Yankees must return to Evil Empire roots with….

It has been nearly 15 years since the New York Yankees last won the World Series. In 2023, they flirted with a losing record for the first time in more than 30 years. It is time for the Yankees to bring back the evil empire, remember what made them the Yankees, and ultimately get back to their winning ways. This means making a Juan Soto trade and signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason.

As the architect of the Yankees roster, Brian Cashman has been feeling the heat from the fan base, and there are rumors that he has been feeling the heat from ownership as well. Hal Steinbrenner is also feeling pressure from the fan base to deliver a winning product.

The Yankees of old would have identified their primary needs, found the best players to fill those needs, and done whatever it took to acquire them. Think of the 2008-2009 offseason, when the Yankees went out and acquired CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeria. The next season, they won the World Series.

This offseason, New York needs to go out and get another top-tier starting pitcher, as well as some more “savages in the box” for Aaron Boone’s squad.

This offseason, the key priorities for the Yankees are a left-handed, middle-of-the-order batter who can hit for power and get on base at a high average, an outfielder, and a starting pitcher who can be a #2 starter with ace potential.

Juan Soto clearly checks off two of these categories and Yoshinobu Yamamoto checks off the third. The Padres are likely looking to trade Soto to free up payroll as he has one year left before free agency and will likely command $30 million in arbitration, and Yamamoto, 25, was recently posted to MLB following an incredibly successful career in Japan.

In order for the Yankees to have a successful offseason, they must find a way to acquire both of these players. They have to return to their roots as the Evil Empire. This week’s Winter Meetings will be the first opportunity for Brian Cashman to acquire the players his team needs to compete for a World Series title.

Signing Yamamoto will likely be the first domino to fall, for a variety of reasons. First, it is easier to negotiate financial terms and come to a contract that just costs money than it is to negotiate a trade where you are surrendering assets.

Second, the Padres are in desperate need of pitching. This means that the Yankees will likely have to give up several of their best pitching prospects or young big leaguers for Soto. Players that could find themselves on a flight to San Diego in such a deal include Michael King, Clarke Schmidt, Drew Thorpe, Everson Pereira, Jhony Brito, Randy Vazquez, and even possibly Nestor Cortes.

The Japanese star fills a key need for the Yankees — a second ace-level pitcher to pair with Gerrit Cole. The two of them would form a formidable duo, especially in the postseason, where starting pitching can dominate a game and shut down an opposing lineup. Nestor Cortes, if he isn’t included in a potential Soto trade (which he likely won’t be), profiles perfectly as a number-three pitcher. This role would allow Cortes to maximize his ace-level ceiling while reducing the negative impact of his injury history and inconsistency.