About the Off-Season: Going Wild?

About the Off-Season: Going Wild?

By Tim Kabel

December 9, 2025

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The Winter Meetings opened yesterday. I have a few scattered thoughts about the Yankees as we settle into what could be a very exciting week.

There has not been much activity yet but that could change very quickly. As far as the Yankees are concerned, there are reports that they have been linked to... wait for it... Jorge Polanco. Be still my heart. Polanco played for the Twins for many years before going to the Mariners. In 2019, he was an All-Star and finished 13th in the American League MVP voting. Next year will be 7 years since that happened. In 2024 with the Mariners, he batted .213. Last year, he had a bounce back year, batting 265 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI. Still, with all of the big names that have been linked to the Yankees, if their first big move is Jorge Polanco, that would be a little underwhelming. That would be like going into a steakhouse and ordering liver and onions.

Aaron Boone reportedly “admitted” that he is not doing anything as far as recruiting free agents to join the Yankees. He hasn't spoken to Cody Bellinger because he feels that Bellinger already played for the Yankees and doesn't need to be recruited. I suppose that makes sense, but Boone has also not talked to any other free agents. He has done nothing to recruit anybody. I read an article about this, and many people are startled by it. My question would be, why? Boone “admitting” that he has done nothing to help improve the Yankees would be like Wilt Chamberlain “admitting” that he was a bit of a ladies’ man. Realistically, the fact that Boone is not an active participant in attempting to convince players to come to the Yankees is not a bad thing. For those of us who feel that Boone is not the best choice to be the manager, it is actually good news. It allows the Yankees to have some level of distance from Boone if they decide to go in a different direction at some point. In other words, no free agent can come to the Yankees and later claim that it was entirely due to the charm, wit, and ebullience exhibited by Aaron Boone and that he would not want to play for anyone other than Boone. If the Yankees recruitment pitch discusses every other aspect of the team and then finishes with “Oh, by the way, Aaron Boone is the manager”, it might be a wise move. It will indicate to the player that although Boone is the manager, the player's future with the Yankees is not tied to him. That may be more appealing to many players, who might want to come to the Yankees for many other reasons than the fact that Aaron Boone is the manager. 

Another player being linked to the Yankees is Brad Keller, who had a breakout season as a relief pitcher for the Cubs after being converted to the bullpen. Keller is 30 years old and pitched for several years for the Royals where he was mediocre at best. He then split 2024 between the White Sox and the Red Sox. In 2024, he was 0-4 with a 5.44 ERA. Last year, he was 4-2 with a 2.07 ERA. That was fine, but it was just one year. It was one very good year after several years that were not very good at all. To me, Keller seems like Luke Weaver 2.0. As is the case with Jorge Polanco, the signing of Brad Keller will not result in jubilation and dancing in the streets.

The Yankees have gone into the Winter Meetings as they always do, attempting to appear as if they are big game hunters. If the Yankees biggest acquisitions are Jorge Polanco and Brad Keller, that would be like saying you're a big game hunter, but you only bagged two squirrels.

The Winter Meetings just started. The Yankees could acquire some very big players in the next couple of days, or even after.

When I used to go fishing, there were many times where I stood in the river or on the bank casting my line repeatedly and coming up empty. All it takes is one strike and one fish on the end of your line to make you forget all of that. Hopefully that happens soon for the Yankees.