Everything this offseason is turning up for the Dodgers, who just landed Yoshinobu Yamamoto on a 12/$325M contract. Details inside.
My Quick Thoughts:
...DARNIT.
Well. There goes ANOTHER Japanese star who was rumored for months to come to the Yankees and who is no longer going to be headed our way. Add Yamamoto to the list with the likes of Ohtani, Darvish, Maeda, Kikuchi, and so many others of recent history. (I'm not comparing Ohtani and Kikuchi, but I am highlighting a pattern.)
The last Japanese star the Yankees brought in was Masahiro Tanaka...in 2014. Once this season hits it will be a decade without the Yankees bringing in another Japanese player.
For a team and franchise that used to be on top of this market, this is an embarrassing sign for the Yankees. They sent Cashman there, who watched Yamamoto throw a no-hitter, and still couldn't get him to take their offer.
DARNIT DARNIT DARNIT.
I want the Yankees to be fun. The Yankees should also want to be fun. Yamamoto was going to be my next favorite Yankee. (I'm holding out on that being Soto until they sign him to a long-term deal. I can't get overly invested in a guy who may only be here for a short while.)
DARNIT.
And to think I had ideas of Nestor "Mario" Cortes and Yoshinobu "Literally named Yoshi" Yamamoto as a marking gag in my head...what lost potential.
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If the Yankees don't swing a trade for Corbin Burnes by Christmas, I'm going to be ticked. This starting rotation is topped by Gerrit Cole and after him is a bunch of question marks followed by even bigger question marks of who even pitches for this team next season. They traded nearly all their depth recently.
Corbin. Burnes.
The Yankees need another top tier ace pitcher for this team in 2024. Don't let Soto be the only move to show they are "trying". Soto is a great start, but this team needs to build itself into a powerhouse- even if just for 2024.
Get. Corbin. Burnes.
Heck, if the Yankees want to go all-in on offense, I have been convinced. Offer Cody Bellinger a 7/$210 Million deal tonight. $30M AAV. He's the CF in 2024. He can be the CF insurance in 2025 if Rizzo is productive enough to keep around and/or if Dominguez's return from Tommy John didn't go exactly to plan. If not, he's another left-handed first base bat (something before Rizzo that the Yankees hadn't had since Teixeira.)
DARNIT.
The Dodgers are the Yankees of old.
Now the Yankees should become the Dodgers. Trade everything to get the best talent available.
DARNIT.
