Bronx Bomber Ball

*Editor's note: A prior version of this article appeared stating that Yangervis Solarte was a free-agent this Winter.  Solarte's option was declined by the Blue Jays but he remains under team control through this season under arbitration eligibility* ‘Tis the season! The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, whether you’d like to associate that with the holidays or the hot stove. This time of year wouldn’t be complete, of course, without the annual chaos of Black Friday. While millions of Americans scramble to make the most of their money and take advantage of great deals this weekend, MLB front offices will likely be doing the same on the free agent market. With that, let’s take a look at some cost-effective free agents who should most definitely be on the Yankees’ radar. Credit: Denis Poroy/Getty Images

The Yankees have made their first splash of the offseason by acquiring the Big Maple, James Paxton, from the Seattle Mariners. Fresh off his second-consecutive season at the top of the Mariner’s rotation, Paxton did not come cheap as the Yankees traded away their top prospect, Justus Sheffield, along with breakout prospects Erik Swanson and Dominic Thompson-Williams.   Photo Credit: AP

The Yankees utility players, Ronald Torreyes (0.3 WAR), Tyler Wade (-0.1 WAR) and Neil Walker (-0.1 WAR) had a combined WAR of .1 in 2018, and while they are all serviceable as utility players or as players off the bench, this is an area where the Yankees could use an upgrade in 2019.   Photo Credit: NBC Sports

I cannot count the number of times I tweeted about the Yankees and their problem with RISP and situational offense over the course of the 2018 season. Of course, the Yankees won 100 games on the regular season, and that statistic is nothing to sniff at. They also claimed the single-season home run record. And that’s great. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Corey Kluber is the difference maker and impact arm the Yankees need atop their rotation.  In 2017 and 2018, Yankee fans wished ace-like status on Luis Severino, but his inconsistencies have left him just short of owning the name.  Kluber, 32, has been the definition of consistent for the Cleveland Indians, winning 18+ games four out of the last five years and winning 20 games in 2018 for the first time in his career. Kluber has posted an ERA below 3.50 every season since 2014, and has struck out at least 220 hitters in the same span. Kluber keeps getting better, and is not showing any signs of regression. Kluber is an ace, the ace the Yankees need. Photo Credit: Cleveland.com

It felt like a shoe-in. So much so, in fact, that I advocated for what I thought was the inevitable all the way back in September, before the BBWAA even announced the nominees for American League Rookie of the Year. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Yankee fans are left with more questions than answers following Clint Frazier’s injury riddled 2018. Frazier suffered through concussion symptoms throughout his 2018 campaign, which saw him appear in 69 games between the minors and the big leagues. Now, Yankees fans wonder what 2019 will hold for the 24 year-old. Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

The Yankees have failed to solidify the first base position ever since Mark Teixeira retired after the 2016 season. Over the last three seasons, New York has gotten nowhere near the production the 2015 All-Star Teixeira gave them. That year, he slashed .255/.357/.548 with 22 doubles, 31 home runs, and 79 RBI before his season was cut short to a broken leg. Many believed 2011 fifth-round pick Greg Bird was the solution at first base as he tore up the minors in 2013-2015, leading to a mid-August call up to the bigs in 2015. Bird started 44 games in August and September amid some Teixeira injuries, and he hit .261 with 11 homers and 30 RBI.

Miguel Andujar’s 2018 arrival in the big leagues on April 1st had been much anticipated by Yankee fans and we were rewarded with a Rookie of the Year performance by one of the most exciting players in all of Major League Baseball. Credit: Kathy Willens/AP

First acquired in a relatively small-time, 40-man sell-off move around this time last year that sent 1B Garrett Cooper and LHP Caleb Smith to Miami, Michael King was seen as a young right hander with promise, but one still years away from making any significant Major League impact.   At the time, the important part of that trade was the $250,000 international bonus pool money Miami included, which we all thought was to be used on Shohei Ohtani.   Ohtani, obviously, never ended up in the Bronx and will not pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing offseason Tommy John Surgery. Photo Credit: Todd Hiller/Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

When the rumors swirled that the Yankees were working out a deal with CC Sabathia, fans furiously responded with mixed emotions. The news was just out that both the Indians and the Mariners were looking to hold fire sales on some of their most valued pitchers and fans were excited by the prospect of landing Corey Kluber or James Paxton, or both, for the starting rotation. CC Sabathia seemed like a has been by comparison, and fans were clamoring that the Yankees were being too conservative this offseason.   Photo Credit: NY Post

The Yankees have a decision to make regarding Tommy  Kahnle . The 29-year-old right-hander is up for salary  arbitration and  had the worst year of his career last season.  Kahnle  battled injuries all year and posted an ugly 6.36 ERA in 23.1 innings over 24 appearances.  He  didn’t crack the playoff roster for either the Wild Card or  Divison  Series, either. Last year he made $1.3 million on a one -year  deal, so it’s possible the Yankees see last year as a fluke and decide to sign  Kahnle  to another one-year contract, which is projected to be around $1.5 million. On the other hand, that’s a lot of money for a guy that was inconsistent and missed a lot of time last year.  So,  what should the Yankees do?             Photo credit: Bob DeChara/USA TODAY Sports

As first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees agreed to terms with veteran LHP CC Sabathia on a one-year, $8 million contract. The contract includes no incentives. 2019 will be Sabathia’s 19th season in the big leagues, and his 11th in pinstripes. He is coming off a campaign where he finished with a 9-7 record to go with a 3.65 ERA, his lowest since 2012. Credit: Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post 

Flashback to July 3rd - the Mariners had just won their eighth consecutive game, putting them 20 games above .500 and in possession of the third-best record in baseball. Everything was going right in Seattle, and it surely seemed as if the M’s infamous 17-year playoff drought would finally come to an end. Just two and a half months later on September 22nd, the Mariners were eliminated from playoff contention, following a dreadful summer slump and the concurrent surge of the division-rival Athletics. Photo Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP

There’s no easy way to answer this question. Or, rather, there’s no one answer. The surrounding factors change, creating different situations and, as such, different fits -- both from a financial and from a team standpoint. A case can be made to bring back either of these free agents, or both of them, or… neither. But it’s almost impossible to make a blanket answer that fits in every possible scenario. Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images