Yankees Reportedly Refused to Improve Their Initial Offer to Dallas Keuchel

There are two things in the baseball world that seem endless: Dallas Keuchel's free agency and the Yankees' payroll. Well, make that just one thing. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Yankees offered Keuchel a prorated qualifying offer and held firm in negotiations after that, refusing to up the ante on the 2015 AL Cy Young winner and 2017 World Series champ. And it didn't work.

Perhaps you heard: Keuchel decided to sign with the Atlanta Braves for a prorated deal worth a reported $13 million.

This behavior from the Yankees is just a microcosm of the new attitude so many teams have toward veteran players in free agency, resulting in a stagnant open market and a decrease in the appeal of navigating it, with many players opting to take cheaper contracts during Spring Training rather than risking an extended absence from the game. After all, fellow longtime free agent Craig Kimbrel signed a deal just this past Wednesday with the Cubs for three years and $43 million. These terms were well below his initial asking price of six years and $100 million, thought to be the going rate for relievers of his caliber.

The Yankees are also a team that, despite all their attempts to go younger and save some dough, still have one of the largest payrolls in the game. In theory, they'd be capable of offering more to Keuchel than just about any competitor. Starting pitching is the one weakness in the Bronx for an otherwise stacked roster, and adding Keuchel's experience and pedigree could certainly help, especially since ace Luis Severino isn't expected back until after the All-Star break.

Though the Braves likely don't pose any kind of real threat to the Yankees, it's embarrassing for such a smaller-market team to outbid the Bronx Bombers and all of their financial might.