Bold moves from Red Sox won't change Yankees' offseason plans

Though the Boston Red Sox reportedly signed both Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to five-year contracts in the last 24 hours, the club's spending spree won't affect the New York Yankees' offseason strategy.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees intend to stick to their original offseason plan and will not pursue either Max Scherzer or Jon Lester, arguably the top two players still available via free agency.

The Yankees plan to address several of areas of weakness this winter. Replacing Derek Jeter remains a top priority, along with improving the rotation and augmenting the bullpen. However, general manager Brian Cashman could improve his roster by re-signing players like Brandon McCarthy, David Robertson, and Chase Headley rather than venturing into the open market.

An aggressive approach in free agency last winter saddled the Yankees with a payroll of more than $197 million for the 2014 campaign, but the club didn't achieve the desired results, finishing the season with an 84-78 record. With more than $168 million already committed to next year's payroll (not including arbitration raises), the Yankees will likely pursue smaller deals this winter to bolster a club that has missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.