The Yankees have quite a few of their own free agents heading into the open market, but there are a couple who they really need to hold onto.
With the MLB season sadly over, it’s time to turn the page and focus on the offseason. The Yankees have a total of six free agents: Dellin Betances, Didi Gregorius, Austin Romine, Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, and Cody Gearrin. It’s time to start thinking about who they should bring back and who they should let go. Let’s take a look at the three players the Yankees should bring back.
Dellin Betances
If Betances didn’t get hurt this would be an absolute no brainer, but his injury makes this a bit difficult. We aren’t sure if he will heal the right way. He could very well throw for the first time and not feel right and need surgery. But that is a topic for another day. When Betances is on he is one of the best bullpen arms in baseball. In his career, Betances sports a 2.36 ERA. In his last full season(2018) Betances owned a 2.70 ERA while striking out 115 batters in 66.2 innings.
I think the Yankees need to take a chance on him again and bring him back as you can’t afford to lose a guy like him if he returns to form.
Prediction: two-years, $24mil with a 3rd-year option.
Brett Gardner
This one is very easy with the news of Aaron Hicks getting Tommy John surgery. Brett has been with the team his entire career and probably will retire a Yankee. Brett actually had a great season, which was surprising after his awful 2018 season. In 2019, Brett slashed .251/.325/.503 while slugging a career-high 28 homers. Brett is a great clubhouse guy and showed he still can play and the Yankees should bring him back.
Prediction: one-year, $8mil
Cameron Maybin
This one might come as a shock to many, as I’m picking Maybin over Romine. The reason why is because personally I think it’s time to give Higgy a shot but that is also a topic for another day. We saw this season that no one is safe from the injury bug, especially our outfield.
You can never have too much depth and Maybin showed he can be a force even when he isn’t playing every day. In 2019 for the Yankees, Maybin slashed .285/.364/.494 while slugging 11 homers. Maybin is the perfect depth piece guy for the team and is a clubhouse favorite too.
Prediction: one-year, $6mil.