Editor’s note: Our “25 Smartest Moves of the Past 25 Moves” series might have concluded, but with the lockout still in force, we thought that it would be fun to take a week to shout out five other savvy transactions that just barely missed the cut of the top 25 vote. Enjoy!
The Yankees entered the 2010-11 offseason on the heels of a stinging elimination at the hands of the Rangers in Game 6 of the ALCS. The reining title holders had failed to defend their crown and were eager to get back to the Fall Classic.