Recapping Yankees' moves as camp nears

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TAMPA, Fla. -- When the Yankees re-signed Tim Hill earlier this week, agreeing to a one-year, $2.85 million deal with the veteran left-handed reliever, it may have represented the final significant move that the club will make before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Tuesday.

To be certain, general manager Brian Cashman remains open to discussing deals, with an infielder and potentially a backup catcher still on the wish list. Yet it has already been a busy offseason for the Bombers, whose Plan B shifted into gear once Juan Soto departed to join the Mets.

“In Juan Soto’s case, he was a generational talent that came off the board and went a different direction,” Cashman said. “So we adjusted. We continue to adjust all the time. It’s the ebbs and flows of a baseball winter, and every winter is different because the inventory is different, what you can access via trade or free agency.”

In fact, this seems like the perfect time for a refresher on the past several weeks, especially if you might have tuned out once the World Series concluded.

Arrivals: RHP Michael Arias (trade from Cubs), OF Cody Bellinger (trade from Cubs), RHP Carlos Carrasco (free agent), RHP Roansy Contreras (waiver claim from Orioles), RHP Fernando Cruz (trade from Reds), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (free agent), C Alex Jackson (trade from Reds), RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (trade from Red Sox), LHP Max Fried (free agent), SS Braden Shewmake (waiver claim from Royals), SS Andrew Velazquez (free agent), RHP Owen White (waiver claim from Reds), RHP Devin Williams (trade from Brewers).

Departures: IF Jon Berti (Cubs), LHP Nestor Cortes (Brewers), 2B Caleb Durbin (Brewers), RHP Clay Holmes (Mets), RHP Tommy Kahnle (Tigers), LHP Tim Mayza (Pirates), C Carlos Narváez (Red Sox), RHP Cody Poteet (Cubs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (free agent), C Jose Trevino (Reds), 2B Gleyber Torres (Tigers), OF Juan Soto (Mets), RHP Lou Trivino (free agent), OF Alex Verdugo (free agent).

Re-signed: LHP Tim Hill, RHP Jonathan Loáisiga.

(Whew! That’s a lot!)

Retaining Soto had been the stated top priority entering the winter, but when he agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets on Dec. 8, Cashman and his lieutenants were ready to move. The focus was on Fried, one of the top available free-agent starters, who agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees on Dec. 10.

“I would say that it was kind of a whirlwind,” Fried said. “The Yankees were definitely very up front, and they made their pitch that I was a priority. It was obviously a big decision, but at the end of it, I was really happy and excited to be with the Yankees.”

On the morning of Dec. 13, the Yankees acquired one of the game’s top closers in Williams, who came from Milwaukee in a three-player swap. Williams is eligible for free agency after the season, but for now, he will command ninth innings for New York while nudging Luke Weaver into a late-inning fireman’s role.

“It was a bit of a shock, but it’s a tremendous honor to be able to play for this organization,” Williams said. “There’s no bigger team in baseball.”

Then the Yankees began to address their offense, acquiring Bellinger and cash considerations from the Cubs for Poteet on Dec. 17. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he envisions Bellinger playing center field, allowing Aaron Judge to return to right field while Jasson Domínguez looks to earn a starting role in left field.

“I acquired his dad [Clay] back in the day, and now I’ve acquired his son,” Cashman said of Bellinger. “It allows us a lot of flexibility. He’s an above-average athlete, he’s an above-average defender at first and in the outfield. He can run the bases extremely well, and his swing is built for Yankee Stadium.”

After acquiring a big strikeout bullpen arm in Cruz from the Reds on Dec. 20, the Yanks signed the veteran Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million deal on Dec. 30. The 2022 National League MVP, a four-time Gold Glover and seven-time All-Star, Goldschmidt believes a change of scenery could fuel a bounce-back season after a tough last year with the Cardinals.

“As you’re trying to learn about different organizations, just thinking back, I don’t remember hearing a bad thing about the Yankees,” Goldschmidt said. “All the players that have played there spoke very highly about everyone in the organization, the city and the fan base. That gets all the players excited. We want to go out there, play well, win, and celebrate with them.”

Capping those moves have been a series of Minor League signings with non-roster invitations to camp, as well as a second tour in pinstripes for Hill, who pitched to a 2.05 ERA in 35 appearances after signing with the Yanks last June. For fans still refreshing social media for more moves, remember this: Perhaps this is the squad that begins the spring, but it certainly won’t be the one that wraps the season. It never is.

“Until the Trade Deadline, you’re never a finished product,” Cashman said. “You’re never good enough. You’re always trying to find ways to improve on the margins or in a significant way. So it doesn’t matter what we do. The only thing that’s going to matter is if we win the whole thing.”