The New York Yankees are one of many teams pursuing Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto this winter. Yamamoto is perhaps the most highly coveted free agent on the market as of now.
New York has to compete with their crosstown rivals in the New York Mets for Yamamoto's services. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic notes that should the Yankees miss out on Yamamoto, they'll be far more aggressive in free agency than the Mets plan to be.
Yankees have a Yoshinobu Yamamoto backup plan
The Yankees won just 82 games during the regular season, barely finishing above the .500 mark and missing the postseason for the first time since 2016. While Gerrit Cole turned in a fantastic season and won the Cy Young in the American League, New York had serious issues with their starting rotation.
Outside of Cole, New York's starters posted a 5.06 ERA and a dismal record of 32-46.
Rosenthal notes that with or without Yamamoto, the Bronx Bombers will need help in their starting rotation. Fortunately, they do seem to have a backup plan. The Yankees have had internal discussions about a reunion with left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
In addition, New York could look to beef up its bullpen with pitchers such as Jordan Hicks, Robert Stephenson, and Josh Hader all still free agents. One source described the Yankees approach as building a "super-charged" bullpen.
With or without Yamamoto, this would be a very dangerous bullpen to face if the Yankees are able to land all three pitchers. All are capable of closing and can be used in high-leverage spots. The Yankees shipped Michael King to the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto deal. Jhony Brito and Randy Vazquez also departed in the Soto trade.
So, New York has some spots they could look to fill in their bullpen, regardless of where Yamamoto signs this winter. These moves would almost certainly make the Yankees undisputed favorites to win a stacked AL East. It's a solid backup plan that could take the Yankees far in 2024 if Yamamoto does not sign in the Bronx.
The Yankees have addressed their offense by adding two much needed left-hander power bats. Now, they must turn their attention to their pitching needs.