Around the Empire: Yankees news - 10/23/23

New York Post | Steve Serby: Derek Jeter sat down for a Q&A with the Post and answered a range of questions related to events both on and off the baseball field. He reflected on the joys of fatherhood now that his first son is six months old before turning his thoughts to happenings around the league. Jeter touched on his favorite players from each of the remaining playoff teams as well as Shohei Ohtani’s free agency. He finished by reminiscing on the 1998 team and issued a verdict on the 2023 Yankees, concluding that ultimately “there was not a level of consistency there that’s needed to get to the postseason.”

SNY | Danny Abriano: The Yankees are rumored as one of the favorites to land 25-year-old superstar pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he is posted by the Orix Buffalos of NPB this winter. However, it appears another team has jumped into the sweepstakes, as alongside the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers, the Giants have now emerged as suitors with GM Farhan Zaidi traveling to Japan to watch the righty pitch. After the Giants’ failed pursuits of Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa and Carlos Rodón last winter, missing out on the playoffs, and now being linked to the Padres’ Bob Melvin after firing manager Gabe Kapler, the San Francisco outfit is expected to be busy this winter. The Japanese Triple Crown winner in each of the last three seasons is 17-6 in 24 starts with a 1.16 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees desperately need to upgrade their offense and there are few players in the league who fit that bill better than Juan Soto. The question is whether the Padres will actually make him available for trade this winter.

Things have not gone according to plan since they traded four top-100 prospects to acquire Soto at the 2022 trade deadline, losing to the Phillies in the NLCS before outright missing the playoffs this season, and San Diego could now look to recoup some of that value back as they trim what was a record payroll in 2023. Soto is projected to earn $33 million in his fourth and final year of arbitration eligibility coming off a .275/.410/.519 season with 35 home runs, 109 RBI, a league-leading 132 walks and 5.5 fWAR — 12th amongst position players. As a lefty power hitter who walks more than he strikes out, Soto is exactly the profile of player the Yankees have been missing from their lineup for at least a decade.

Yahoo! Sports | Phillip Martinez: Domingo Germán had a tumultuous 2023 season, from pitching the 24th perfect game in MLB history to missing the final months of the season while he sought treatment for alcohol abuse following a drunken clubhouse outburst. Now the question is whether he has pitched his final pitch in pinstripes. He is projected to earn $4.4 million in his third year of arbitration eligibility, though the Yankees could non-tender a pitcher who has twice been suspended before ending a season on the restricted list. In 20 appearances in 2023, Germán went 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA, 4.65 FIP, and 114 strikeouts in 108.2 innings.