner seems to be exceedingly cautious. Although he did step in last year to finalize the signing of Aaron Judge, other than that all he has really done is pontificate about being frustrated and wanting things to be better but, he has not made any actual changes. Brian Cashman is very likely to do nothing at the winter meetings and then tell us all how the market did not offer him the opportunity to make trades or sign players. It's beginning to look like the only market Brian Cashman should be worried about is the one where he can buy cottage Cheese and toaster strudel.
The Yankees have entered the fray at the winter meetings. Now, they need to come back with something. They need to make a trade or sign of free agent, somebody who is a known commodity who can help this team win.If they don't do that, fans will begin to tune out. The Yankees are rumored to be after multiple players. Let's hope some of those rumors actually come true.
