New York Post, Sunday, October 25, 2020nypost.comBy GeorGe A. KInG IIIWith the World Series heading
for completion, the answers to
questions facing the Yankees will
begin to crystalize.
The organization began meet-
ing this past week via Zoom and
will continue this coming week.
The biggest decisions facing
the Yankees are whether to re-
sign free agents DJ LeMahieu and
Masahiro Tanaka, what to do
with Zack Britton’s 2022 option,
and deciding whether Gleyber
Torres and Gary Sanchez will
continue to be their shortstop
and catcher, respectively. If they
decide Torres and Sanchez are
not their best options, the Yan-
kees will be busy filling those po-
sitions in a financial climate that
has been severely damaged be-
cause COVID-19 denied custom-
ers entrance to ballparks for the
60-game schedule.
Other decisions include
whether to bring Brett Gardner
back and whether they should ex-
plore trade options for Adam Ot-
tavino and Luke Voit.
The Yankees have three days
following the World Series to
pick up Britton’s $14 million op-
tion for 2022. If they don’t, Brit-
ton can opt out of the $13 million
he is due for 2021 and become a
free agent.
Free agency begins the day
after the World Series ends. Play-
ers can’t sign with a new team
until five days after the World Se-
ries is completed. Trades can be
made starting the day after the
World Series ends. Contract op-
tions can be exercised or not
within five days of the World Se-
ries ending.
Don’t expect Giancarlo Stanton
to opt out. There are seven years
and $218 million left on the 13-
year, $325 million deal he signed
with the Marlins in 2014.This year’s qualifying offer to
free agents is $18.9 million. Clubs
have five days after the World Se-
ries is over to make the offer to
their own free agents. The play-
ers then have 10 days to accept or
reject. A player accepting the of-
fer is signed for the 2021 season.
If the player rejects the offer and
signs elsewhere, his former club
receives a compensatory draft
pick.
LeMahieu is very likely to get
the $18.9 million qualifying offer
and then politely decline it. The
majors’ leading hitter (.364 aver-
age) would like to stay and the
Yankees need their best player to
return. But at what price?
James Paxton and J.A. Happ are
not likely to receive the qualify-
ing offer, so they likely will leave
via free agency. Luis Severino is
not expected back from Tommy
John surgery until June, so the
Yankees have just Jordan Mont-
gomery behind Gerrit Cole in the
rotation.It is possible Tanaka, who will
turn 32 on Nov. 1, will return and
slot behind Cole and in front of
Montgomery. Even if Tanaka re-
turns, do the Yankees need to add
another starter while they wait
for Deivi Garcia and Clarke
Schmidt to develop? Where do
they stand on Domingo German
returning after he missed this
year due to being suspended for
violating MLB’s domestic vio-
lence policy?
Trevor Bauer is the best free-
agent starter, and the field drops
off significantly after him. If the
Yankees are serious about getting
under the $210 million luxury tax,
Bauer is likely beyond their
reach.
LeMahieu returning doesn’t
necessarily mean the Yankees
can’t move Torres from shortstop
to second base. LeMahieu could
shift to first base and can play
second and third. If the Yankees
deem Torres’ defense a liability at
short, they would need a replace-ment. The free-agent field in-
cludes Didi Gregorius, Andrelton
Simmons and Marcus Semien.
Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor will
be the subject of trade rumors.
Tyler Wade is the in-house candi-
date at short if Torres is moved.
And what about Sanchez, who
started just two of the Yankees’
seven postseason games after hit-
ting .147 (23-for-156) with 10 ho-
mers, 24 RBIs and a whopping 64
strikeouts in 49 games?
Had there been a full season,
Sanchez would have made $5 mil-
lion. Eligible for arbitration, San-
chez would get a bump. The Yan-
kees, however, could decide to
non-tender the soon-to-be 28-
year-old and make him a free
agent. The possibility of a trade is
slim after his nightmare season.
Gardner, 37, finished the season
strong and is owed a $2.5 million
buyout if the Yankees don’t pick
up a $10 million option for next
season.
[email protected]More Yanks / Page 59
Winter of discontent
Offseason of difficult choices set to begin this week for Yanks
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Yankees must decide whether to re-sign free agents (from left) DJ LeMahieu and Masahiro Tanaka, as well as figure out what to do with Gleyber Tor-
res and Gary Sanchez, both of whom struggled in the pandemic-shortened regular season. Getty Images (3); Corey Sipkin