Yankees: 3 free agents to sign and 1 to avoid this offseason

The Yankees need to nail free agency to position themselves to win another World Series. Here are three players for New York to target and one to avoid.

Brian Cashman and his front office understand that the Yankees don’t need to conduct a roster overhaul to position themselves to win a World Series next season. That doesn’t mean they can overlook the importance of free agency. On the contrary, New York needs to enjoy a very productive offseason if they want to end their championship drought.

That means the Yankees need to target free agents who can fill needs without breaking the bank. The team wants to keep their payroll in check due to revenue loss associated with COVID-19. That will limit Cashman’s spending power to some degree.

It’s arguably just as important for New York to avoid splashing the cash on the wrong free agency signing. Their limited budget means the organization has no room for error. Read on to discover who the Yankees should sign and who they should pass on in the coming weeks.

Sign D.J. LeMahieu

The Yankees’ front office understands their top offseason priority is to bring back D.J. LeMahieu. He’s arguably been the team’s MVP during both of his seasons in pinstripes. Re-signing him isn’t going to be cheap, but it’s a price the organization needs to pay.

If he does walk, it’s going to force the Yankees into making a big trade to bring in a middle infielder of his caliber. The choice for Cashman and company is whether or not they want to give up talent and pay an All-Star big money, or simply pay LeMahieu the sort of money he deserves.

Don’t look for this free agency saga to come to a quick conclusion, but it’s hard to imagine him changing teams this offseason. The Yankees may have to capitulate to LeMahieu’s demands for a five-year deal in the end, but it’s a sacrifice worth making to keep the MVP candidate in pinstripes for the foreseeable future.