Yankees decision to send Anthony Volpe to Triple-A actually has an impact on his contract

There are some interesting ways to look at the New York Yankees' decision to option Anthony Volpe to Triple-A, and one of them isn't being discussed enough. 

On the surface, this felt like a move the Yankees made because he hadn't been playing as well as they'd hoped over the past few years, and Jose Caballero was one of the better players on the roster to start the season. 

However, it was also recently brought up that if the Yankees want to manipulate Volpe's free agency a bit, they can do just that.

“The Yankees can push Volpe’s free agency from 2028 to 2029 if he stays at least 20 days in the minor leagues. (Rehab assignments do not count toward that total.) But that does not seem to be the No. 1 factor the Yankees are weighing here. Instead, they appear to be signaling that, at this moment, Volpe does not give them the best chance to win,” Chris Kirschner of The Athletic wrote.

It's important to note here that the clock didn’t start due to Volpe being on a rehab assignment.

However, if the Yankees don't decide to bring him up until June, that would give them another year with the youngster. There's a very good chance that's exactly what they're looking to do, even if it isn't the top priority.

It's definitely unfair that young guys have to deal with this, but as Kirschner touched on, there are many other factors at play here.

More MLB news:

• Why did the Yankees option Anthony Volpe? Insider reveals reason for New York’s decision on young shortstop
• Yankees’ Aaron Boone gives reason for New York sending Anthony Volpe to Triple-A
• Yankees expected to cut ties with one of two veterans when Anthony Volpe and Giancarlo Stanton are healthy
• Max Scherzer’s contract with Blue Jays will sadly lose him a lot of money
• Mets get Carlos Beltran coaching update that might surprise some fans
• Ex-Cubs skipper gaining attention as potential option with multiple job openings in Major League Baseball