The New York Yankees are planning on staying firm on their plan to not over spend in free agency. According to general manager Brian Cashman, the Yankees are not aiming to blow up their pay roll considering they will get a major break in a year when players like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez come off the board. So what does that mean for a team needing to sign talent in the free agency market? The Yankees might not want to over spend, but the temptation will be there.
According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com, Yankees fans should not count on players like David Price, Zack Greinke and Daniel Murphy coming to the Bronx. The Yankees need an ace pitcher with the only reliable arm right now Luis Severino. Masahiro Tanaka is injured. CC Sabathia has left a rehab facility. Ivan Nova is not healthy. Michael Pineda is a trade target. However, Price and Greinke will command a lot of money that the Yankees might not want to pay. Matthews notes that instead players like Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Leake and Jeff Samardzija could be more affordable options for the Yankees as players like Adam Warren, Pineda and Nova are at risk of not returning.
Getting a second base option is also a priority for the Yankees. Right now their in-house options include Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley, neither of which are thrilling choices for New York. According to Matthews, Murphy is not the ideal fit for the Yankees. According to the New York Post, Murphy very much intends to hit the market and is not expected to return to the Mets. That does not mean he is coming to the Bronx considering he is expecting to command a contract upwards of $10 million per season. That is simply too much for a team that needs other holes to be filled as well.
Matthews reports that Ben Zobrist is the better option than Murphy. Zobrist is fresh off winning a World Series title and can simply play anywhere on the field for the team that desperately needs a better utility player. The biggest hit to the infielder is that he will be 35 in May. The Yankees have gotten burned by age before and might try and avoid a repeat situation.
The Yankees are going to be tempted to chase other big names like a trade for Matt Harvey or even signing Yoenis Cespedes. Unless the Yankees plan on putting a major shake to the roster with a trade of someone like Sabathia or Mark Teixeira, they can only afford to hand out one big contract. Giving that deal to Cespedes is not a terrible option. He would be asolid option at center field or right field while being a right-handed bat they need. The Yankees could take a shot at trying to pull him out of Queens.