NEW YORK — It was not long ago that the baseball world cast an eye of confused suspicion on the Yankees.
That was before the 32-13 start that’s caused the haters to clam up. But an offseason without any superstar acquisitions felt peculiar, especially as the Yankees could have, theoretically, taken their pick of any of the available shortstops at the right price.
Instead, the increasingly frugal front office used the trade market to find their shortstop, with general manager Brian Cashman confirming that the team never even made an offer to Carlos Correa. It has more than paid off so far, as the Yankees have ridden the combination of improved infield defense and altered approaches at the plate to become a much more complete team than the talented but limited one they had in 2021.
