Insider predicts darkhorse candidate to start at third for Yankees.
The New York Yankees have no clear-cut starting third baseman in 2025 but one insider expects it to be a dark horse candidate.
Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com shared his 25 Yankees predictions to kick off 2025, and one of them was the team’s starting third baseman. New York is expected to shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, leaving an opening at third base.
The Yankees have been linked to Nolan Arenado and Alex Bregman or could turn to in-house option DJ LeMahieu. However, Caldera predicts Jorbit Vivas will be the team’s Opening Day third baseman.
“A dark horse infield candidate, Jorbit Vivas caps an outstanding spring training by being named the Yankees’ Opening Day third baseman,” Caldera wrote.
Vivas is the Yankees’ 17th-ranked prospect. He signed in 2017 as an international free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers but was dealt to New York in 2023.
The infielder plays second and third. Vivas was called up by the Yankees in 2024 but didn’t appear in a game. In Triple-A in 2024, he hit .225 with 9 home runs and 45 RBIs in 93 games.
However, despite Caldera predicting Vivas will be the Yankees’ Opening Day third baseman, he doesn’t expect him to hold that position for long. Instead, Caldera predicts New York starts off slow and options Vivas to Triple-A at the end of April.
“Yankees drop two of three games at Baltimore to close out April, having lost 20 of their first 31 games. Jorbit Vivas is optioned to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre,” Caldera wrote.
Insider Shares Predicted Yankees’ Opening Day Lineup
After losing Juan Soto in free agency, the Yankees have done a good job replacing him.
New York acquired Cody Bellinger and signed Paul Goldschmidt, while also adding pitchers Max Fried and Devin Williams. There aren’t many roster spots up for grabs, and Caldera expects manager Aaron Boone to trot out this lineup on Opening Day:
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
- Aaron Judge, RF
- Cody Bellinger, LF
- Giancarlo Stanton, DH
- Austin Wells, C
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Jasson Dominguez, CF
- Anthony Volpe, SS
- Jorbit Vivas, 3B
The Yankees open its 2025 season at home on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
New York GM Pleased With Roster Building
The Yankees have been active in the offseason rebuilding its roster after losing out on Soto.
New York is one of the top teams in MLB, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says there still is more work to be done.
“We’ve done some heavy lifting with Max (Fried), with Devin Williams, with Bellinger,” Cashman said. “But there’s more lifting to do.”
Cashman also says his goal is to build the best roster possible, which he says he’s doing.
“My job is to find a way to make us as quality as we can year in and year out,” Cashman said.
Outside of a star third baseman, the Yankees don’t have many needs in 2025. New York currently has the third-best odds of winning the World Series at +850 which implies a 10.5% chance. The Yankees have the best odds out of any AL team as New York trails the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
The Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009.
