Bleeding Yankee Blue: LOCKOUT LEADS TO LANDING OF MATT OLSON

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

LOCKOUT LEADS TO LANDING OF MATT OLSON

Now as you all know, we are waiting. And while waiting we can be speculating right? During a lockout like the one we are all experiencing, general managers are prohibited from talking or making trades involving players on the 40-man roster with opposing teams. But as The Athletic suggests, we as fans aren't prohibited from chatting it up and over the last several weeks, we have speculated, we have shared our thoughts and you have shared yours. The talk on the street, from fans, reporters and other insiders believe that once the lockout ends, the Yankees strike. And their first move is for first baseman Matt Olson.

Source: CBS Sports

According to SI.com, "On January 18, Jim Bowden of The Athletic floated a possible trade scenario that could see the Yankees land Olson. In this proposal, the Yankees offer their No. 3 prospect in shortstop Oswald Peraza, promising young pitcher Luis Gil (No. 4 ranked prospect), and maybe throw in right-hander Randy Vasquez (No. 20 ranked prospect) and/or righty Beck Way (No. 22 ranked prospect)." Woah. That is some kind of trade. All of those prospects for 27-year-old lefty bat? Will that be worth it?

"Olson’s left-handed power bat is the perfect fit for the short porch in Yankee Stadium. This move would also help provide balance to a right-handed heavy lineup by inserting Olson in the middle of the order," reports SI.com.

Source: Associated Press

A couple of weeks I floated the idea of Freddie Freeman to swoop in and free the Yankees of their pennant drought. Recall my words in the post, FREEMAN COULD FILL THE BIG SHOES TEIXEIRA LEFT BEHIND! "Seems like the first base facelift has been a trend for the Yankees. Before bringing in Tex in 2009, the Yankees brought in Jason Giambi to replace Tino Martinez who replaced Don Mattingly. Since Teixeira, it has been a revolving door at the corner and if the Yankees act quickly and think beyond shortstop, they could have themselves a franchise player who could bring in a championship in the next couple of seasons or sooner." Swap out Freeman for Olsen? The A's notoriously look to keep their payroll lean, so they may be more apt to trade with the non-division Yankees and find happiness with lower salary rookies.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Olsen brings a heavy bat and two gold gloves along with youth; the kind of impact player that can consistently put the ball in play on this Yankee roster. Olson needs to come in swinging in order to shake up the clubhouse and help this lifeless team gain some momentum in 2022. Will it happen? The Yankees are expected to make a big move as soon as the lockout lifts. This could be the first of a few transactions that the Yankees make in pursuit of a championship. Landing Olson could be a playmaker and game changer for the future of this team.