Yankees focusing on bullpen while they wait for Manny Machado

While most of the focus surrounding the Yankees in this offseason is whether they'll pursue Bryce Harper or land Manny Machado's signature, the team still does have other things they're working on. According to Fancred's Jon Heyman, the club is currently circling the bullpen market, staying in contact with relievers Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino and David Robertson.

Yankees are focusing on pen while they wait on Machado market to play out. Ottavino, Britton and Robertson all in play. Still possible they could sign more than 1, depending on price. Remember, like Red Sox they are currently down two, as both Britton and Robertson were theirs.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 28, 2018

Robertson, who is representing himself this winter, is drawing plenty of interest on the open market, including from the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels, which are headed by former Yankees assistant general manager Billy Eppler, who obviously knows Robertson well from his time in New York.

The Yankees surely won't let themselves walk into a hefty bidding war for Robertson, who has been one of the most reliable relievers in the league throughout his career and is more than capable of performing in the 9th inning, should anything happen to Aroldis Chapman, but they'll also be reluctant to let him walk after a season in which he struck out 91 batters in 69.2 innings.

On the flip side, there's still Britton and Ottavino. Britton had a good second half for the Yankees after being acquired from Baltimore, and provides the team with a good left handed option out of the pen.

While also in on Ottavino, the Yankees are just one of many teams, making it less likely we'll see them pull through as the clear favorite, especially since they can't offer him the closer role.

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