Around the Empire: Yankees news - 11/11/23

Sports Illustrated | Patrick McAvoy: Jordan Montgomery picked the best time to go on an excellent playoff run, winning the World Series with Texas right before becoming a free agent for the first time in his career. The left-hander reportedly prefers to keep some semblance of normalcy in his life through the process, and would prefer to sign with one of the three organizations that he’s been a part of: the Rangers, the Cardinals, and the team that he’s spent the majority of his career with in the Yankees. New York is looking for upgrades to their rotation outside of ace and Cy Young-winner-to-be Gerrit Cole, and a reunion with an old friend could be just the thing to patch things up.

NJ.com | Manuel Gómez: The Juan Soto rumors are here to stay all offseason, as the Padres are reportedly heavily weighing dealing the superstar over the winter. Their hand may be forced not just by his upcoming free agency and the fact that the team failed to make the postseason last year, but also their cash flow after their TV deal with Diamond Sports Group went up in smoke. It won’t be a bargain deal, but it also may not be the king’s ransom that San Diego might otherwise be able to command, which puts the Yankees square in the conversation.

FanGraphs | Chris Gilligan: We talked about Monty and the Yankees’ rotation needs up above, but they do have a free agent of their own from the starting pitcher pool. Frankie Montas impressed many into thinking he’ll be fully ready for next year by managing to return at the end of the 2023 season after what was largely a lost year, and a team betting on his resume at large could benefit from a look at him. Who knows, perhaps it’ll even be his most recent employers.

NY Daily News | Gary Phillips: (subscription required) The Yankees’ bullpen was their lone constant as a unit throughout the year, and Wandy Peralta has been a major force in the backend of that process. Peralta had another solid year as one of the setup men for Clay Holmes, and though the team has been excellent at producing quality relievers of late it never hurts to keep one of your success stories around. The Yankees would like to do this with Peralta, who is a 32-year-old free agent that could just as easily see a big payday as he could get overlooked for being a late bloomer.