The 23-year-old phenom has decided the finalists for his services are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays making him the latest Japanese star to tell the Bombers, no.

“He is really gifted and very young,” Aaron Boone said of Sasaki, who has a 2.02 ERA over four NPB seasons, earlier this offseason. “Obviously he’s already done quite a bit in Japan. So we know it’s a unique and special talent, a guy with top of the rotation qualities.

“This is a really, really special talent that’s going to be coming over to Major League Baseball next year.”

And he will be wearing not be wearing a Yankee uniform.

Sasaki continued a troubling trend for the Yanks. The allure of the pinstripes and legacy of the Bronx Bombers has not only fallen on deaf ears in the United States but has now traveled across seas to Japan.

The Yanks were arguably the biggest draw for players in Japan in previous years — despite their seemingly undesirable location on the East Coast for nearly every star from the Nippon Professional Baseball league.

Hideki Irabu, Hideki Matsui, Masahiro Tanaka and others chose the Yankees immediately out of Japan, however, no player of significance coming across the Pacific Ocean has chosen the pinstripes since Tanaka in 2014.

The three latest stars to make the move from NPB to MLB have rejected the Bronx. Shohei Ohtani didn’t even give the Yanks a seat at the table in 2017 — despite reporting indicating that he was the Yankees player to lose prior to making the jump — or in 2024 as he inked his famously deferred 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto reportedly considered the Bombers as they were the runner-ups for his services last offseason before inking a deal with — you guessed it — the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now Saskai is seemingly heading west and while the Blue Jays are unsurprisingly finalists — as they have been for virtually every free agent on the market before being told no — it would be a massive upset should they be victorious over the Dodgers and Padres.

The preference of the West Coast has seemingly grown larger for Japanese players and the Yanks are no longer the only show in MLB that can provide consistent winning or money. The Dodgers have built a well-oiled machine and a massive brand in Japan making them the clear-cut desired destination.

Sasaki continuing the trend of rejection is troublesome moving forward, especially next season. Slugging corner infielder Munetaka Murakami is expected to make the jump to MLB next offseason and he would fit the Bombers like a glove. The left-handed hitter has a career .938 OPS in NPB with 241 homers in seven seasons.

The 24-year-old will be a normal free agent, so he will be able to earn a legitimate contract unlike Sasaki who came over as an International Free Agent and is only limited to signing bonus money and a standard rookie-scale contract. Not to mention, the Yankees will have a clear hole at first base as Paul Goldschmidt was signed as a stop-gap on a one-year deal for whatever long-term plans they have for first.

Murakami’s swing in Yankee Stadium is what dreams are made of for Brian Cashman and company. However, they will have to buck the trend of rejection and pony up the most cash.

If Juan Soto taught the Bombers one thing, it’s few people truly care about the allure of pinstripes and the legacy of the Yankees. It’s merely become a soundbite for players at press conferences who decided to sign the dotted lines with the Bombers because they were the highest bidder.

Sasaki confirmed that sentiment when he became the latest to reject the Bronx.

Sasaki’s camp informed the Yankees that the Japanese phenom will not be signing with them, YES Network’s Jack Curry reported Monday.

Soon afterward, reports from SNY’s Andy Martino and others stated the Mets were not expected to sign the 23-year-old Sasaki, either.

The Yankees and Mets were among the teams that met with the hard-throwing right-hander, who was posted last month by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.

The San Francisco Giants confirmed Monday that they had been eliminated, while reports said the Texas Rangers were out, too. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have been considered the favorites to land Sasaki.

Because Sasaki is not yet 25, he is considered an international amateur and is therefore not eligible for an MLB contract.

Sasaki will be to sign with an MLB team between Wednesday and Jan. 23, with clubs able to bid only from their international bonus pools. Those allotments range from about $5.1 million to $7.5 million.

He is likely to become one of baseball’s best bargains.

Armed with a 100-mph fastball and nasty splitter, Sasaki pitched to a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings over four Nippon Professional Baseball seasons. He also stood out as a starter for Team Japan during its run to the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship.

“He’s obviously a tremendous talent,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said last month.

“I saw him pitch in person, but he was coming back from a rehab. I’ve seen, obviously, his videos over the course of time. I’ve seen his scouting reports come across over the course of time. He’s extremely talented, no doubt about it. He has a chance to be one of the world’s great pitchers.”

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, suggested at last month’s Winter Meetings that his client might benefit from being in a small or mid-level market after having negative experiences with the media in Japan.

But later in December, Wolfe told SNY that market size would not be a factor.

Even without Sasaki, the Yankees boast one of baseball’s better rotations. Last month, they signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, adding the left-handed ace to a starting staff already featuring Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. Marcus Stroman, who made 29 starts for the Yankees last season, is also under contract but has been the subject of trade rumors.

The Mets, meanwhile, recently re-signed Sean Manaea and added Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to a rotation also comprising Kodai Senga and David Peterson.

This is the second winter in a row that the Yankees and Mets missed out on a Japanese ace. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was 25 at the time, spurned both a little over a year ago for a record-setting 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers also employ another Japanese superstar in Shohei Ohtani, while the Padres have right-hander Yu Darvish, who is considered a mentor to Sasaki.

Credit the Yankees’ aggressiveness for keeping themselves in the driver’s seat of the American League East where their other four rivals continue to tip-toe — or in the case of the Blue Jays, downright flounder. Let’s examine:

BLUE JAYS

Can anyone explain what the heck the Blue Jays are doing and how team president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins keep their jobs? If you ask me, the Blue Jays organization demise under Shapiro began a couple of years ago when they parted ways with Rich Griffin, their esteemed, highly respected media relations director. So far this winter they’ve done nothing to improve last year’s 74-win last place team other than to embark on another high stakes wild goose chase for the No. 1 free agent, this time Soto, after last year’s equally futile pursuit of Shohei Ohtani.

Meanwhile, they continue to ignore their own superstar, Vlad Guerrero Jr., who settled on a $28.5 million arbitration deal last week, but has had very little overtures from them in regard to his pending free agency. Reportedly, Shapiro has indicated to Blue Jay officials that he doesn’t consider Guerrero a franchise-type player which, if true, is preposterous. Not only is Guerrero only 25 and just now entering into the prime of his career, he was born in Canada when his daddy was playing for the Expos.

Earlier this winter, Guerrero implored the Blue Jay brass to bring back his friend Teoscar Hernandez, but they apparently made no effort to do so. A frustrated Guerrero has set Opening Day as the deadline for a contract, but with each passing day of no progress, and with a moneyed team like the Red Sox looming for a right-handed power hitting first baseman next year, it’s looking more and more certain he’ll be gone. It’s hard enough for the Blue Jays to lure good players to Canada. Without Guerrero, why would anyone sign with Toronto — and making matters worse, the Blue Jays’ player development system under Atkins has consistently been one of the lowest rated in the majors. Grade: F

ORIOLES

If Atkins has been arguably the worst GM in baseball, the Orioles’ analytics guru Mike Elias may be the most overrated. Two years ago, when the Orioles emerged from five years in the AL East doldrums to win the division with 101 victories, Elias was voted Executive of the Year. But the Orioles’ improvement was in no way the result of superior scouting and analytics expertise on Elias’ part but rather his subjecting Oriole fans to four years of tanking that resulted in the drafting of no-brainer No. 1 picks in Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg. But in his six years on the job, Elias has yet to develop a single top quality starting pitcher and it’s hurt them badly in the postseason where they have yet to win a game. This winter they were unable to retain their ace Corbin Burnes and Elias filled out what was already a very mediocre rotation with 41-year-old Charlie Morton (who thought he was done) and 35-year-old soft-throwing Japanese import Tomoyuki Sugano. Grade: D

RED SOX

The Red Sox addressed their primary need — starting pitching — with their trade for the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet and their signings of recent Tommy John surgery recoveries Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval. But they still have plenty of question marks. Do they really believe after letting Kenley Jansen go, they can adequately and consistently close out games with 37-year-old Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendricks, another Tommy John surgery comebacker? And there are holes in the lineup that weren’t fixed. Connor Wong is a below average catcher. Triston Casas remains an enigma at first base. Emmanuel Valdez hit .214 at second base and they desperately need Trevor Story to finally get through a season without another major injury. And all the while, the bigger question remains: Will the Red Sox really open up John Henry’s purse strings and pay what it takes for Guerrero next winter? Grade: C

RAYS

The good news is the revenue-challenged Rays will have all their talented injured starting pitchers — Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz — back together at some point this season. The bad news is they’ll playing all their home games at Steinbrenner Field and after scoring the second-fewest runs in all of baseball last year, did nothing to improve it — unless you think Eloy Jimenez (ugh!) is an improvement. They will get through the season continuing to trade off their highest paid players and hope Tropicana Field gets fixed in time for 2026. Grade: F

Yankees fans who saw that quote out of context may have fumed at the general manager after the pinstripers missed the playoffs in 2023. But Cashman, who spoke for over 100 contentious minutes that day, wasn’t referring to the Yankees’ on-field, major league product after previously labeling the 2023 campaign a “disaster.”

Instead, that quote specifically defended the organization’s personnel, including coaches, front office members, scouts and analysts.

“I loved it, obviously, because I felt like he was going to bat for me and other people in our department,” Kevin Reese, the Yankees’ vice president of player development, told the Daily News. “And I agree. I think we have great people.”

Other teams seem to concur, as they’ve been pillaging the Yankees for coaching and player development personnel all offseason. At the time of publication, the Yankees had lost 14 such employees, according to numerous sources, reports and press releases.

If that seems like a lot for one offseason, that’s because it is an “unusually high number,” according to Reese.

Three of the departures have come from the Yankees’ major league staff: Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel took the same job with the Mets, while analyst Aaron Leanhardt joined the Marlins as a field coordinator. Bullpen catcher Collin Theroux accepted a minor league position with Miami.

Minor league hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio is now the Marlins’ director of hitting. Complex pitching coordinator Ben Buck joined the Red Sox as a pitching coordinator. Parker Guinn cracked Boston’s MLB staff as a catching instructor/bullpen catcher after managing the Yankees’ Dominican Summer League team. José Javier is the Cubs’ new first base coach after working as the Yankees’ Triple-A defensive coach. Director of speed development and baserunning/roving hitting coach Matt Talarico also joined the Cubs as their new baserunning offensive coordinator. Rick Guarno went from being the Yankees’ High-A hitting coach to the Mets’ Triple-A hitting coach, while David Adams took a field coordinator job with the crosstown rivals after serving as the Yankees’ director of Dominican Republic baseball operations.

Trevor Amicone, previously the Yankees’ Triple-A hitting coach, is now the Twins’ assistant MLB hitting coach. Graham Johnson is the Blue Jays’ big league bullpen coach following a stint as the Yankees’ Triple-A pitching coach. Double-A hitting coach Kevin Martir took the same job with the Brewers. Nick Ortiz became a minor league infield/baserunning coordinator with the Astros after managing the Yanks’ High-A club.

“I’m kind of a selfish guy who would hope to retain our best coaches,” Reese said, “but I’m excited about the opportunities they got.”

SEEN AS A GOOD SIGN

While some of the departures received promotions, others took what appear to be similar or lateral jobs. However, even gigs with the same title can come with raises, more opportunities for career advancement, and personal benefits, such as geography and preexisting relationships within an organization.

When The News asked about the Yankees’ departures this offseason, past and present members of the organization described the exodus as a testament to the club.

“I lived it. I grew up in that organization,” said Carlos Mendoza, who became the Mets’ manager last offseason after 15 years of filling numerous Yankees roles, including big league bench coach. “The fact that a lot of coaches continue to be pulled away by many different teams says something about their player development program.”

Aaron Boone, whose own staffs have promoted from the Yankees’ farm over the years, said that Reese and the team’s player development department has done “a really good job of hiring people who are valued in the industry.”

Dillon Lawson, who worked as the Yankees’ minor league hitting coordinator before being fired from his post as MLB hitting coach halfway through the 2023 season, also highlighted Reese.

“One of his most redeeming skills that I got to witness was his ability to evaluate not just players, but also future employees,” said Lawson, who is now Boston’s assistant MLB hitting coach after taking a minor league job with the club in December 2023. “We were given support and guidance from Kevin on how to hire well.”

Lawson also credited Yankees director of player development Eric Schmitt and assistant director of player development Steve Swindal Jr., as well as current and former employees like Druschel, Leanhardt, Sam Briend, Andrew Wright and Dave Whiteside, who were given latitude to build their respective departments, implement new ideas, and/or make hires of their own.

“They did a really good job of bringing in some people who respected the Yankee tradition, but who were also still looking to move things forward,” Lawson said.

Those who spoke to The News said that staff and coaching development has become a greater area of focus across baseball and one of success for the Yankees.

Reese said the club previously had a job with a title that included “staff development.” While that position is no longer in place, he said that he spends more time on staff development than he does working with players.

Lawson said that the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the team to build out educational infrastructure, or what he called “Yankees University,” in 2020.

“It’s an environment where people are learning and challenging each other,” Mendoza said. “The word gets around.”

Added Guarno: “You’re hearing a lot of the same things from a lot of people, probably because it’s the truth. It was a really good working situation for a lot of people. We loved it. We had a great group across multiple departments.”

PUBLIC VS. INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Some fans might be surprised to see minor league Yankees employees in high demand, as not everyone in the public sphere views their recent player development history in the highest regard. That’s especially true on the offensive side of the ball.

Outside of Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ current roster doesn’t boast any homegrown hitters with track records of success, though Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jasson Domínguez and Ben Rice have had mixed results in the early stages of their big league careers and are expected to contribute in 2025.

Asked about criticism of the Yankees’ player development program, especially on offense, Reese said that “hitting is hard” and that “there’s always an adjustment process.” He felt that that process gets “less tolerance” in New York, where the Yankees are always in win-now mode.

While public perception of the Yankees’ player development isn’t always favorable, multiple coaches no longer with the organization said opposing teams see the Bombers as a model to follow.

“’The Yankees are the best at developing hitters in the game,’” one of the team’s former coaches, who requested anonymity, remembers being told during an interview with another club last offseason. “’We want to figure out what you guys are doing.’”

That same coach said the Yankees have a broader view of what constitutes player development success than the public.

For example, Volpe’s inconsistent offensive performance thus far has rightfully fueled some questioning from fans and media. But the coach also contended that someone like Rafael Flores, a JUCO discovery turned notable prospect, or Abraham Ramirez, signed out of Venezuela for $30,000 before being included in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, are player development success stories because they went from being unheralded to farmhands with value.

“I understand fans want homegrown players to come and be stars,” said another former Yankees coach who asked to remain nameless. “But what they’ve done a very good job of in the past few years is developing players to the point where they are trade targets for other teams.”

That answer may not satisfy critics who want young major leaguers to shine right away, but Reese reasoned that league-wide interest in Yankees personnel is evidence that player development is doing something right.

“When other teams are coming after them and getting promotions and bringing guys to the big leagues, that speaks well to the people that we had,” he said. “And hopefully the people we continue to have.

“We take a lot of pride in having good people and continuing to build it. As we search and replace some of the people that we lost, I think that should be a little bit of a selling point, and it is a selling point for us when we’re hiring. It’s like, ‘Hey, come work for us. We had a freakin’ guy coaching in the D.R. last year who got a major league job with the Red Sox.’ I mean, it’s stuff that’s kind of crazy.”

A WIDER HIRING WINDOW

Three sources also noted that a change to the team’s contractual schedule may have assisted the mass migration that occurred this offseason.

Contracts for Yankees coaches used to expire on Dec. 31. However, they now expire at the end of the season, which is how most teams have operated. Not every coach that left the Yankees this offseason was on an expiring deal, but that change gave hiring clubs more time to work with.

“In the past, it was harder to get Yankees coaches because the dates didn’t line up,” said one of the anonymous ex-coaches. “Everybody’s trying to hire new coaches in November, early December, and the Yankees contracts weren’t up until the end of December. Now that everybody’s contract with the Yankees lines up with everybody else at the end of the season, it does make it a lot easier to get to an interview and request interviews for Yankees coaches.”

The other anonymous coach theorized that because the Yankees went all the way to the World Series, they had other priorities as the offseason quickly began and some minor league coaches saw their contracts expire. That same person also pointed out that successful teams are less likely to shake up their MLB staff. That means fewer advancement opportunities for the club’s minor league coaches.

Asked if the schedule change contributed to the Yankees’ personnel losses this offseason, Reese replied, “It is a little like the Rule 5 Draft. You can’t necessarily protect and promote everyone. The biggest reason is these are good employees who have done great work and have earned the chance to take on more responsibility.”

Former Yankees coaches who mentioned or were asked about the changing dates stressed that the team wasn’t negligible when it came to retention. Multiple former employees said the Yankees made an effort to keep them and others; the team just couldn’t match the promotions that other teams offered.

“There are only so many spots for people to move up before there’s a logjam,” said Guarno, who had an offer to stay with the Yanks. “A baseball organization is a lot like any other job that somebody outside the game of baseball would work in, and it kind of has a similar structure. The average fan can understand that everybody can’t be promoted all the time in any organization.”

One of the anonymous coaches said the Yankees have a reputation for offering more money and responsibility when minor league coaches receive offers elsewhere. They added that, prior to this offseason, when the window to poach Yankees minor league coaches was tighter, some teams often wouldn’t even interview pinstriped candidates “because they knew you would end up getting a big bag of money dropped in front of you after they offered you a job.”

With vacancies to fill before the 2025 season, a slew of new coaches at various levels will now earn the Yankees’ money.

Some hires are already in place, while others, in the right spot at the right time, were able to get promotions. Still, after so many exits, Reese likened the situation to losing players via trades and free agency.

“Now,” he said, “we just gotta rebuild.”

Teams and arbitration-eligible players had until 8 p.m. to file arbitration numbers with the league. Instead of potentially going to multiple hearings, however, the Yankees ultimately settled with Devin Williams, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Clarke Schmidt and Scott Effross.

Williams, acquired from the Brewers earlier this offseason, will make $8.6 million in 2025, according to multiple reports. The Yankees’ new closer ended up with a notably larger sum than the $7.7 million MLB Trade Rumors projected he’d get in free agency.

Chisholm will make $5.85 million in his first full season with the Yankees, according to multiple reports. That’s a bit lower than the $6.9 million MLB Trade Rumors predicted he’d get in arbitration.

Schmidt, meanwhile, agreed to a $3.6 million salary, per ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. That’s a slight uptick from the $3.5 million he was projected to get.

Effross settled for $800,000, per Fansided’s Robert Murray. That’s just $100,000 less than projected.

One arbitration-eligible Yankee could not reach an agreement with the team prior to Thursday’s deadline: Mark Leiter Jr. The two sides will file for a hearing, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, though they can keep negotiating and potentially avoid that process.

Leiter was projected to make $2.1 million in arbitration.

The Yankees initially entered the offseason with 10 arbitration-eligible players, but they settled with Trent Grisham and JT Brubaker prior to the non-tender deadline in November, non-tendered Jon Berti and Tim Mayza, and traded Nestor Cortes and Jose Trevino.

An announcement accompanied the posts: the Bombers’ pitchers and catcher will report to their Tampa, Florida, spring training home on Feb. 11. Aaron Boone will hold his first media availability of the spring at 1 p.m. that day before the Yankees’ pitchers and catchers participate in their first official workout on Feb. 12.

Yankees position players must report to camp by Feb. 16. The club’s first full-squad workout will take place on Feb. 17.

Exhibition play will begin on Feb. 21, as the Yankees will host the Rays, who are going to call Steinbrenner Field their home during the regular season after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field last October. The Yankees’ first spring training road game will take place the following day at the Blue Jays’ spring training site in Dunedin.

Other notable dates include the second annual Spring Breakout Game, which will take place at the Orioles’ complex in Sarasota on March 15, and the Yankees’ final game of spring training, which will take place at the Mets’ facility in Port St. Lucie on March 24.

The Yankees will start the regular season in the Bronx on March 27 when the Brewers visit Yankee Stadium for Opening Day.

Jarret DeHart announced that he had accepted the job in November. The 30-year-old, who last served as the Mariners’ hitting coach, was born in New Brunswick, N.J., and grew up in Medford while rooting for the Bombers.

The nephew of former big leaguer Bill Laxton, DeHart played college ball at LSU, Howard and Tulane. He did not play professionally, instead joining Seattle’s organization as a coach out of college in 2018.

DeHart’s hiring follows the loss of former minor league hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio, who became the Marlins’ director of hitting earlier this offseason. While Jake Hirst is the Yankees’ new minor league hitting coordinator after previously serving as Migliaccio’s assistant, DeHart told the Daily News his responsibilities will be “fairly similar” to Migliaccio’s.

With an approach that intends to cater to individual hitters, DeHart will focus on player development while mixing in some major league work. He will be based out of Tampa, where the Yankees have their player development complex, but will rove around the organization throughout the season.

Below, DeHart discussed his career, growing up a Yankees fan, which prospects he’s most eager to work with and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

DAILY NEWS: What are your primary responsibilities in this role?

Jarret DeHart: “It’s basically overseeing all of our hitting systems on the player development side. All of our processes, all of our programs. Just making sure that we’re aligned philosophically, moving in the right direction and getting guys ready to perform at the major league level.”

DN: How’d you end up in the job? What led you to the Yankees?

JD: “I was with Seattle since 2018 and was in the big leagues with them for the last five years. I was the major league hitting coach/director of hitting strategy. So I guess half of my job was the same as what I’m doing right now, and the other half was being a major league hitting coach, which was very, very challenging. The time constraints of a major league season make it really hard to do anything other than be a hitting coach during the season. So when I got let go in August, and as I was talking to other teams and people were asking me what I wanted to do, I did have interest on both sides. Obviously, there’s things about the big leagues that I really enjoy, but more than that, I really enjoyed the process and the systems and being able to influence the entire player development space, as opposed to just the 13 hitters that are on the major league roster.

“I was talking to a bunch of teams about different opportunities. Some of them were big league jobs. Some of them were roles that were similar to this. The Yankees thing happened pretty quickly. I started talking to them when Migliaccio left for Miami, but then the postseason started rolling, and it kind of got put on the back burner. Once the postseason wrapped up, they got back in touch quickly. I flew down to Tampa for an interview, and the rest was history.”

DN: You held a few different coaching jobs with the Mariners, working your way up from the minors before becoming their MLB hitting coach in 2021. For you, what’s the biggest difference between working with major league and minor league hitters?

JD: “It’s funny, before I worked in the big leagues, I definitely put the big league guys on a pedestal. You think that they’re super dialed in with their mental game, swing mechanics, all of these things. You just kind of assume they know what they’re doing, and a lot of them do. But the coaching aspect of it was shockingly the same. They fight similar battles. Even going back to when I was coaching in college, it’s very, very similar. The biggest difference is that the stakes are much higher.

“In the lower levels, you’re trying to develop skills. And once guys get to the point where they’re in the big leagues, a lot of the time, you can still improve their skill set, but not to the extent that a 17-year-old is gonna improve. So at that point, it’s much more about optimization, in my opinion, than it is true development. Obviously, you’re always trying to do both.”

DN: How, if at all, do analytics influence your coaching?

JD: “I think you’re crazy if you don’t use them. To me, there’s a distinction between being data-driven and data-informed. A lot of the time, we make assumptions or conclusions off of data that lacks context. Nowadays, we have so much information. It’s so granular. We can look at in-game motion capture and in-game bat-tracking and assess every single movement and micro movement and every piece of a swing’s path. Those things are incredibly valuable, but when you really think about it, even the most granular piece of data is still just the tip of the iceberg.”

DN: Which prospects are you most looking forward to working with?

JD: “The first one that definitely comes to mind is Spencer Jones. When I was in Seattle, I did draft analysis, and I remember his name because I desperately wanted us to draft him. Clearly, the upside there is huge. Incredible athlete. He’s a great human being based on the conversations I’ve had with him so far.

“I’m really excited about George Lombard Jr. He’s another one that, just going through draft stuff, I really liked him.”

DN: Being from New Jersey, did you grow up a Yankees fan?

JD: “I did. My dad is a diehard Yankees fan. I spent most of my childhood in Medford, which is closer to Philly, but my dad lived in New Brunswick for a long time and was a big Yankees fan. I had pinstriped wallpaper in my bedroom, so I was a diehard too.”

DN: Who was your favorite player? Did you attend any memorable games?

JD: “I love a lot of players from that era. Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, but it’s hard not to say Derek Jeter.

“I went with my uncle to the Phillies-Yankees World Series in 2009 in Philly. To be honest with you, I can’t even remember what happened, but that was the biggest one that I went to. I didn’t go to a ton of Yankees games. Actually, I played at Yankee Stadium at a pre-draft event my senior year of high school. So that was probably my coolest Yankee Stadium memory. I remember playing there and taking dirt and throwing it in a water bottle.”

The Yankees have discussed the three-time batting champ with the Padres, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. That makes sense, as the club has an opening at second or third base now that Gleyber Torres is a Tiger. Jazz Chisholm Jr. will play one of the two positions, while Arraez could handle the other if acquired.

The alternative would be to start or platoon some combination of DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza at second or third.

LeMahieu, a two-time batting champ himself, has shown significant decline and had trouble staying healthy over the last few seasons. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Yankees end up eating a large chunk of the $30 million he’s still owed over the next two years, though the club has publicly expressed hope that he can bounce back in 2025.

Cabrera is better suited in a utility role, as his versatility can help the Yankees at just about every position. Peraza, a former top prospect with a slick glove, has yet to show that he can hit big league pitching and will be exposed to waivers if he doesn’t make the Bombers’ big league roster out of spring training.

With Torres gone, the Yankees are also missing a clear leadoff man who can consistently get on base and hit for average in front of Aaron Judge. Their best in-house options are Chisholm and Anthony Volpe. Both are speedsters, but Chisholm is a.249 hitter with a .311 OBP for his career. Volpe, while fresh off an encouraging postseason, is a .228 hitter with a .288 OBP.

Arraez owns a .323 average and .372 OBP over six seasons that have spanned both leagues. As a leadoff hitter, those numbers are .313 and .345.

Last year was a down one for Arraez, and the 27-year-old still hit .314 and won a batting title while splitting his season between Miami and San Diego. He also dealt with a thumb injury that eventually required surgery.

Arraez, who is not fleet of foot, would allow Chisholm and Volpe to hit lower in the lineup, where they could theoretically steal more freely without the risk of running into outs with Judge at the plate.

One of the knocks against Arraez is that he doesn’t walk much, which is something you’d want in a leadoff man. However, he puts the ball in play at a ridiculous rate, and his 196 free passes still tops his 194 career strikeouts.

Luis Arraez had 672 plate appearances in 2024…he put the ball in play during 611 of them. pic.twitter.com/jxo7FTQyOo

— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) January 2, 2025

There are a few other reasons why Arraez isn’t heavily valued; he has an 11.0 fWAR for his entire career despite being a three-time All-Star.

For one, he has next to no power and doesn’t drive many people in. He only had four homers last season and has 28 for his career to go along with a .418 slugging percentage. While he recorded 200 hits last season, 161 of those were singles, and he only totaled 250 bases.

Perhaps the lefty swinger could add some pop in Yankee Stadium — Baseball Savant says he’d have 10 more career homers if he played in the Bronx — but the Yankees also wouldn’t be getting Arraez to be some bopper. They’d be getting him to set up Judge and the middle of the order because there’s no dependable candidate to do that right now.

Arraez is also a poor defender and baserunner. At second, the position he’s played the most, he’s tallied -1 Defensive Runs Saved, -33 Outs Above Average, a -24 Fielding Run Value and 16 errors over 2,711 innings. At third, those figures are four, -7, -5 and seven over 585.1 innings.

In addition to being slow, Arraez has a -3.6 BsR — that’s FanGraphs’ all-encompassing baserunning metric — for his career.

While these are not desirable traits for a Yankees team that was plagued by bad defense and baserunning last season, the club also made it all the way to the World Series with Torres being a bottom-three defensive second baseman and baseball’s sixth-worst runner in terms of BsR. Torres also didn’t hit at the rate Arraez did, even after overcoming a first-half slump and emerging as the Yankees’ leadoff man.

But this argument in favor of an Arraez trade is not about Torres. It’s not even completely about Arraez given the Yankees’ limited options as they continue to search for offensive firepower following Juan Soto’s departure.

We’ve already covered the lackluster internal choices. Externally, there’s little left to like at second or third on the open market, and the Reds just acquired Gavin Lux, another second baseman of interest to the Yankees, from the Dodgers on Monday night. The Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado and free agent Alex Bregman have been frequently mentioned as possibilities for the Yankees, but each player comes with concerns and would require a large, multi-year financial commitment.

Arraez, on the other hand, will earn roughly $14 million this coming season before hitting free agency, meaning the Yankees would only be on the hook for one year if a hypothetical trade didn’t work out well for them. With a projected payroll already over the highest luxury tax threshold, they may want to shed some salary before taking on that money.

However, if the Yanks can land Arraez at a reasonable cost, they should seriously consider bringing him in. Arraez may not be a flawless fit, but he’s better than the other paths in front of them.

Located in Tampa, Florida, the GMS complex has been the Yankees’ spring training home since 1996, and its main field seats 11,026 people. Earlier this offseason, the two teams announced an agreement that will allow the Rays to play there this coming season after Hurricane Milton ravaged Tropicana Field, located in St. Petersburg, in October.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, who lives in Tampa, called the agreement “the right thing to do for [the Rays’] fanbase, many of whom are my neighbors and friends.” That said, The AP reported that the Yankees will get about $15 million in revenue for hosting the Rays.

“It made sense,” Steinbrenner added. “I’m happy to be doing it.”

While this arrangement will let the Rays stay close to home, playing at GMS, an outdoor stadium, will come with some hurdles.

Tropicana’s dome has always shielded the Rays from Florida’s high heat and relentless rain, the latter of which could wreak havoc on an MLB schedule that’s already undergone changes to accommodate the team’s relocation. However, Rays skipper Kevin Cash said that he personally thought the heat would be a bigger problem after years of managing in a climate-controlled ballpark.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s going to be a fun, exciting, good challenge,” Cash, speaking about the move in general terms, said at the Winter Meetings. “First of all, appreciative of the Yankees and MLB for being so accommodating, allowing us to go over there.”

In addition to potential scheduling nightmares, the Rays’ residency at GMS will come with countless logistical considerations. Those were detailed in full in a press release last month.

The #Yankees sent out this info on the #Rays' relocation to Steinbrenner Field: pic.twitter.com/OV0TWaYUUw

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) December 8, 2024

The GMS complex will remain the Yankees’ spring training home in 2025, but they’ll be treated like any other visitor once camp ends. That means the Yankees will use the visitors’ facilities, such as the batting cages and training areas, when they return to GMS for series against the Rays in April and August.

Injured Yankees often rehab at GMS, but anyone heading to Tampa for recovery will be restricted to the club’s player development complex across the street in 2025.

The Rays will benefit from GMS’ home training facilities and clubhouse, which was remodeled last year, during the regular season. A new baseball operations building, set to open before spring training, will also be at the Rays’ disposal. That building will include an expanded weight room, training room, locker room, players’ and family lounges, dining space and offices for baseball ops. However, the Rays won’t have access to the Yankees’ proprietary equipment and spaces, such as the team’s indoor pitching facility.

The Rays will handle ticketing for regular season games, and they’ll keep the revenue for those contests. They’ll also sell Rays merch at GMS and determine parking rates once spring training is over.

Expenses related to regular season gameday operations will be covered by the Rays. The Rays will also be responsible for costs related to needed improvements for “Field 2” at the GMS complex, which is where the Tampa Tarpons will play in 2025.

The Tarpons, the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate, typically call GMS’ main field home during the minor league season. “Field 2,” a limited-capacity diamond adjacent to the main field, needs new lights, padding for the outfield walls, and upgrades for both dugouts. A few select Tarpons games may be played in the main stadium, including potential postseason games.

GMS’ main field also needs upgrades to the visiting clubhouse, both dugouts, camera wells, and press box in order to be major league compliant.

The Rays are expected to make modifications that will give GMS, covered in Yankees branding and signage, a homier vibe. However, the statue of late Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner, located at the main entrance, will remain in place.

Legends Hospitality will be the sole food, beverage and merch provider for all GMS events, including Rays games. Legends Hospitality and Levy Restaurants, the Rays’ vendor, will explore employment opportunities for Levy employees who were impacted by Tropicana Field’s closure.

The Rays’ scoreboard and game presentation staffers will fulfill their normal duties, and the team will run the GMS box office. However, Yankees groundskeepers will handle GMS’ maintenance.

Several members of the Yankees and Tarpons front offices, including Hal Steinbrenner, have offices at GMS. They will not be displaced.

The Rays, however, could find themselves on the move once again if they make the playoffs in 2025. It’s no guarantee that they would play postseason games at GMS; the Yankees, Rays and MLB would jointly decide on that.
While the Rays are not necessarily favored to make the playoffs next season after an 80-82, fourth-place finish in 2024, Cash is counting on his club to make the best of an unfortunate situation.

“I’m going to bet on our group,” he said. “I’m going to bet our guys are going to embrace it. We’ll come together and do everything we can to make the most of it.”

While the 37-year-old declined to put a number on how many seasons he has left in the game, he inked a one-year deal with the Bombers, is preparing for his 15th MLB season, and is coming off the worst year of his career with the Cardinals. While he voluntarily noted that the clock is ticking, he didn’t have to say so for it to be known.

Time will tell what the Yankees do at first base long-term, but Goldschmidt can serve as a veteran stopgap in the meantime as he and the team hope for a bounce-back from the 2022 National League MVP. He can also be a mentor to one of the Yankees’ future options, Ben Rice.

A catcher by trade, Rice spent a lot of time learning first base last season before filling in for the injured Anthony Rizzo as a rookie. While the Yankees are still high on Rice’s receiving skills, they already have a lefty-swinging backstop in Austin Wells. Sticking at first could be a better long-term fit for Rice and the Yankees, and Goldschmidt could help him become better acquainted with the position after the 25-year-old looked unfamiliar at times last season.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help guys,” Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glover, said when asked about Rice. “I had so many great players that helped me when I was a young player, so I’m forever grateful for those guys. They sped up the learning curve. So whether it’s him or any other player.”

One of those guys was Lyle Overbay, who played for the Diamondbacks as Goldschmidt began his big league career with Arizona in 2011. Overbay also happened to play for the Yankees in 2013, a season that saw first base become a revolving door for the team.

Instead of fighting for playing time, the older Overbay became close with Goldschmidt on the D-backs. Overbay was particularly helpful on defense, though the two also talked hitting and life off the field.

“He was the best teammate you could ever ask for,” Goldschmidt told MLB.com in 2014.

Now Goldschmidt has a chance to pay it forward with Rice, though it remains to be seen how present the younger ballplayer will be once spring training wraps. With Goldschmidt locked in at first and Cody Bellinger, Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu capable of playing the position, Rice could return to the minors until needed.

However, there are other young Yankees that Goldschmidt can take under his wing, much like Rizzo did during his tenure with the club. That group includes Wells, Cabrera, Anthony Volpe and Jasson Domínguez.

“Anything I know about baseball or life, someone else taught me,” the seasoned Goldschmidt said. “So if there’s any of those experiences I’ve gone through that can help any other players, it’s something I’ll try to do, and I’m excited to do it.”

SQUID GAME SEASON 2

The Yankees brought a familiar face back on Friday, signing Andrew Velazquez to a minor league deal. The pact, first reported by the YES Network’s Jack Curry, includes an invitation to big league camp.

Velazquez, 30, is a .189 career hitter in the big leagues, but the Bronx-born utilityman stole some headlines when he appeared in 28 games for his hometown team in 2021. Filling in at shortstop for an injured Gleyber Torres, Velazquez recorded a four-RBI series against the Red Sox, homered against the Twins, made a few pretty plays and swiped a handful of bases. However, the Fordham Prep product hit just .224 overall.

Velazquez, nicknamed Squid, went on to play for the Angels in 2022 and 2023 after suiting up for Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Baltimore earlier in his career. He hit 16 homers and stole 33 bases for the Braves’ Triple-A team in 2024 and is coming off a stint in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Velazquez has played second, short, third and all three outfield positions in the majors. He could provide some infield depth, as former top prospect Oswald Peraza will be exposed to waivers if he doesn’t make the Yankees’ roster out of spring training.