Yanks Reportedly Opted To Ignore Marlins' Dangling Of Stars, Are Unlikely To Spend Big
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Every baseball fan knows that the Yankees can strike at any time.
Whether via free agency, trades or the waiver wire, the Bronx Bombers are almost always are willing to pay whatever it takes to acquire the best players possible and build a championship team.
But the times they are a-changin' -- at least as far as this offseason is concerned.
The Marlins -- who have agreed to send Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson to the Blue Jays -- told all 29 teams at last week's General Managers Meetings that they were putting their superstars on the trading block, an industry source told the New York Daily News.
The American League East champions passed on pursuing the Marlins' top players, and instead are focusing on re-signing starting pitchers Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda. Pettitte hasn't indicated whether he will return to the Bronx next season, but multiple reports indicate that, like Mariano Rivera, he'll return for one more campaign. Kuroda declined the Yankees' $13.3 million qualifying offer, but the two teams can still negotiate a new contract.
The Yankees aren't likely to splurge as they have in seasons past because of their self-imposed mandate to get their payroll down to $189 million by 2014.
It's quite a different tactic than we've come to expect from the Yankees, who are known for their penchant to throw tons of money without hesitation.
"None of it makes sense for what they're dealing with or going through," the source told the Daily News in regard to the Marlins' fire sale. "That would run against everything they've been talking about."
The Yankees have yet to make an offer to a position player, the source said, as their main focus is shoring up their starting rotation for 2013. They reportedly never made an offer to free-agent slugger Torii Hunter, who agreed to a two-year, $26 million deal with the Tigers on Wednesday.
Should the Yankees have gone for it and traded with the Marlins, or did they make the right move? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below...
