New York Post | Greg Joyce: The Contemporary Era Committee voted on this cycle’s class of candidates and unfortunately, Don Mattingly missed out on enshrinement yet again. It is the 19th time that Mattingly has
been denied entry to Cooperstown, appearing on the BBWAA ballot 15 times and then coming up for election via the Eras Committee a further four times. He did, however, receive enough votes to come up for election again in 2028, while fellow former Yankees Roger Clemens and Gary Sheffield received fewer than five votes and therefore will have to wait until 2031 to again appear on the ballot.
The Committee did, however, elect one new member to the Hall of Fame: Jeff Kent, receiving 14 out of a possible 16 votes to gain entry to Cooperstown after topping out at 46.5-percent of the vote in his tenth and final year on the BBWAA ballot.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): The Winter Meetings have begun in earnest and three Yankees storylines figure to dominate the next week. Overwhelmingly atop the list sits uncertainty over the budget, Michael Kay claiming on his radio show that Hal Steinbrenner intends on dropping payroll below $300 million. This aligns with his consistent comments that a $300 million payroll is unsustainable and that it would be “ideal” to lower payroll from last season’s figure of $319 million.
Cody Bellinger’s market is also beginning to pick up steam with the Phillies becoming the latest team to express interest. Bellinger is reportedly the front office’s number one priority this offseason after posting 4.9 fWAR and a 125 wRC+ with the Yankees last season. Finally, it remains to be seen whether the Yankees can reestablish a foothold in the Japanese market after being spurned by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki the last two winters. Their top target is starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who has expressed a desire to beat rather than join the Dodgers, and would be their first signing from Japan since Masahiro Tanaka in 2014.
SNY | Phillip Martinez: If the Yankees are serious about improving on last year’s disappointing playoff exit, they need to be aggressive this winter, and Martinez has assembled a five-point checklist to get them there. First, re-sign Cody Bellinger. If they miss out, pivot to plan B, with Martinez proposing Kyle Tucker or a trade for Steven Kwan, as they cannot go into the season with either Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones in the outfield full time. Next, sign a reliever to soften the blow of the departures of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. Fourth, splurge on a starter to weather the early season absences of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón. Finally, in order to facilitate all these moves, let go of the desire to rein in the payroll.
