RUMOR: YANKEES ARE "UNLIKELY" TO PURSUE BIG NAME THIS WINTER

Relax, this has nothing to do with Juan Soto. We know the Yankees are "in" on Soto because they would be stupid not to. Brian Cashman would be burned at the stake if he didn't chase Soto. There is another big name out there that is being floated as a hard pass and I'm laughing at it.

Let me explain. Back in June we wrote ASSTROS PLAYERS COULD BE PERFECT FIT IN THE BRONX SAYS SHERMAN and I was firm that I had no interest in Joel Sherman's idea of Alex Bregman as a Yankee. I STILL feel that way. Thankfully, his idea never came to fruition and I didn't have to toss my cookies. Next.

So fast forward two more months and now SI.com also thinks Bregman in the Bronx won't happen, read more HERE. Now we are talking about what happens in the winter. I agree Bregman isn't a likely target but not for the reason given of his involvement in the sign stealing scandal. Do I think the Yankees like the idea of being associated with that? No, but.....they've already proven they can look past that.

The Yankees signed Marwin Gonzalez to a minor league deal worth $1.15 million once he was promoted to the majors. It doesn't sound like a big deal but in 2022 I said MARWIN GONZALEZ COMPARISON OF THE YANKEES & ASTROS RUBS ME THE WRONG WAY because of one important detail. We know the ASSTROS were only as good as they were on paper because they cheated and Gonzalez was no exception of that. In fact, he was the poster child for how much the Astros benefited by their cheating ways. If he didn't have a trash can signal to tell him a fastball was coming his .303 BA wouldn't have happened. Instead, he would've looked like the more down to earth .252 career hitter he was. His 2017 batting average was such an outlier, it sticks out like a sore thumb....and despite that the Yankees still gave him a contract.

Sure, the name notoriety is a big difference. You cant compare Marwin Gonzalez and Alex Bregman and their fan appeal to the game. Bregman has been an everyday star in Houston and Gonzalez was a utility guy but the Yankees looked past the integrity issue once. They did it for a guy that benefitted more than any other ASSTRO cheater. They could do it again for anyone if they feel like the player is a game changer also.

I wouldn't put anything past the Yankees. I don't think Bregman is likely, but that's because the Yankees have been dedicated to Anthony Volpe and they have other arms they can use as a shortstop. A shortstop is not the Yankees biggest need this offseason so I don't see them spending big bucks on Bregman who is also a Scott Boras client. The Yankees are going to be more focused on Soto....as they should be. We know Boras will aggressively try to sell the Yankees on both of his clients though.

So basically, don't let the sign cheating scandal fool you. Bregman is a tool....but that's not the ultimate reason why the Yankees would pass. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj