Chapter 787 70: Galaxy Battleship (Part 2)
It's not that the Yankees can't afford the money; in fact, they've been the team that spends and earns the most in MLB in recent years.
But the issue is, who exactly is Gerrit Cole? He's one of the key contributors to the team's last four championships, and last season he won the American League Cy Young Award, widely recognized as the best pitcher except for Lin Guanglai.
If the Yankees gave Yamamoto Yuusen a contract bigger than Cole's at this time, although publicly there might be no complaints, privately players would surely have issues, potentially becoming a trigger for locker room discord in the future.
For the Yankees, who are eager to capitalize on their core players' peak years for as many championships as possible, they ultimately chose the well-established Cole over Yamamoto and painfully withdrew from the competition.
After the Yankees backed out, the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Shohei Ohtani and geographically positioned in California, naturally signed this top Japanese pitcher with a 12-year, $325 million deal, showing how highly they regard Yamamoto Yuusen.
Over the years, the Yankees' main lineup has changed significantly from the three-peat era:
C.C. Sabathia had a perfect farewell in 2019 after achieving those accolades and retired from his playing career; Brett Gardner, his contemporary, also retired after the 2021 season with four championships; and Masahiro Tanaka returned to Japan after his seven-year contract with the Yankees expired, accepting an offer from his mother team, Tohoku Rakuten.
Among the younger players, Luis Severino, once favored by Yankee fans, has been plagued by injuries from the 2019 season onwards, with fewer than 50 appearances over several seasons. After the 2023 season, the Yankees didn't renew him, and he recently signed a one-year short-term deal with the New York Mets.
Gary Sanchez struggled throughout the 2021 season, and before the start of the 2022 season, the Yankees management traded him to cold Minnesota in exchange for former Blue Jays star third baseman Josh Donaldson to fill the gap left by Machado's injury.
In other words, with Lin Guanglai's batch of teammates either retiring or leaving, the oldest player in today's new New York Yankees is Aaron Judge, followed by Lin Guanglai, who joined in 2017. Also, after the 2022 season ended, Lin Guanglai, a Yankee for six years, officially took over the team captaincy, becoming the 16th captain in club history.
After missing out on Yamamoto Yuusen, the biggest name in the market, and learning that Lin Guanglai wouldn't be able to pitch next season, the Yankees quickly made some moves to maintain the strength of their starting pitching roster.
They approached their divisional rival Boston Red Sox and acquired former super left-handed pitcher Chris Sale at an extremely low price in exchange for his last year of control.
In recent years, Chris Sale has been troubled by left shoulder injuries and has been out for three consecutive seasons; the Red Sox were eager to get rid of this seemingly worthless contract, so they only asked for token compensation to send him to the Bronx.
For the Yankees, this deal is considered a huge win: Chris Sale's $29 million annual salary is a burden to the consistently budget-cutting Red Sox, but the Yankees can fully afford it.
If Sale can return to his former form next season, alongside Cole and Wheeler, the Yankees will have three Cy Young-level starting pitchers; even if Sale falters, they're only committed to one final year of the contract, making it a no-loss scenario.
To match the offensive power of the Dodgers' "MVP lineup" consisting of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, the Yankees further strengthened their position player roster.
They traded a package of five players, including talented pitcher Michael King, from the San Diego Padres to acquire former Nationals' "power-hitting youngster" Juan Soto.
After this trade, the Yankees' lineup looks like this:
The starting pitcher rotation boasts three Cy Young/pseudo-Cy Young-level aces, with Gerrit Cole and Zack Wheeler among the best starters in the league, while Chris Sale hopes to rediscover his form in the Bronx.
In the bullpen, although Chapman's past contributions are gone, players like Tommy Kahnle remain as pillars, along with steady forces like Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes.
The position player lineup is even more luxurious, with only three other teams in the league at most capable of comparing with the Yankees.
The starting catcher remains J.T. Realmuto, one of the most consistently top-tier catchers in recent years, consistently topping various charts for his position.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo was once a star with the Chicago Cubs but, after their rebuild, was traded to the Yankees. Despite some decline in offensive power with age, his excellent fielding and ball selection have kept him valued, and his salary of around $17 million is relatively low for players of similar stature.
Second baseman Gleyber Torres, nicknamed "The Prince," is a super rookie developed by the Yankees' farm system, was ranked second among top prospects, only behind Shohei Ohtani. Although his defense occasionally draws criticism, his offensive capabilities are outstanding, capable of contributing 25 home runs annually when healthy, justifying the Yankees' tolerance of his poor defense.