The Yankees filled a major hole by dealing for James Paxton, but Brian Cashman needs to make these five moves to finish off the offseason.
Yankees fans were delighted on Monday when news broke of Brian Cashman’s ninja-like acquisition of James Paxton. The trade fills a big hole in Aaron Boone’s starting rotation, but there’s still plenty of offseason work left for Cashman and his staff.
Don’t expect Yankees fans to stay satisfied for long. They’re smart enough to understand just how much work Cashman has left to do. Adding Paxton to the mix is a great step forward, but several more moves are required to break the Red Sox’ grip on the AL East.
In this piece, we’ll walk you through the five moves Cashman still needs to pull off to make this offseason perfection for the Yankees. We’ll start with a free agent the team really needs to re-sign.
5. Bring Zach Britton back into the fold
Britton wasn’t great for the Yankees down the stretch, but it’s important to remember he was still recovering from a really serious ankle injury. There’s a lot of reason to believe he’ll throw the ball even better in 2019.
If he does, he has the ability to be a real weapon out of the bullpen. Left-handers who can close and set up at Britton’s level aren’t readily available via free agency. Britton has the versatility and talent to pitch ahead of or in place of Aroldis Chapman.
The complicating factor here is whether or not another team is going to blow Britton away with an offer to be their closer. The Yankees need to step forward with a strong offer before his market truly has a chance to develop. Cashman might have to overpay to bring the former All-Star back to the Bronx, but they can’t afford to see him leave town.