Around the Empire: Yankees news - 12/10/18

MLB Trade Rumors | Connor Byrne: Fortifying the starting rotation has been an oft-stated goal for the Yankees this offseason. Brian Cashman did well to secure top-tier hurler James Paxton in November, but with Sonny Gray on the trade block, the Yankees need another arm to fill out the rotation. Byrne suggests that the Yankees are interested in Lance Lynn as a B-option, as he pitched well for them down the stretch last season and will come cheap. I actually think Lynn has some value as a spot starter and long reliever. With that said, if the Yankees do end up with him as their #4 starter, get ready to hear my gripes with the Patrick Corbin non-signing for a long, long time.

NY Daily News | Bob Raissman: It was a slow news day, so here is the first of two opinion pieces. The Lance Lynn rumors in isolation wouldn’t cause much of a ruckus, but combined with the Yankees’ recent reluctance to spend big in the free agent market, many are suspecting the Yankees’ brass of pinching pennies. Raissman is one of them, and here he opines that top management is willing to forgo significant upgrades to the on-field product in lieu of improving the bottom line, perhaps to spend their savings on regaining control over the YES Network from FOX. Again, this is an opinion piece, and Raissman’s speculations don’t have much evidence behind them. Hopefully the Yankees will sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado and make such rumors go away.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: Opinion piece #2 argues that the Yankees regret the Giancarlo Stanton signing, and that could keep them from making a significant commitment on Manny Machado. Stanton’s contract is certainly a hefty one, and normal teams would be seriously financially constrained by it. The Yankees, however, are not a normal team, and can fit Machado’s sure-to-be mega-contract right alongside Stanton’s on their payroll, rendering Sherman’s concerns obsolete. Right? Right!?!?