SNY’s Andy Martino will be responding to and breaking down answers to Yankees questions from readers. Here’s the latest…
Considering Hal voted for lowering the luxury tax threshold, fair to assume the days of the Yankees outspending their opponents to field a World Series winner are over? Second Q – who is our opening day and end of season SS? — @tinho785
To your first question, I wouldn’t infer much one way or the other about what Hal Steinbrenner believes about the luxury tax from that vote. It’s more about the politics of the seven-member labor committee and coming up with a policy to vote on that all the constituencies, large and small market, can live with.
Generally speaking, Steinbrenner is not a strong-willed owner on the MLB stage. He’s more interested in consensus and going with the general flow, more so than asserting beliefs on policy.
Opening Day SS — I’ll present a few different scenarios, because I don’t think the Yankees yet know which way this will go.
In one, Trevor Story signs a one-year deal and is the answer to both ends of your question.
In another, Gio Urshela is the Opening Day shortstop with DJ LeMahieu at third base. The Yankees play around with the position through the year, giving Oswald Peraza reps toward the end, and maybe unearthing someone like Andrew Velasquez, whom most of us hadn’t heard of before mid-summer.
Jose Iglesias maybe? Elvis Andrus (whose $15 million club option for 2023 could reportedly become a scary player option with 550 plate appearances).
Here’s one more for you: The Yanks begin the season with Urshela or Andrelton Simmons at short, then trade for Cleveland’s Amed Rosario in July.
Oh, wait. Here’s one more. I forgot until this moment that I reported a few months back that the Yanks had interest in trading for Isiah Kiner-Falefa from Texas. The Rangers now have Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.