New York Post | Joel Sherman: Building on news from earlier this week, Joel Sherman reports that the Yankees are “monitoring the elite shortstop group rather than participating in it,” speculating that the team is looking to see if the market for one of the top guys collapses in the combination of the deep free agent class and the likely-lockout-induced winter.
The first — that the team does not want to block top shortstop prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza — is utterly ridiculous, as prospects are fickle things.
At his first press conference, the new GM was asked if the close relationship between himself and Cashman might signal a more active relationship between the Yankees and Mets front offices, who have made exactly 3 deals in the last 24 years.
The 27-year-old right fielder had a big year in 2021, batting .319/.436/.640 with 38 home runs and a 1.075 OPS; additionally, he started for the Japanese squad that beat the American team twice to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.