The New York Yankees let Gleyber Torres walk in free agency. He signed with the Detroit Tigers and now the Yankees have a hole to fill at second base. There are internal options such as DJ LeMahieu, but the Yankees seemingly are interested in an outside option
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale the Yankees have an interest in Brendan Rodgers, who was non-tendered by the Rockies.
“They are actively trying to deal starter Marcus Stroman and clear his $18 million salary,” wrote Nightengale. “They have had talks with free-agent left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin and infielder Brendan Rodgers.”
Rodgers is not a real power threat, but he is a valuable defender and solid hitter. He has a career .267/.316/.409 slash line with 45 home runs. Last season he hit .267 and hit 13 home runs. After playing in just 46 games in 2023, Rodgers bounced back nicely.
He would be an upgrade over LeMahieu, who missed a majority of last season with injuries and has shown signs of decline. Rodgers won a Gold Glove Award at second base in 2022 as well.
Spotrac projects Rodgers to sign a five-year, $56 million contract in free agency. Plugging LeMahieu in at second base would make sense as the Yankees owe him $330 million over the next two seasons. However, if the Yankees want to reach the World Series again, risking going into the season with LeMahieu as the second baseman may not be the best plan.
The Yankees have been aggressive this offseason after losing Juan Soto to the New York Mets. They’ve signed Paul Goldschmidt and Max Fried. The team has also traded for Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams. Opting to sign Rodgers instead of rolling with LeMahieu would align with the Yankees’ offseason approach.
