Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner open to moves, declines to discuss Blake Snell
The New York Yankees have operated like a team that intends to be in contention next season, and owner Hal Steinbrenner concurs with that notion.
"I think we have a championship-caliber team right now, but we haven’t stopped looking to improve, and we never will," Steinbrenner said to The Athletic Thursday. "We’re able to do whatever we’re able to do all the way up to the trade deadline. That’s a long time from now."
New York is coming off an 82-80 season that saw it miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Yankees have been one of the busiest teams in MLB this offseason, most notably acquiring three-time All-Star Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, outfielder Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox and signing starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to a two-year, $37 million deal.
The Yankees struck early and often this winter, but the same can't be said for a lot of MLB contenders. In fact, left-handed starting pitchers Blake Snell and former Yankee Jordan Montgomery, right-hander Mike Clevinger, outfielder Cody Bellinger, designated hitter/outfielder J.D. Martinez and third baseman Matt Chapman are among the remaining free agents.
For perspective, Snell won the 2023 NL Cy Young, Bellinger is a two-time All-Star, Martinez is coming off his first 100 RBI season since 2019 and Chapman has earned four Gold Gloves.
Could the Yankees strike a deal with one of the aforementioned players? Steinbrenner declined to discuss any specific free agents, including reported links to Snell, but he did leave the door open for further moves.
"I’m just going to continue to tell you that we continue to look at a lot of different options," Steinbrenner said. "Given where we are payroll-wise, any addition to the club is going to be a costly one. I’m still willing to consider anything that Cash and his team bring my way. I’ll leave it at that. We are not done trying to improve this team."
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The Yankees' 2024 payroll is roughly $295 million, the highest in MLB. They also have Soto entering the final year of team control, with the outfielder poised to command a contract in excess of $400 million next offseason. Steinbrenner said he hopes the team can keep the talented outfielder.
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