Turns out, we were fooled all along. Through baseball’s offseason, Yankees fans were treated to two competing narratives: Shohei Ohtani had the team on his short list of preferred destinations, and the Yankees were not going to add any expensive contracts in the winter. Reality ensued, and the Yankees never actually made a formal pitch to Ohtani at his request (or non-request), and Brian Cashman instead netted the richest contract in North American pro sports.
Fast forward to late April, and we’re just beginning to experience the fallout of the winter’s biggest deals.