The New York Yankees brought their checkbook to the offseason.
They knew that, in order to retain some of their own talent and improve the team, they were going to spend big.
So far, that has been exactly the case.
In fact, no other team in the AL East has come close to the Bombers in total dollars given to free agents.
“Guaranteed money given to free agents by AL East teams so far this offseason: Yankees: $411.5 million; Red Sox: $137.5 million; Blue Jays: $63 million; Rays: $40 million; Orioles: $10 million,” Baltimore Orioles insider Nathan Ruiz tweeted.
Guaranteed money given to free agents by AL East teams so far this offseason:
Yankees: $411.5 million
Red Sox: $137.5 million
Blue Jays: $63 million
Rays: $40 million
Orioles: $10 million— Nathan Ruiz (@NathanSRuiz) December 12, 2022
Those $411.5 million the Yankees have spent to this point are mainly on Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and reliever Tommy Kahnle.
They are reportedly very interested in bringing in left-handed starter Carlos Rodon to the Bronx.
If that deal materializes, their guaranteed money given to free agents during the offseason could surpass $600 million because Rodon wants around $200 million.
The Yankees Still Have Work To Do
With all those dollars spent, the Yanks still haven’t figured out any potential solutions for left field, third base, and shortstop.
Those three positions returned subpar performances and are definitely areas to improve.
As for the rest of the division, the Red Sox failed to re-sign Xander Bogaerts, taking some luster off other solid acquisitions like Kenley Jansen and Masataka Yoshida.
The Blue Jays finally secured a top starter this week in Chris Bassitt, while the Rays and Orioles are much more cautious with their expenses.
All teams have a good chance of being competitive in 2023, and still have a good portion of the offseason to improve.
It’s clear that, no matter the results, the Yanks remain the spending kings in the AL East.
