It was not long ago that the baseball world cast an eye of confused suspicion on the Yankees.
That was before the 32-13 start that’s caused the haters to clam up. But an offseason without any superstar acquisitions felt peculiar, especially as the Yankees could have, theoretically, taken their pick of any of the available shortstops at the right price.
Instead, the increasingly frugal front office used the trade market to find their shortstop, with general manager Brian Cashman confirming that the team never even made an offer to Carlos Correa. It has more than paid off so far, as the Yankees have ridden the combination of improved infield defense and altered approaches at the plate to become a much more complete team than the talented but limited one they had in 2021.
We’ll never know how Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story or Marcus Semien would have began their 2022 seasons had they signed with the Yankees. But through roughly 45 games with their new teams, a few have underperformed in a way that will only make Cashman and his henchmen feel smarter about themselves.
[
www.nydailynews.com]
