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New York Post | Dan Martin: Just as they did two and a half years ago with Jasson Dominguez, the Yankees have signed the top overall international prospect, inking 17-year-old Roderick Arias out of the Dominican Republic. The international free agent period opened on Saturday, with the Yankees spending $4 million of their allotted $5,179,700 to secure his signature. Arias is a switch-hitting, five-tool prospect known for his cannon arm, and unlike many of the Yankees’ current and former shortstop prospects he is expected to stick at the position.
NJ Advance Media | Brendan Kuty: We all like to play GM for a day, and even CC Sabathia tried his hand at it speaking on WFAN. He identified Trevor Story and Matt Olson as the two players he most wanted the Yankees to add, followed by another starting pitcher. He emphasized the Yankees’ need to get more aggressive on the paths and felt the best teams blended speed with power. Finally, he singled out the players already on the roster who need to carry the team, starting with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He hoped for healthy seasons from Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks and complimented what he saw from Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery.
North Jersey Media Group | Pete Caldera: The Yankees already had a strong stockpile of shortstop prospects in their system, and signing Roderick Arias only deepens that pool. He joins Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza, and Trey Sweeney — ranked first, third, and seventh on the organization’s top prospect list respectively — among others. Given the uncertainty at shortstop at the major league level, it’s no wonder the Yankees have prioritized developing at the position in the minors.
New York Daily News | Bob Raissman: After Ken Singleton’s retirement and David Cone’s reduced YES assignment load after agreeing to join ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, the YES Network has a gaping hole to fill in their live telecasts. This also comes at a time of declining viewership in general on YES and a Mets owner determined to steal the spotlight away from his crosstown rivals. YES will likely have to bring on two new color commentators for the upcoming season, and Raissman sees this as a perfect opportunity to add fresh faces to rejuvenate a network at risk of becoming stale.