Chapman's back! Are the Yankees preparing for the future?

Aroldis Chapman (pictured in 2016 as a Yankee) returns to the Yankees with a record deal

The Yankees are rebuilding...and reloading their roster at the same time this offseason. First, they traded away Brian McCann to the Astros, with the rise of the next face of the franchise Gary Sanchez (2016: .299 AVG, 20 HR, 42 RBI), who hit 11 home runs in August, and could see more time behind the plate in 2017. Then, they signed former Cardinals outfielder and first baseman Matt Holliday to a 1-year, $13 million deal, which is a good move, because the Yankees need a DH in the lineup. Holliday could play on first base on some games, while platooning this position with Tyler Austin, in 2017, with Greg Bird, who is coming off from a shoulder surgery that caused him to miss the whole 2016 season, uncertain to be ready for a starting job at first base. And now, they brought back Aroldis Chapman (who was traded to the Cubs in the midseason for prospect infielder Gleyber Torres) with a 5-year, $86 million contract, which includes a no-trade clause for the first three years, and he cannot be traded to a team in California, according to Ken Rosenthal (FOX Sports). Chapman’s contract is the highest by a reliever. With the signing of Chapman, that means Dellin Betances, who blew 5 out of 17 save opportunities last year as a closer, will be reverting to the setup role.

Sportrac gives some details on Chapman's record deal via Twitter:

Chapman explained to ESPN's Marly Rivera why he won’t get traded to any team in California. "I just don't want to go that far," he said. "I did have the opportunity to stay here near my house [with the Miami Marlins], but no, I leaned more toward New York. I like the Bronx more." And he also said, "Every player dreams of being a Yankee, and if they don't, it's because they never got the chance."

GM Brian Cashman made it clear that Chapman is the top priority for the Yankees.

However, despite signing Chapman and Holliday, the Yankees still need to find a starting pitcher in the rotation, which has been weak throughout 2016. They released Nathan Eovaldi, who injured his elbow last August and had Tommy John surgery and will miss the whole 2017 season. Masahiro Tanaka (2016: 14-4 record, 165 strikeouts, 3.07 ERA) has been the brightest pitcher in the rotation. CC Sabathia is entering his final year of his contract, and he has been sometimes a reliable no. 5 starter. Michael Pineda has been inconsistent throughout 2016; and Luis Severino had suffered a sophomore slump. Unfortunately, the bad news is that this offseason’s free agency class of starting pitchers is weak.  The Yankees need to find a starting pitcher short-term, or trade for one.

Now the Yankees are clearing up parts of their roster this offseason, trying to cut down their payroll, if they want to sign Bryce Harper, who is set to be a free agent in 2018. According to Bob Nightengale (USA Today), the Nationals stated that they are ready to move on from Harper after 2018, after Harper is seeking at least a 10-year, $400 million contract.  

If the Yankees can let their highly-priced old players (Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, and Alex Rodriguez are already gone now; and CC soon will be gone) go before 2018, they will drop $83 million in salary yearly, and they could be able to spend more $500 million in the 2018 offseason and they could sign Harper and Orioles 3B Manny Machado, or any good free agents in 2018.

MLB

New York Yankees

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Written by

Andrew Kwok

I am an avid fan of the New York Yankees and the New York Giants; I am an aspiring sports writer and video producer

Grand Central Sports

Mostly covering on New York sports

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