The New York Yankees endured a miserable 2023 season for their standards. New York missed the playoffs and the lineup struggled immensely. It's become clear that New York needs a change, or a massive free agent/trade acquisition at the very least. And speaking of free agents, Shohei Ohtani is set to be the most highly sought after star of the offseason.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are among the favorites for Ohtani. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and Atlanta Braves could be possibilities as well. The New York Mets have also been connected to the superstar, while the Boston Red Sox may be aggressive in their pursuit.
But why not the Yankees? New York has the money to spend and they desperately need another star bat alongside Aaron Judge. Plus, who wouldn't want to see Ohtani smashing homers and making Yankee Stadium look like a Little League field.
There are a plethora of reasons why the Yankees must blow the bank for Shohei Ohtani. Let's take a look at a few of those reasons.
He is Shohei Ohtani…
The most obvious reason is that we are talking about Shohei Ohtani, a two-way phenom who has changed the game of baseball.
Ohtani won't be able to pitch in 2024. The Yankees actually feature a decent pitching rotation already. Injuries played a major role in 2023 though.
If the rotation can stay healthy it should be able to perform well. But adding Ohtani to the lineup will surely intrigue the ball club.
There isn't a good reason not to at least pursue Ohtani. He is a franchise-changing talent who can help New York return to their winning ways. Finding a way to pitch to Ohtani and Judge in the same lineup would truly be a nightmare for opposing pitching staffs.
The fit also makes a lot of sense.
Yankees need a quality left-handed bat in the lineup
Anthony Rizzo is a solid player, but he represents one of the only reliable left-handed bats in the Yankees lineup. New York's primary power threats, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, are both right-handed.
So even if Shohei Ohtani signs elsewhere the Yankees would still be smart to add a left-handed bat. But since Ohtani is currently available in free agency, now is the time to try to sign him.
Cody Bellinger is another player who makes sense for New York. He can play the outfield which would go a long way in keeping Stanton at DH. Plus, Bellinger is a left-handed option.
The easy answer here is to call Bellinger a backup free agent the Yankees can pursue if Ohtani signs with another team. But this is the Yankees we are talking about.
Fans used to hate New York because they would buy all the free agents. MLB's lack of a salary cap makes it possible for the Yankees to pursue both Ohtani and Bellinger.
Reestablishing dominance in MLB
The Yankees have become overly-analytical and almost seem intent on becoming the Tampa Bay Rays. They are trusting in numbers and are not willing to spend quite as much money.
New York did give Judge, their franchise superstar, a massive contract last offseason. They are still paying Stanton a lucrative amount of money as well.
Still, if there is a team that could afford to pursue both Shohei Ohtani and Cody Bellinger in free agency, it is the New York Yankees.
Adding both players would give the offense a boost while filling their need for left-handed hitters. It would add more balance to the lineup and provide further protection for Judge.
In fact, Judge's numbers would probably go up since teams would need to pitch to him in a deeper lineup. The impacts of signing at least Ohtani, if not Ohtani and Bellinger, would be immense.
The Yankees need to reestablish themselves as the dominant force in MLB. Right now, nobody really fears the Yankees. For most of MLB history that hasn't been the case.
From the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, and even more recently with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees have always featured baseball's biggest superstars. The 2023-24 offseason gives them an opportunity to find that identity once agin.
Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are arguably baseball's two best players. Sure, Ronald Acuna Jr, Mookie Betts, and Mike Trout have arguments. But pairing Judge with Ohtani will make the Yankees feel like the Yankees once again.
New York must blow the bank for Shohei Ohtani in free agency.
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