When the 2021 season ended, the New York Yankees declined to enter the shortstop market. Instead of shelling out top dollar for sweet lefty swinger Corey Seager (or moderate dollar for Trevor Story or Javy Baéz), they traded for Isiah Kiner-Falefa as a stopgap. That decision allowed the Minnesota Twins to pay Carlos Correa. The cost-saving choices just kept compounding for the Yankees, all in service of eventually paving a path for top prospect Anthony Volpe (a development decision that turned out awesome).
The Yankees chose to let the Rangers and Twins be the Yankees instead that offseason.