Depending on which rival evaluator you speak with, the Yankees have been stubborn this winter. Or smart. Or surprisingly conservative. Or too willing to embrace pitching uncertainty.
Because they're the Yankees, have the most resources and are among the biggest spenders, they get a lot of attention from their peers -- and generate a lot of opinions.
Unless a surprise trade possibility pops up in the next couple of months, the Yankees probably are finished with the heavy lifting of an offseason in which they have made relatively few changes. Gary Sanchez remains their catcher, a decision that surprises some of the peers of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. Gleyber Torres is still expected to be their shortstop after the Yankees effectively passed on a hard run at Francisco Lindor.
Their big-money item was a six-year, $90-million reinvestment in infielder DJ LeMahieu, the team's best pure hitter and part of the club's leadership. Clint Frazier, widely viewed as a possible trade chip, is still part of the organization, a right-handed hitter on a roster loaded -- overloaded? -- with right-handed hitters.
The composition of their rotation is significantly altered, with Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ gone (and free agent James Paxton likely to follow), replaced by Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon and Domingo German, a trio that bears a lot of uncertainty.
What does the rest of the industry think of how the 2021 Yankees are shaping up?
Evaluator No. 1: "I'm a little surprised they're going with so much risk on the pitching side."
Evaluator No. 2: "Ever since Cashman won the power struggle [about 2006], they do things way smarter than they used to. They used to get every high-profile guy, every expensive guy. But now Cashman has them getting the best of both worlds. An expensive guy like [Gerrit] Cole, but I also love the trade for the cheap guy. [Taillon, who will make $2.25 million this year]."
Evaluator No. 3: "I thought they'd step in and clean up this winter, when almost nobody's spending, and they haven't done that."
There is some industry surprise that the Yankees didn't launch themselves into the free-agent market to build more depth. The Yankees presumably took an enormous hit in their bottom line -- "We lost more money than anyone last season," said one club official -- when compared to other seasons.
But the team continues to carry extraordinary value, and unlike teams such as Cleveland and Tampa Bay, the Yankees stand to rebound ferociously whenever some degree of normalcy returns. Based on that expectation, there was some thought among peers that owner Hal Steinbrenner would take advantage of what is seen as a soft market -- scooping up veterans on team-friendly deals in a winter in which few teams are spending aggressively.
Instead, Cashman has seemingly worked to keep the team's payroll under the $210-million threshold for the competitive balance tax. The other day, the Yankees gave reliever Adam Ottavino and a prospect to the Red Sox after Boston agreed to pay all but $850,000 owed to Ottavino, a cost-saving move more typical of a small-market or mid-market team than a financial monster like the Yankees.
One executive expressed respect for Cashman's work, but added, "The only thing I don't understand is this -- they're in their window to win right now ... Pretty soon, they're going to have to choose between paying [Gleyber] Torres or [Aaron] Judge, and Gerrit Cole is in his prime right now."
But rival evaluators noted that Steinbrenner could always change his directive now or leading up to the 2021 trade deadline, giving Cashman the green light to aggressively augment the roster. The Yankees' payroll in 2021 will be roughly the same as it was in 2005.
"They didn't really build the best roster for 162 games," said one evaluator, referencing the pitching choices. "It seems like they built the best 80-game roster, and maybe they take a look at midseason, add some help and go over the CBT [threshold]."
Multiple evaluators focused on the histories of the starting pitchers that the Yankees will rely on behind Cole. Kluber, signed to a one-year, $11 million deal, threw one inning last year. Taillon, Luis Severino and Domingo German didn't pitch at all -- Taillon and Severino both spent 2020 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and German served a suspension under baseball's domestic violence policy.
"I thought they'd get more reliable pieces," said a longtime evaluator. "There's no way to really know what they're going to get out of those guys."
The executive said Kluber, Taillon, etc., "could be really good -- or they could make 12 starts. They could bust a lot. They seem like a good idea in the offseason, but it feels like they're counting on them more than they should be."
An on-field evaluator echoed that thought: "I'm surprised we didn't see a little bit more of a race to perfection. In the middle of a pandemic" -- with payrolls being cut around the sport -- "they had the power to do whatever they wanted."
One AL evaluator, however, really loved the signing of Kluber and thinks Taillon is an excellent candidate to contribute because he's about 18 months removed from his elbow reconstruction.
"I would've been thrilled if we landed [Kluber]," the evaluator said. "He looks like he's healthy now. [Kluber threw for scouts a couple of weeks ago] He's got a great track record. And if it doesn't work out, it's just a one-year deal. I don't think it's that much of a gamble for the Yankees."
Generally, there is surprise in some other organizations that the Yankees decided to stick with catcher Gary Sanchez, who compounded concerns about his defense by really struggling at the plate last year. The Yankees anticipate that Sanchez will get back to the potent offensive force that he was earlier in his career.
"I thought [J.T.] Realmuto was going to wind up with the Mets, and that the Yankees would get [James McCann]," said one evaluator. "Some of the stubbornness with Sanchez might be about them wanting to be right about him."
Said another assistant GM: "I am surprised they kept him. I'm sure they looked out in the market and decided there weren't really better options available, especially if he bounces back and hits."
Said a third: "I felt they'd be a huge player for Realmuto. But it's really interesting to see where the Yankees are -- they sell a relief pitcher to a longtime rival, basically give him away to create payroll space. The Yankees. That's weird. It's a weird time for everybody."
One evaluator didn't like the long-term commitment to a 32-year-old LeMahieu. "He's a really good player now, but at the end of it, he's not going to be close to what he is --and they're still going to owe him a lot of money."
It's possible that the Yankees' winter moves were steered, to some degree, by the relative inaction of American League teams. The Rays, the defending AL East and AL champions, decided to not pick up the 2021 option of Charlie Morton. Plus, they traded Blake Snell. The Red Sox have been quiet, generally, retooling a disastrous pitching staff as they await the return of Chris Sale from Tommy John surgery. The Blue Jays have improved but may still be a year or two away from seriously challenging the Yankees. The White Sox have been aggressive. The Astros have taken a step back and won't have Justin Verlander for a lot of the 2021 season, if at all. The Athletics have lost Marcus Semien and Liam Hendriks.
Most of the significant movement has been to National League teams, with the Padres adding Snell, Yu Darvish and Musgrove, the Braves signing Morton and Drew Smyly, and the Mets trading for Lindor and signing McCann and Trevor May, among other moves.
Within that context, an evaluator summed up, "I thought they've done well -- but I don't think they hit a home run."
Another: "It's a Grade B-style offseason."