Clues. That's what is on the market, since Aaron Decide is nicely on his strategy to graduating summa cum laude from the Derek Jeter faculty for saying many phrases whereas concurrently saying nothing in any respect. His representatives, in the meantime, make the CIA seem to be a chatty group.
So in case you are attempting for an early offseason learn on the place Decide may play subsequent, you might be mainly lowered to tea-leaf studying, hunches and historical past. Earlier than you place sizzling water on the tea or throw chilly water on the theories, let’s attempt to be detectives to find out if the indicators to date lean towards a Yankee reunion:
1. Decide just isn't going to make a multi-hundred-million-dollar resolution based mostly on the place his mates play. If that have been the case, then the Yankees may as nicely be as craven because the Knicks have been in enlisting Jalen Brunson’s father, Rick, as an assistant coach by naming Wayne Decide the affiliate hitting coach.
However signing Anthony Rizzo is, at minimal for the Yankees, like sipping hen soup when in poor health — it may possibly’t harm. Rizzo is buddy and confidant to Decide; somebody the slugger would need again to share the clubhouse and management. Do not forget that the Yankees traded for Tyler Wade in July and stashed him within the minors when his most discernible talent gave the impression to be pal of Decide.
The Yankees signed Rizzo to a two-year, $40 million pact. Might they've seen if having the compensation tied to rejecting the qualifying provide together with age (33) and a few again issues chilled his market? Might they've performed it out to see if the Astros rumors have been a plant to achieve leverage?
Positive, however why? What's the least they could have gotten him for? Two years at $34 million maybe? As an alternative, they did what a big-market group ought to for one thing it desires/wants. And the Yankees wanted the lefty bat, fearlessness in large video games and sound protection with inexperienced gamers about to inhabit the center infield. Plus, it signaled to Precedence No. 1 that not solely is his pal again, however the group will make investments to chase a title.
2. Hal Steinbrenner mentioned he has talked a number of occasions to Decide for the reason that postseason ended, together with as soon as in individual. He's not delegating. The top man is telling Decide to his face he desires him again. And if he's telling reporters that there is loads of dough for Decide and to enhance the group, then Decide’s camp is aware of that, too.
Is a part of this a subliminal message from Steinbrenner to the trade to not waste time as a result of the Yanks will simply outbid them? Possibly. However Steinbrenner has taken the Bronx criticism, notably the booing on the Jeter ceremony, exhausting. He's a lot extra measured than his father. Nonetheless, the relentless refrain that he's low-cost and doesn’t care is a coat of filth he's having issue eradicating, to his chagrin.
The logical, MBA facet of Steinbrenner is aware of in the long run, a cope with Decide will most likely be regrettable. Most followers aren’t going to calculate that. There's solely get it accomplished or don’t get it accomplished. As he did in 2022, Decide will promote numerous tickets, transfer numerous merchandise and be the face of Yankees promoting. So there's a monetary offset plus a better path to short-term profitable by holding Decide. (How a lot may the Yanks should spend on non-Decide items to compensate for his loss?)
Possibly that is all a sham designed by Steinbrenner to publicly start to construct an alibi for Decide’s departure — I met with him, supplied the moon and the captaincy and he nonetheless left. However this feels extra just like when Steinbrenner made his offseason about one participant — signing Gerrit Cole after the 2019 season, re-signing DJ LeMahieu after 2020 — and was laser centered to that goal. Steinbrenner is often publicly reticent. However on this occasion, he's on the document that retaining Decide is his obsession. Subsequently, he has to grasp that failure to take action will probably be his failure alone and deepen the animosity directed by the fan base. Would he actually threat that if he didn't really feel he'll preserve Decide?
3. Decide and his camp haven't publicly dabbled with different groups. Possibly that's occurring behind the scenes. Possibly it's simply early within the course of — we aren't seeing a Carlos Correa picture op in entrance of the ivied partitions at Wrigley Discipline, for instance.
But when they have been attempting to financially unease the Yankees or wished to extract anguish as a result of they have been nonetheless irate that Brian Cashman introduced the seven-year, $213.5 million extension provide within the spring, then wouldn’t there be an image of a bearded Decide getting off a aircraft in California surfacing in 3-2-1 … ?
Conversely, if Decide’s objective actually is to remain a Yankee, then he is aware of to comply with the Jeter edict — by no means even be linked speaking to a different group, in order to maintain the connection with the followers as pure as potential. Decide just isn't going to go away cash on the desk, as he confirmed by spurning the spring provide. Free company is at all times laced with twists, turns and surprises, so nothing is assured.
Nonetheless, if Steinbrenner is actually keen to pay in full for these 62 homers and Decide desires to remain, then don’t the early clues — Rizzo’s signing, Steinbrenner’s direct involvement that places the bull’s-eye on the proprietor, the dearth of something however rumors about different groups — all go in a single route?
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