As opposed to this time last week, the New York Yankees’ roster looks vastly different. Gone is superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who took a record-breaking contract with the New York Mets late last Sunday. Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. has also departed, as he went to Milwaukee as part of the return for Brewers relief ace Devin Williams. GM Brian Cashman might have subtracted more from the roster if he swung a deal for Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger, but so far, no dice. Now, according to reports that broke Saturday, the Yankees are turning their focus to other available targets.
“Still a $ gap in Bellinger trade talk with Yankees and Cubs as of this minute,” reported the New York Post’s Jon Heyman on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s a matter of ‘who blinks first,’ if ever. Still could happen but Yanks also considering Alonso, Walker, C. Santana, J. Naylor, N. Lowe, probably others.”
This news isn’t terribly surprising, as the Yankees have already had to pivot twice so far this offseason when things didn’t go their way. First, they countered Soto by signing one of the best free agent starting pitchers on the market in Max Fried. New York and the ex-Atlanta Braves starter agreed to an eight-year, $218 million dollar deal. Then, when Cashman and the Bronx Bombers’ brass couldn’t acquire outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, they traded for Williams to help solidify the back end of their bullpen. So, with the Bellinger talks now on hold, who will the Yankees try and acquire next?
Which of these alternate options would help the Yankees most?
Let’s take a look at the list Heyman provided above: they are all first basemen to start with. Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Carlos Santana are free agents. Josh Naylor (from the Cleveland Guardians) and Nathaniel Lowe (Texas Rangers) could be possible trade targets. There are certainly others out there, like the Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz and free agent Paul Goldschmidt.
Most of these options are ones that can step in right away and start the majority of games at first base. Alonso would be the most expensive potential addition. Walker would cost a bit less and would likely take a shorter deal too. Naylor, Diaz and Lowe would all take some solid if not more pricy packages to pry loose from their current teams. If the Yankees opted for Goldschmidt or Santana, they could possibly platoon them with Ben Rice, who is coming off a rocky rookie season in the Bronx.
There are many potential avenues for improvement when it comes to the Yankees. Hopefully owner Hal Steinbrenner’s wallet stays open, and Cashman can continue to add to a team that wants to reach the World Series for a second straight year in 2025. If that happens, will New York finally win title number 28? Whatever choices the Yankees make, it will be done with one goal in mind: winning that championship.
This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.
