The Yankees signing 33-year-old Marwin González for $1.1 million, if he reaches the Majors, is a good gamble. Especially if he makes the club and is there in September. If he can stay healthy and fill in when anyone of the starters goes down, and they will, it could be the difference of them making the playoffs or not.
The fact that he is a switch hitter who has played every position except catcher over ten years in the big leagues is a big plus. He may not be a factor for the long haul but will definitely help.
Except for the Orioles, who for years were a very competitive if not a championship caliber organization, the rest of the American League East and the American league as a whole, have gotten better and the Yankees are not what we are used to seeing since the core four was dominating baseball.
With Boston signing free agent Trevor Story, six years, $140 million, the ever pesky and deeply talented Tampa Bay Rays, and the young powerful Blue Jays to face this season, the boys from The Bronx are going to need help any way they can get it.
If González is a flop they haven’t wasted any big money, which is a very big concern for the ever-meek and cheap owner of the Yankees, Hal Steinbrenner. His powerful father must have been rolling over in his grave over the past twelve years for not even being in a World Series let alone winning one.
While I don’t want to get into bashing this iconic organization, one has to wonder if Hal, Cashman and the young analytical nerds can turn it all around. The Yankees were always the team that out maneuvered the others in putting the best of the best on the field. Now we only see that once in a while.
An example is Minnesota signing Carlos Correa to a three-year, $105.3 million deal with opt-outs after the first two seasons after unloading 36 year old Josh Donaldson and the $50 million they owed him for a boat load of talent from the Yankees. It freed up money to sign Correa who would have put the Yankees on another level if they (Hal Steinbrenner) weren’t so afraid to spend. Wearing a mask in this deal was not to protect the Twins from covid-19, it was to commit a robbery.
So the Yankees signing Marwin González now becomes a cheap way to possibly help them win a pennant. What ever happens, who ever else they find and what ever mystery man is out there that could just fall into their lap, their fate is in the hands of the baseball Gods. Luck and injuries also plays into winning. We hope it doesn’t come down to that and we see baseball deep into October.
The Yankees have made some good moves this winter the problem is that the majority of their competition has made better ones. For now the Yankees are shopping at the dollar store for help.
