Around the Empire: Yankees news - 11/11/2020

MLB.com | David Adler: The first piece of the Yankees’ offseason has gone as expected, with news of DJ LeMahieu turning down the qualifying offer ahead of the Wednesday deadline. This was a foregone conclusion, as LeMahieu might just be the biggest bat available on the free agency market and a one-year, $18.9 million deal would easily be beaten by other offers. This doesn’t mean that he won’t return to the Yankees, but it does mean that he’s officially open to all offers.

NY Post | Dan Martin: The Yankees believe Gleyber Torres has better capabilities at shortstop than what he showed in the 2020 season, but they’re scouting the market all the same. One name that has caught the attention of the front office in their organizational meetings — Andrelton Simmons. Simmons is essentially the reverse of Torres, with elite defense but a subpar bat, which would make it debatable whether signing Simmons could equate to a net improvement. Then again, considering what the team has been able to do with improving bats like Gio Urshela, it’s not that far-fetched to believe the team might have a new target on their mind.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: The other team in New York held a press conference to welcome their new owner, and naturally some questions about the ‘rivalry’ that has existed between the boroughs came up. Steve Cohen, in one of the many ways that he showcased being different from the Wilpons, chose to center the discussion on his team instead, however. Cohen sees no competition with the Yankees, and instead wants to focus on building the Mets into an instant contender. And who knows, if they don’t hit the mark right away, maybe the yearly rumors of a Yankees-Mets trade could actually hold water this time?