Last offseason, Didi Gregorius heard from New York Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman just once, and later said that "Cashman made it loud and clear that Gerrit Cole was their priority." Ultimately, Gregorius, a fan-favorite in New York, left to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies a few days before the Yankees reeled Cole in on a nine-year deal.
Could a similar dynamic unfold this offseason?
Naturally, the Yankees' top priority this offseason is to retain DJ LeMahieu, who has slashed ..336/.386/.536 with 36 home runs and 129 RBIs in 195 games for the Yankees over the past two seasons.
The team is so focused on LeMahieu that Andy Martino of SNY reports that the Yankees "are not acting aggressively to add to their starting rotation," even going as far as saying that "the Yankees aren't even holding serve by pursuing a reunion with Masahiro Tanaka."
Could the Yankees eventually pivot back to Tanaka? Theoretically, yes. But in practice, things may not play out that way.
Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported that "MLB free-agent activity has picked up significantly in the last 24-48 hours," adding that starting pitching and catching are the two markets with the most traction currently. It's entirely possible that by the time LeMahieu makes his free-agent decision, Tanaka could have signed elsewhere.
Additionally, Martino tweeted to say that it's "hard to see him [Tanaka] returning if Yankees sign LeMahieu." While the Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals have also been connected to LeMahieu, Morosi said in late November that "many in the industry expect" he'll ultimately return to the Yankees.
In seven seasons with the Yankees, Tanaka went 78-46 with a 3.74 ERA and a 3.91 FIP in 174 games. Additionally, Tanaka made two All-Star teams and save for an ugly 2020 postseason, was largely very effective in October.
His loss would leave the Yankees' starting rotation pretty thin on sure things beyond Cole, especially if the team doesn't re-sign James Paxton, who is also a free agent.
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