This offseason the New York Yankees set out to address some needs of their roster. Namely, starting pitching. SO with the two “elite” starters that Cashman was looking for now in the fold in James Paxton and JA Happ. The Yankees have other needs that need to be addressed. So here are two Non-Tendered Free Agents the Yankees should consider.
Xavier Cedeño
With David Robertson and Zach Britton currently free agents, who will undoubtedly require a pretty penny on the market. And Andrew Miller has not been himself since the end of the 2016 World Series. The Yankees could look to a less expensive alternative and that could be Xavier Cedeño. In 2018 Xavier, quietly had a superb season. Spending time with the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers, Cedeño pitched to the tune of a 2.43 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 33.1 innings.
Xavier Cedeño would provide the Yankees with a proven situational lefty in the bullpen. Cedeño holds lefty batters to an OPS of .583. And while righties have more success they are held to .796 OPS. Signing Cedeño would be a low-cost option for the Yanks.
James McCann
The Yanks are confident that Gary Sanchez will rebound in 2019. That being said solidifying the backup catcher spot with someone a bit more productive than Austin Romine can benefit the team. McCann is known as a solid defensive presence behind the plate. And he can provide more power than what Romine has provided the Bronx Bombers in recent years.
McCann still has two years of club control left and earned on $2.35 million last season. Which would be less than what the Yankees would be paying Romine through arbitration. This signing would give the Yankees someone else who can aid Gary Sanchez in his development behind the plate.
Final Thoughts on the Non-Tendered Candidates
The Yanks GM Brian Cashman has been known to find lightning in a bottle before, usually via trade. But these two men can provide the Yankees with a different approach to filling out the needs for their ballclub. And neither man would cost all that much to make it happen.
