The Yankees placed a priority on their starting pitching entering the offseason. They set a goal of acquiring two quality pitchers alongside bringing back veteran starter CC Sabathia, and quickly got ahead of the curve by trading for James Paxton. The field of free agents available almost assured the Yankees would be in on and land one of the best pitchers, and they were constantly attached to the top candidate, Patrick Corbin.
Amidst a scenario like this it was unlikely that the Yankees would prioritize bringing back one of their own free agent pitchers, J.