Yankees’ Next Move: What is it and When Does it Happen?

Michael Mazza

2/1/2024

Yankees’ Next Move: What is it and When Does it Happen? Part 1

This offseason, the Yankees needed starting pitching after injuries decimated their rotation. The Yankees lost 60-80% of their rotation, and guys like Rodon, former Yankee Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes, etc., went down with injuries. The Yankee’s only healthy and durable starter was their ace AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole. So what did the Yankees do? They went out and signed RHP Marcus Stroman to a very team-friendly deal.

The million-dollar question is, what is the Yankee’s next move? Is it Blake Snell or
another pitching option like Corbin Burnes? When will the next splash happen, and what are the
effects of the next big splash? Well, let’s get into it. The Yankees had reached out to Blake Snell
and his camp. They had made a very reasonable and fair offer to Snell. The offer they extended
to him was 5-6 years for $150MM. Snell rejected that offer and countered with an obscene and completely ridiculous offer of 9 years for $270MM. There are multiple problems with that. For one
, Snell is on the wrong side of 30. Two, he hasn’t pitched more than 181 in his entire career. He
has only pitched 180 innings twice. Lastly, Snell does not pitch deep into games, which forces the
team that has him to use their bullpen a lot in his starts.

The Yankees, who had been linked to Snell for quite some time, have officially pulled out of
the Blake Snell sweepstakes. The Yankees were also the only team to have made a formal offer
to Snell. Hal came out and said that the Yankees would no longer be pursuing Snell, and the
offer was off the table. He did say that the Yankees would throw everything out to try and
acquire Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. What are the Yankees and the Front Office
saying by no longer pursuing Snell? Well, for one, the Yankees are standing with what they have in the rotation and confident with it. Two, the Yankees are prepared to say that their offseason may, in fact, be complete and that they will add depth pieces here and there. Lastly, it says they want to give their young kids a shot to earn a spot in the
rotation.

So what could be that next big splash, and when could it happen? The next big splash could be
at this year’s trade deadline. The splash could be the Yankees doing what they can to acquire
Corbin Burnes. Burnes, who the Yankees had been linked to this offseason, would be a perfect fit for the Yankees’ rotation.

What are the effects of the Yankees not pursuing Snell? For one, it avoids the limited amount of
innings that Snell would give them. Secondly, the Yankees don’t have to spend $30MM
per year for a pitcher who is not known for pitching deep into games and wearing down a
bullpen. Lastly, it saves the Yankees IFA money and draft picks. If the Yankees were to sign
Blake Snell would lose $1MM in IFA money, which would cause them to lose out on the top
international free agent. it would also cost them a couple of draft picks.
What are the effects of Burnes coming to the Bronx at the deadline? For one, Burnes would
give that Yankees rotation another major anchor. It would give them a 1-4 of Cole, Burnes,
Stroman and Rodon. That 1-4 could be considered one of the top 1-4 if not the best 1-4 in baseball. Secondly, Burnes would give the Yankees a bulldog behind Cole and the durability that the rotation so longs for. Lastly, Burnes would give the Yankees another Cy Young Award winner and a 3x All-Star. Burnes would, most importantly, stabilize that rotation. Also, if the Yankees acquire Burnes, it makes it much easier for them to re-sign him at the end of the year.

What makes Burnes so good? Well, let’s take a look at some of his accolades. Burnes is a 3x All
Star(‘21, ‘22, ‘23), an All-MLB First Team(‘21), an NL Cy Young Award Recipient(‘21), an NL
ERA Leader(‘21) and an NL Strikeout leader(‘22). He also pitched a combined no-hitter on
9/11/21. He also has set two MLB records. The most consecutive strikeouts in a single game
with 10. He is tied with Phillies RHP Aaron Nola and HOF pitcher Tom Seaver. He also has the
most consecutive strikeouts without issuing a walk to start a season with 58. Burnes has a
career record of 45-27 with a career 3.26. Those are very respectable numbers.

It would look like this for a package that the Yankees would have to give up at the deadline.
Milwaukee would acquire SS Oswald Peraza, OF Everson Pereira, 2B/3B Keiner Delgado, and
LHP Brock Selvidge while the Yankees would acquire RHP Corbin Burnes. If the Yankees
acquired Burnes now, a package would be much steeper. That package would look as
such. The Brewers would acquire OF Spencer Jones, SS Oswald Peraza, OF Everson
Pereira, RHP Chase Hampton. The Yankees would acquire RHP Corbin Burnes.
I think the Yankees will end up making a deal for Corbin Burnes at this year’s
trade deadline. The Yankees made the right move by pulling out of the Snell sweepstakes. By
acquiring Corbin Burnes at the deadline, they will certainly not have to give up as much capital to
acquire the RHP as they would if they traded for him now. Will the Yankees trade for Burnes at
the deadline?