MLB Free Agency Rumors: Yankees Show Interest in Tim Lincecum, But Also After J.D. Martinez?
The New York Yankees are on the lookout for a pitcher, and according to the latest MLB free agency rumors, they are looking at two possible talents.
The team recently made the attempt to acquire Yu Darvish, who is now signing with the Cubs. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, however, has set his sights on Tim Lincecum.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Yankees will attend Lincecum's showcase to see if he has the extra arms they have been looking for. It is speculated that team will consider the two-time Cy Young Award winner in depth if CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, or Sonny Gray are out.
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Apart from Lincecum, however, J.D. Martinez has also been attached to MLB free agency rumors surrounding the Yankees. He is currently in talks with the Boston Red Sox, who are looking to add some firepower in the free agent slugger.
However, the negotiations are not going well, apparently. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox are offering Martinez a five-year contract worth $100 million.
This is $20 million short of the initial offer they were expected to give him. The low-balling is not sitting well, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic claiming that Martinez is "fed up" with the talks with Boston and might be looking to strike a deal elsewhere.
Dave Schoenfield of ESPN believes that should this be the case, he can "stick it" to the Red Sox by signing with the Yankees, which will no doubt make their robust line-up even more formidable.
Add to that the fact that Martinez is deemed Boston's best chance to retain their championship. Him playing for the Yankees would mean Boston Red Sox will no longer be a threat in their quest to be on top.
Schoenfield goes on to say that while the Yankees already boast "a glut of outfielders" and are keen on staying under the luxury tax, one thing that is clear is that the team can afford to go past the $197 million luxury tax if they wanted to.
They do not have to do so, though, because as Schoenfield explains, "Cot's Contracts has their estimated payroll at around $162 million. Throw in about $10 million for benefits and other things that factor into the tax threshold and you are at $172 million. If Martinez needs a six-year, $150-million contract, that's an AAV of $25 million, pushing the Yankees right up to that $197 million figure."
With Martinez, it will be possible for the Yankees to churn out over 1,000 home runs this season. After all, he hit his career-high of 45 home runs last year while also posting a 1.066 slugging percentage.
