The Yankees are playing the waiting game, and their fans are getting cranky, wanting to see action.
Right now, it’s all about Aaron Judge and the tension around the Yankees’ ongoing efforts to re-sign him. But bringing back the slugging MVP has to be the start of the team’s offseason, not the end.
The Yankees could keep going by adding Carlos Rodon, the left-handed ace who spent last season with the Giants, or Carlos Correa, the former Astros shortstop who would lengthen the lineup, or both. There has to be at least one other major difference-maker added.
Losing Judge, an in-his-prime superstar coming off an all-world season, would be a disaster for the Yankees, and it sure doesn’t seem like a lock right now.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Tuesday the Giants have extended an offer in the range of $360 million. Earlier Tuesday, Judge was quoted in an article published by Time magazine saying he was “upset” at how the Yankees handled contract negotiations prior to the 2022 season and citing a long-ago prediction that he would land with the Giants. It was unknown which way Judge was leaning — toward a return or a crushing exodus to the NL West, to play closer to his family’s home.
Even if the Yankees do re-sign him, but they don’t make any other major moves, it would not be good enough after that ugly four-game playoff sweep at the hands of the Astros, their chief tormentors. Certainly not for Yankees fans, who are already growing tired of owner Hal Steinbrenner’s resistance to change by running it back with general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone. The Yankees haven’t reached the World Series in 13 years, and don’t seem to have a sense of urgency to get back there.
They watched as the Mets signed Justin Verlander and the Phillies signed Trea Turner, two elite players who would have fit in well in The Bronx. On the same day, they announced a four-year contract for Cashman, a move that irritated a vocal segment of their supporters. My wife, a big Yankees fan, smirked at the timing of the move. A few Yankees fan friends sent me passive-aggressive texts.
There is obviously a long way to go in this offseason. So many key players have yet to sign. Judge is of course at the top of this list, and there is real uncertainty he will be back in The Bronx after the chatter Tuesday that the Giants were making headway.
And remember, even with Judge dominating the league, this is a team that nearly blew a massive lead in the AL East and was fortunate to reach the ALCS, needing five games to knock off the underwhelming Guardians. The Astros outclassed them in four games.
I do think it’s a bit much to call any season that doesn’t end in a championship a failure. But it’s been more than a decade since the Yankees last reached the Fall Classic, and this team is in need of upgrades — plural — to play deep into October.
Again, Judge can’t be it. It’s time for the Yankees to act like the Yankees. Flex that financial muscle. Show your fans you want to win in October as desperately as they do.
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Phlashing the cash
After reaching the World Series with a stunning October run, the Phillies added to an already formidable team by adding All-Star shortstop Trea Turner on a mammoth 11-year, $300 million contract.
They kept going Tuesday by inking former Mets right-hander Taijuan Walker to a four-year, $72 million deal to solidify the middle of their rotation behind Zack Wheeler (another ex-Met) and Aaron Nola. The Phillies also added to the bullpen by agreeing with lefty reliever Matt Strahm for two years and $15 million.
The 29-year-old Turner is in his prime, coming off a 21-homer, 100-RBI, .809-OPS season. He joins Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm in a dynamic lineup that should be among the best in baseball.
But the Phillies will now have six players — Turner, Harper, Wheeler, Schwarber, Realmuto and Castellanos — making at least $20 million next season. Including Walker and Nola, they owe around $175 million for eight players. Turner will be under contract through the age of 40. Harper will be a Phillie at 38 years of age. The injury-prone Walker — who did make a combined 59 starts the past two seasons for the Mets — was signed through age 34.
Years from now, it’s easy to see the Phillies being handcuffed by some of these huge contracts, when these players are over the hill and still owed big money. But for now, their lineup looks like a minefield to navigate for the Mets and the rest of the NL East.
Red Storm requirements
The Big East season begins on Wednesday with a significant game for St. John’s: versus DePaul at home at Carnesecca Arena.
It is important because it is one of several games St. John’s can’t afford to lose.
The combination of the Johnnies’ poor non-conference schedule — their strength of schedule is ranked 315th in the country by KenPom.com — their ugly loss on Sunday to No. 20 Iowa State and the weakened state of the Big East has created a slim margin of error. With a NET rating (the new metric the NCAA uses to evaluate teams) of 71, St. John’s has a lot of heavy lifting to do to reach the NCAA Tournament.
DePaul is projected to be one of the worst teams in the conference. So is Georgetown. St. John’s has to beat those teams twice apiece, along with taking care of one-win Florida State and New Hampshire to close out the non-conference season. Without a lot of high-level wins — and only Connecticut and Creighton offer the opportunity for such a victory in the Big East at this point — St. John’s can’t afford any bad losses to weigh down the resume.
