Heyman: Yankees Could 'Revisit' Plan, Make Run At Scherzer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York Yankees might go for the big splash after all.
General manager Brian Cashman could "revisit" his plan to eschew the biggest free agents on the market, specifically in regard to ace Max Scherzer, according to WFAN and CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman.
Though still undecided about pursuing Scherzer, the Yankees could "revisit" their offseason approach after having "brief contact" with the two-time All-Star's agent, Heyman reported.
The Yankees -- after spending $471 million in free agency last winter and missing the playoffs for the second straight season -- weren't believed to be players for any of this year's top free agents. If they do go all in on a starter, it seems Scherzer will be the target and not James Shields or Jon Lester.
The 30-year-old right-hander went 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA and 252 strikeouts for Detroit in 2014. Scherzer cemented his place as one of baseball's top starters last year when won the AL Cy Young Award, going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and 240 strikeouts.
The Yankees have made some smaller moves this offseason, re-signing outfielder Chris Young to a one-year deal and trading catcher Francisco Cervelli to Pittsburgh for hard-throwing lefty reliever Justin Wilson. But there's still the hole left by retired shortstop Derek Jeter, and closer David Robertson won't be easy to replace if he proves too pricey to retain. The team is also said to be interested in bringing back third baseman Chase Headley and pitcher Brandon McCarthy.
The Yankees have big arms in their rotation, though they all come with question marks. CC Sabathia is coming off knee surgery, Masahiro Tanaka missed much of the second half of the year after an elbow scare, Ivan Nova is recovering from Tommy John surgery and Michael Pineda's flashes of brilliance have been overshadowed by his oft-injured status.
"(The payroll) will be high, I can tell you that. It will be impressive. I'm just hopeful the roster will be as impressive," Cashman said before leaving last week's general managers meetings, according to MLB.com. "I haven't looked at what we've spent lately. I'm worried about the vacancies we have to fill. The bottom line is, this ownership, this (Steinbrenner) family, has always had an impressive commitment to the fan base in trying to field a championship-caliber team. Hopefully, I can navigate through some of these opportunities to improve the roster."
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