About the Off-Season: Ready to Pounce, or Ready to Bounce?

About the Off-Season: Ready to Pounce, or Ready to Bounce? 

By Tim Kabel

December 16, 2025

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Sometimes when I'm writing or in the middle of some activity in my apartment, I like to pause for a moment and watch my cats. For those of you who don't own pets and particularly cats, they can be quite fascinating. You can also learn a lot by watching them. My Maine Coon Cat, Clancy, who is only a year old but is already tipping the scales at about twenty pounds, is larger than life in many ways. He is not just huge; he has a big personality. Since he's not a person, maybe it's better to say he has a big “catonality." My friend Roger would probably like to weigh in on this, clutching his red pen triumphantly. Whatever you want to call it, Clancy is always up to something. He is never aggressive or mean to any of the other cats or the people who live in my apartment. However, he is full of mischief and loves to tease. There are many times when I see him crouching, twitching his tail focused intently on one of the other cats or my wife. Sometimes, he explodes in a burst of speed and pounces on them playfully. Sometimes, he jumps up in the air and startles them. Sometimes, he jumps up in the air and does…absolutely nothing. It's never clear which one he will do.

Watching the Yankees as we head into the end of December is a lot like watching Clancy. They are poised to strike on several different players. They are repeatedly linked to Kazuma Okamoto, Tatsuya Imai, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Michael King, Kyle Tucker, Jo Jo Romero, Brendan Donavan, and Munetaka Murakami.

The frequency and intensity of these rumors vary from player to player. Sometimes the players you don't hear about are the ones most likely to be signed by the Yankees. 

Either Okamoto or Murakami would be an upgrade offensively over Ryan McMahon at third base. They could also play first base, if the Yankees decided to move Ben Rice to catcher full time. If the Yankees were ever able to part ways with Giancarlo Stanton, Murakami would be an ideal DH. I realize he's left-handed and Stanton is right-handed but if it's a piece of the overall puzzle it might work. Besides, if Murakami does have the type of power we have read so much about, he could be an ideal fit at Yankee Stadium.

As far as the others, some are viable possibilities, while others are less realistic due to a variety of circumstances. The Yankees really do not seem to be in on Kyle Tucker. Since they are reportedly and seemingly very budget conscious, that is a good thing. There are other options for the team that would check more boxes than Tucker at a much lower cost.

The Yankees reportedly have strong interest in Imai, King, and Bellinger. The fact that the Yankees and Rangers both keep denying the possibility of a Seager trade makes me think it is more likely. The same applies to the possible trade of Jazz Chisholm junior. Bo Bichette has tremendous appeal, particularly as a second baseman not only because he would help the Yankees, but also because acquiring him would hurt the Blue Jays. The Yankees haven't been able to hurt the Blue Jays on the field lately. Maybe doing so off the field would be a start.

The Yankees look ready to pounce. Any day now, they might announce a big trade or a major signing or more than one. On the other hand, they might not pounce at all. They might be like Clancy and just decide to go chase a dust bunny or his own tail instead of jumping on one of the other cats. It's impossible to tell.

Yankees fans want Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner to pounce. We don't want them to pounce on undrafted minor leaguers. We don't want them to pounce on reclamation projects. We don't want them to pounce on someone whose nickname is “El Espectaculo,” like they did the other day. We want them to pounce on Tatsuya Imai. We want them to be all over Cody Bellinger. We want them to bring in Bo Bichette. 

The Yankees did not do much in the last week or so. However, in all fairness, the Winter Meetings were about as active as a rest home after a big lunch. The Yankees really didn't miss out on anything. None of the players who were traded for or signed were players that had any real appeal or interest to the Yankees. It is unlikely that Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner were kicking rocks and yelling, “Aw shucks, we missed out on that guy.” They weren't doing that. Besides, they did sign “El Espectaculo." For those who don't know who he is, his real name is Ernesto Martinez, Jr.. He is a huge left-handed hitting first baseman who was in the Milwaukee Brewers system for eight years. He can do a full split while playing first base and apparently hits the ball very hard when he is not injured from doing splits at first base. He does have a cool nickname though.

The next few weeks will be very telling for the Yankees. Will they start to build the team in a way that fills their fans with confidence or leave us disappointed and feeling that our time is being wasted. Will they pounce, or will they bounce? Only time will tell. 

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele.  Mr. Reiner directed many outstanding movies, including one of my favorites, Misery. He also played one of the most iconic roles in the history of television as Michael Stivic, “the Meathead” on All in the Family. Some of my favorite moments on that show were when Archie tried to explain to the Meathead how to do various tasks such as putting on his shoes, eating a pretzel, or climbing into bed. It was absolutely brilliant. Rest in Peace, Sir.

I would also like to take a moment to wish a very happy birthday to the love of my life, my wife Stacey. I suppose I could live without her, but why would I ever want to?