Yahoo! Sports | John Flanigan: Recent weeks have shown that, while the Yankees are not explicitly shopping second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., they have been willing to listen when teams have inquired about
his availability. Even so, all indications are that the team expects to start season with Chisholm penciled in at second base. Speaking to reporters yesterday, manager Aaron Boone said, “you never know…but I’m planning on him being right in the middle of the lineup.”
Yahoo! Sports | John Flanigan: In a time of the winter when the rumor mill is rather cool — i.e., the week before Christmas — reporters often find it a great idea to squeeze as many articles as possible out of one tidbit, and that’s what we have here. In the same conversation as above, Boone revealed that Amed Rosario, who recently re-signed with the Yankees, has been working to expand his positional versatility by learning first base. If he is able to successfully serve as the backup, he can help fill the role Paul Goldschmidt did at the end of the season — as a righty bat who hits southpaws well and who can fill in for Ben Rice at the cold corner.
SNY | John Flanigan: What’s better than two articles on the same conversation? That’s right: three articles from the same conversation. Asked about Japanese free agent starter Tatsuya Imai, Boone claimed that the Yankees had not yet met with Imai, and could not say whether the team had a meeting scheduled. While some used this news, alongside Jack Curry’s report that the two sides seemed an unlikely match, to panic about the organization’s lack of action this winter, the Yankees have kept their cards close to the chest this winter, and this may simply be an extension of that.
NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: According to Jack Curry, nobody has yet to “come close” to Cody Bellinger’s asking price, which is rumored to be somewhere in the area of six years, $180 million. Because of this, it seems increasingly likely that Scott Boras will keep Bellinger on the market until Kyle Tucker signs, hoping that this will increase pressure on those who missed out on the former Astros and Cubs corner outfielder.
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: The Yankees released right-handed pitcher Allan Winans from his contract so that he could sign a deal with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. The move opens up a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, which now sits at 36, and while Winans’ departure does slightly hurt the Yankees’ pitching depth, it seems unlikely that he would have survived the offseason on the roster anyway given his track record.
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: The exodus of Yankees relievers continues, as right-handed veteran Ian Hamilton signed yesterday with the Atlanta Braves. After a breakout 2023 season and a strong performance to start 2024, the 30 year old Hamilton fell out of Boone’s circle of trust as his walk rate skyrocketed. Unsurprisingly, the Yankees non-tendered him at the end of the season, allowing him to hit free agency.
