The NY Yankees could dip into free agency this offseason, as names like Zack Greinke, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jason Heyward, Chris Davis, Mike Leake and Jeff Samardzija are hitting the market. Greinke is expected to opt out of his contract with the Dodgers and he could be a target for Brian Cashman after the way the rotation struggled behind Masahiro Tanaka.
The Yankees made the playoffs in 2015 and that was a bit of a surprise, as many in the media predicted that the team would finish with a record around the .500 mark. Brian Cashman made moves that helped improve the team with the additions of Didi Gregorius and Nathan Eovaldi and the team also brought up young players like Luis Severino and Rob Refsnyder, who both made impacts in 2015.
Moving forward the Yankees want to continue building the farm system and developing their own players, but they also could look at some free agents as options this winter.The Yankees have tried to avoid getting bogged down by long term contracts, but the team did shell out some money a couple years ago for Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann along with Carlos Beltran. The team may try and wait out the contracts for Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia before going huge again, but with a player like Greinke on the market, there is a chance Cashman could make a splash.
According to CBS Sports, Jon Heyman reports that Greinke is going to opt out of his contract with the Dodgers and he should be able to get a deal in the $150 million range. The Yankees can afford that type of deal, but they may not want to shell out that much cash for a player, but Greinke sure would be worth it. The Dodgers starter went 19-3 this season and had an ERA below 2.00 all year and he is likely going to win another Cy Young award.
Heyman writes that the Yankees could look at Samardzija as an option, as Samardzija had a down year with the White Sox after getting traded and could come at a cheaper price than expected. The team may not go after Chris Davis because they already have Teixeira and he was having a strong year before getting injured, while someone like Jason Heyward may be asking for too much money for what the Yankees will want to offer.
If the team does dip into free agency, a pitcher is a likely target, as the team had struggles with injuries and inconsistent performance between Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia, Eovaldi, Adam Warren and Tanaka. David Price is another name that could be a target, but he could get a big contract as well and could be in the $180-$200 million range and the Yankees may not want to go that high. Heyman writes that the Dodgers, Cardinals and Cubs could be targets for Price.