Would Not Getting Yu Darvish Be The Final Sign That The Yankees Are Serious About Cutting Costs?

 (Better to save for 2014 than to spend in 2011?)

I ask because it's looking that was already a strong possibility with the way Cash has gone about his business this offseason, and the word around the MLB water cooler since Wednesday night has been that the Yanks' bid was relatively low and the Blue Jays' bid was a monster one.  3 years ago, the last time the Yankees made a declaration that they were going to improve the rotation, the roles would have been reversed.  But in 2011 the Yankees have been the model of fiscal responsibility while those around them spend gobs of money to lock up the top FA targets available.

And it's more than just not spending the money on guys.  The Yankees haven't even really been as deeply involved with the big names as they typically are.  They declined a second meeting with C.J. Wilson and his agent, only had "preliminary" talks with Mark Buehrle, didn't even try to get their name connected to Albert Pujols, and now reportedly came in with a small posting bid for Yu Darvish, a guy they've spent 3+ years scouting.  And with what's left out there (Oswalt, Kuroda, Edwin Jackson), there are hardly any substantial rumors connecting any of those 3 to the Yankees.  Right now, they seem very content with what they've done in bringing back CC and Freddy and content to keep their payroll at or only slightly above what it currently is.

We always have to keep our minds open to the possibility of Cash and Co. pulling one over on everybody, and maybe next Tuesday it will be the Yankees who win the Darvish posting with a large bid.  But it doesn't look that way right now, and if they don't win the posting I think that signals them taking a serious approach to shrinking payroll and wouldn't expect to see any more major pitching acquisitions this offseason and possibly next.  The efforts on getting the payroll down, an effort that would reap some rewards in future years, rather than the usual "World Series or bust" offseason approach is a smart one, and I can get on board with it.  It will just take some getting used to.