The New York Yankees have stolen the MLB headlines this offseason until the past 48 hours, where the Pittsburgh Pirates now are stealing the spotlight (though somewhat negatively) with their trades of pitcher Gerrit Cole and outfielder Andrew McCutchen. With certain dominos starting to fall into place, the Yankees may start to get active again, bringing the attention back to the Bronx. Here are all the latest Yankees news and rumors you need to know.
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Yankees Payroll Flexibility For Yu Darvish
On Monday, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram reported that the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Yankees, and Texas Rangers are all on free agent pitcher Yu Darvish's wishlist. John Harper of the New York Daily News reported on Sunday that general manager Brian Cashman's interest in Darvish "is very real," and the Yankees think they could sign him to a five-year deal worth between $80 and $90 million.
The number Cashman believes he could land Darvish for is lower than the $25 million per year range he is rumored to be looking for. How can the Yankees afford to land Darvish for this amount? They might not be able to, but the Yankees have the hope of trading outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to make room for Darvish. This will also likely mean also trading one of their young players - most likely Clint Frazier.
There aren't many MLB teams who will want to acquire Ellsbury considering he is owed $68 million for the next three years, but adding a young player like Frazier into the mix would make it more enticing. The Yankees don't want to give away a young player like Frazier but have a plethora of talent in the outfield.
Cashman said last week on WFAN he wanted to remain under the $197 million luxury tax and this may be the only way possible in order to land Darvish.
Gleyber Torres To The Minors?
Cashman told Bruce Beck of WNBC-TV in New York that it is "more likely" that prospect infielder Gleyber Torres will need some additional time in the minors.
Cashman insists that service time isn't a factor in Torres going to the minors. He was close to being called up to the majors last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Torres is the number two prospect in baseball and played in both Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .287 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs in 55 combined games last season.
Travis Shaw To The Yankees?
Mike Calendrillo of Fansided writes that the Milwaukee Brewers have the most interest in former Kansas City Royals slugger Mike Moustakas. This impacts the Yankees because, if the Brewers go after Moustakas, this may allow the Yankees to sweep in and land current Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw.
On Monday, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported the Yankees, Mets, and Braves would be the most likely to land Shaw.
The 27-year-old slashed .273/.349/.513 with 31 homers and 101 RBI in 538 at-bats.
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Mitchell Renz is the Senior Writer & On-Air Host at Chat Sports. Check out his article archive and live videos on Chat Sports Facebook page. Please follow him on Twitter @MitchellRenz365.
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