One look at the contract Carlos Correa signed with the Twins should leave every Yankees fan shaking their head. Hell, a fan of any team other than the Twins, for that matter. A three year deal for $105 million with opt outs after each season for a 27 year-old star shortstop? Sheesh. Considering how his market played out, it’s hard not to wonder if the Yankees’ front office has regrets.
Brian Cashman spoke to the media yesterday, and based on his statements, it’s evident that he ran out of room in the budget Hal Steinbrenner gave him. Via Bryan Hoch’s latest: “We evaluated all the market availabilities from trade to free agency, then placed our bets,” Cashman said. “We were able to attack what was available to us. Once we pulled those down, it closed doors on other things. You only have a certain amount of money to spend, and once you fill those needs, you keep moving.”
In other words: Hal gave Cashman a certain amount he could increase payroll for the 2022 season, and once the deal with Minnesota was completed, there wasn’t much more wiggle room. Hindsight is 20/20, but moving quickly on Josh Donaldson while the market for Correa and Trevor Story remained uncertain looks very, very bad.