THE YANKEES HAVE THEIR EYE ON THIS PITCHER

It's Spring Training! FINALLY! But....it's Spring Training with some of the biggest names still unemployed and looking for a new home. I'm sitting here waiting for the flood gates to open. These guys that want a job are behind the eight ball. They should be ready to jump on a deal, right?

So could there be some truth to this Lance Lynn and Yankees connection that Jon Morosi wrote about? Now that Yu Darvish signed with the Cubs the rest of the pitching market should fall into place. Could it be Lynn and could he be a realistic Yankee target?

There are some things I really like about Lynn. Before he got hurt and missed all of 2016 he was an innings eater averaging 189 innings between 2012 and 2015.

The Yankees have a lot of concerns with their pitchers. CC Sabathia has a bad knee and already rolled his foot in Spring Training, Luis Severino threw 193 innings last season and Masahiro Tanaka has had elbow surgery before and missed time last season with a shoulder injury. It's a long season, and we know how the Yankees have had their fair share of injuries. Even in a worst case scenario they would at least have an experienced veteran to add some stability to the rotation.

The Yankees want that extra arm but leaving enough room in the budget for mid-season additions will be key. If the Yankees could get Lynn at a price they like they would be getting a guy that not only can give them some length but knows how to perform under postseason pressure. If we could add a guy with the postseason experience it could give them a winning advantage.

Lynn already knows what it is like to win a World Series. He's pitched most of his career on a contending team, maybe he could do it again for us.

But if the Yankees do want Lynn it won't be so easy. This market has been so odd, it's hard to tell at this point what other teams are willing to spend. I have a feeling this is going to come to a bidding war. We haven't been shy with bidding wars in the past but this season the Yankees are determined to get under the luxury tax which means for once we are at a disadvantage against other teams.

To make it harder money is not the only cost of acquiring Lynn. He did reject a qualifying offer from the Cardinals and since the Yankees paid luxury tax last year, we would have to surrender our second and fifth round draft picks, as well as $1M in international bonus money to sign Lynn. I'd rather lose out on the international money instead of the draft picks, but it is what it is. I like Lynn....but do I like the draft picks more? I don't know.

In the end Lynn makes sense for a team on paper....but does he make sense for a contending Yankees team? Hmmmm...

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj