The New York Yankees are slowly turning into the New York Knicks. They're supposed to pursue every single big-name free agent in the offseason, yet they often end up empty-handed or overpaying for stars past their prime.
Brian Cashman has failed to deliver over the past couple of free agency periods. Other than Gerrit Cole, he's been reluctant to spend on the team's most obvious need throughout the Aaron Boone era, which is some pitching.
This winter wasn't the exception to that rule, with the Yankees refusing to get another starter and missing out on Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, and Freddie Freeman. Instead, they traded for the often-injured Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
MLB News: Brian Cashman Defends Yankees' Quiet Offseason
But even though the fans may not be pleased with the team's moves over the offseason, Cashman still believes the team did a great job considering the 'financial limitations' they faced:
"We stayed in touch and evaluated all the market availabilities through trade and free agencies, and then placed our bets," the GM continued. "We were able to attack what was available to us once we pulled those down and closed doors on other things. You only have a certain amount of money to spend, and once you fill those needs you keep moving."
Cashman Says They Couldn't Sign Big-Name Players
Moreover, Cashman admitted that they worked out that trade with the Minnesota Twins merely due to the lack of financial flexibility, as if he wasn't the one to blame for that very same issue:
“Even the New York Yankees can only operate within what our flexibility and guidelines happen to be," Cashman said. "Because we’ve spent a lot of money, we had less ability to maneuver on certain opportunities that might’ve existed, so that’s why we got creative. The deal with Minnesota was hatched out of that lack of flexibility."
While some fans may not be that high on Aaron Boone, there's only so much a manager and his staff can do when the front office is unwilling to address the team's needs. Once again, the Yankees will have a lineup that can rake like the best of them, but little else.
