Let’s not overcomplicate matters.
The Yankees — like just about any team, particularly a contender, specifically a big-market contender — complete acquisitions when they perceive an addition will upgrade their roster and the cost is not prohibitive.
That is what motivated the Yankees to obtain Edwin Encarnacion.
— Do they need a starting pitcher more? Yep. But the Yankees do not control the sequence that items come on the market. A desirable starter was not as readily available as Encarnacion and/or currently being offered at an exchange rate tolerable to the Yankees. As general manager Brian Cashman said by phone Monday, “We are still looking to improve our club, this did not prevent us from improving our clubs in other ways.