By Derek McAdam
November 8, 2023
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With the World Series having concluded with the Texas Rangers defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games, the off-season has officially begun, and the New York Yankees are going to have their plates full. First, the Yankees have been in the process for a new hitting coach, and according to several sources, Detroit Tigers’ assistant hitting coach James Rowson is the front-runner for the job.
Rowson has spent some time in the Yankee organization, specifically serving as the team’s Minor League hitting coordinator for six seasons leading up to the 2012 season. He has since bounced around between the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, and Tigers. The sources also say that Rowson has been offered the job, so it seems likely that he will accept, but that remains to be seen.
The Yankees are also allegedly pursuing a new approach to the analytics department. Owner Hal Steinbrenner has not been straightforward with how he will handle this situation this off-season, but it been mentioned on several occasions. All Yankees fans know is that Zelus Analytics was hired to help the organization. Not much else has been mentioned.
However, while both of these situations are very important, the roster that the Yankees will attempt to assemble this off-season will be the most important task at hand. The Yankees are looking to add some bats to the lineup, but they are also focusing in on pitching, specifically starters. After all, they have already lost Domingo German, who selected free agency over the Minor League assignment, and are also set to lose Luis Severino and Frankie Montas to free agency.
It is known that the Yankees will likely pursue Yoshinobu Yamamoto to fill one of those starting rotation slots this off-season, but there are also several other free agents that will hit the market, including Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and many others. While it seems far-fetched for the Yankees to sign another player to a nine-figure contract, as they already have four on the payroll, Steinbrenner said Tuesday that “Everything is on the table when it comes to free agents,” so anything is possible.
My prediction is that the Yankees will make Juan Soto their first priority, and I can’t see them using him as a rental. This obviously means that he will command a nine-figure contract. So how can they solve the rotation problem? Looking at someone that was just in the organization is always a good start, and maybe the right move to make for the short-term.
While Severino has had some great moments with the Yankees, they mostly occurred more than five years ago, and he has been constantly injured since. His 2023 season was a disaster, and the Yankees may be a little fed up with him questioning the organization taking their time with his injury recovery stages. So that leaves Frankie Montas, and while I don’t think this is the greatest idea, I don’t think it’s a bad one. Here’s why.
First, and foremost, if you’ve read my articles over the past month, you probably are tired of me saying that the Yankees should not be spending a bunch of money this off-season. Montas is unlikely to get a multi-year deal from a team, especially since he pitched only three innings in 2023. But the Yankees are definitely in a position to where they can give him a one-year deal for several million dollars. They can even add on a vesting option to the deal that would give Montas a big raise for the 2025 season to sweeten the deal.
I say that Montas is unlikely to get a multi-year deal, but I can’t say that it absolutely will not happen. However, I can’t see any team wanting to commit to him for more than two seasons. He’s had his struggles with injuries, and teams don’t want to be beaten down with that. However, while Montas has had his share of injuries (and I cannot stress enough that the Yankees should not be pursuing injury-prone players), this signing is a low-risk deal for the Yankees that could have a positive long-term impact on Montas’ career.
Plus, if the Yankees are able to bring Montas back, I think it would help the overall trade for the pitcher look a little better on paper. After all, he wasn’t spectacular when he did pitch in 2022, and last year was not a large enough sample size to determine. I’m not trying to make Brian Cashman look better, but it would be nice if the Yankees could get some production out of Montas.
The likelihood of this signing turning into a reality seems much more likely than the Yankees landing a top free agent, and it would probably be the better move than landing a top free agent for the long-term. The Yankees are not currently built to even compete in the playoffs, and the re-tooling will likely take a couple of years to sort out. However, the Yankees were also “re-building” in 2017 and went seven games with the Astros in the ALCS, so I guess anything is possible.
If the Yankees can get Montas for a good price, I think it will be extremely beneficial to the team. They know that he is now healthy and ready to go for the 2024 season, so barring any injuries during the off-season or Spring Training, this will be a big addition to their rotation.
Signing Montas does not mean that the Yankees will not pursue another free agent pitcher. It is definitely possible that they add Montas along with someone like Yamamoto, but Montas is going to be a No. 3 starter at best when he signs, which is perfectly fine. The Yankees already have an ace, and are hoping that Carlos Rodon can shake off his first year in the Bronx, or maybe that Michael King can elevate himself to a new level.
Overall, I think this would a beneficial deal for both sides and one that the Yankees should definitely consider making. Depending on how fast the free agents come off the board this off-season, I can see this one going fairly quickly, especially since the Yankees are in a bit of a dire need of a starter. Do you think that Montas is someone the Yankees should bring back, or should they look somewhere else?
