THE YANKEES HOT STOVE IS FIRING UP!

The Yankees are aggressively looking for pitching this offseason, and signing CC Sabathia back to a one-year deal was just the beginning. According to Brian Cashman, he's not just looking for one or two, he's looking for "multiple" starters to add to the team. Starting pitching is a necessity to get back to the World Series and win and they have the resources to get it whether that is money or prospects.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

So could the Yankees spend some money and sign Dallas Keuchel? Maybe. If the Yankees are interested it sounds like Keuchel would like to be a Yankee, "the lure of the city would be really cool. I like pitching in Yankee Stadium," he said on air with FoxNews HERE. Both sides are familiar with each other. Keuchel has a 2.22 ERA against the Yankees and pitched in the 2015 Wild Card game that eliminated the Yankees. It would be nice not to have to face him again. He would even shave his beard off for "the right opportunity" so maybe that could be with the Yankees. He says money isn't the most important thing to him because "It’s all about winning and I’ve made that very clear from day one of my career starting to this position right now." The Yankees have been close, maybe Keuchel can win another ring with the Yankees.

Photo: CBS Sports

The Yankees have also checked in with the Mariners for James Paxton according to the NY Daily News HERE. Paxton is an attractive option for the Yankees for both his performance and potential price tag. He finished the season with an 11-6 record, 3.76 ERA in 28 starts and struck out 208 in 160-1/3 innings. He also pitched at least seven innings in 11 of his starts which could be a big upgrade to a rotation where our starters only averaged 5 1/3 innings this year. Paxton's salary last year was also very team friendly at $4.9 million and is under team control until 2020. He may not be as flashy of a name as Keuchel, or even Patrick Corbin another popular name this offseason, but it is easy to see why the Yankees might be interested.

One name that I will also be following during the offseason whether he is in connection to the Yankees or not is Paul Goldschmidt. I don't think it is likely he comes to the Yankees but he sure would look nice in pinstripes, wouldn't he? The Diamondbacks had nothing short of a total meltdown this season. They spent 125 days in first place which is more than any other National League team but went from first place on September first to finishing NINE games back out of the division and 8.5 games out of the second wild card spot.

Photo: USA Today

They had an epic meltdown and now they are likely to lose Corbin and A.J. Pollock to free agency this season, Goldschmidt is a free agent next winter. Rumor has it the Diamondbacks are considering trading away some of their best players now to focus on a rebuild. Could Goldschmidt be on the move Bronx bound or not? It will be an interesting one to watch and see if the Yankees check in. They haven't YET but the Yankees would definitely like his 33 home runs, 35 doubles and .290 BA in the Bronx.

So now we wait. The rumors are heating up, but we still wait for some action. For now we continue to wait and speculate. As soon as anything happens, we will be all over it.

Stay tuned!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj