Not sure why he gave the Yankees a sweetheart deal considering the fans booed him in the playoffs. And Cashman trashed him for not accepting an extension in Spring.
Would have loved to see him leave that organization in complete shambles.
Its called risk vs reward. You’re taking a shot that he won’t continue to be s***. If he returns to form you have an Outstanding player on both sides of the ball. If he sucks you only invested the year. It’s really not that deep.
No teams want to give him a player option either. Its not just show me contract for himself. He needs to show the league when he can do. No team wants to be on the hook for a big number if he continues to suck with the bat.
It matters if you want to get things to hit generally. The Pirates lineup is embarrassing. And so far they added 2 Fat 1B/DH’s who both struggled last year to fix it.
He’s not a great CF. But calling him bad defensively in inaccurate. He’s more than capable of playing CF at Rogers Centre. He can play CF next year and shift to LF in 2024 for a better CF. Bottom line if a talent like that is available you go get it. Worry about the rest later. He fills a need in the OF and slots in perfectly in the lineup. Probably as the #2 hitter.