Yankees Among Top 5 Contenders to Land Cy Young Ace, Per Insider

The New York Yankees appear to be among five main players to sign a Cy Young Award winner.

Sep 20, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a third inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have been quiet in free agency thus far.

Of course, there's a clear reason for this: They're waiting to see whether Juan Soto decides to sign with them. Once this decision is made, the Yankees' next steps in terms of free agency acquisitions will become much clearer.

While Soto is the Yankees' clear No. 1 priority, that doesn't mean they won't pursue some of the other top free agents — which two reporters from the New York Post have made clear in recent days.

In a December 3 article, Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote, "According to industry sources, Yankees officials spoke this week on separate Zoom calls with Max Fried and Corbin Burnes."

He later added, "The 30-year-old Burnes, a former Cy Young Award winner, pitched to a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts for the Orioles last season.

"The right-hander threw 191.1 innings and struck out 181. A source described the meeting with Burnes as 'very good' and added that he’s open to playing in a big market after spending the first seven seasons of his major league career in Milwaukee and Baltimore."

The New York Post's Jon Heyman seemed to further this sentiment on December 5 with an X post that wrote, "Yanks, Jays, Red Sox, Giants, Orioles are among main players for Corbin Burnes. NYY could possibly, potentially do both Soto and Burnes (but of course they’d look to save $ elsewhere if they did)".

Yanks, Jays, Red Sox, Giants, Orioles are among main players for Corbin Burnes. NYY could possibly, potentially do both Soto and Burnes (but of course they’d look to save $ elsewhere if they did)

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 5, 2024

In addition to them being one of five main players for Burnes, Heyman conveying that the Yankees could potentially sign both Soto and Burnes this season is fascinating, and would certainly result in a successful offseason for New York's front office.