Yankees issue stance on short stop chase

While it might not be a secret that the New York Yankees are considering a number of shortstop options in post-season, they have made their position very clear.

Despite five elite options all being available, the Yankees refuse to agree top-dollar deals with any of them, or be drawn into a bidding war.

On the open market, the quintet of prestigious names includes Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager, Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story, Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa, Toronto Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien and New York Mets’ Javier Baez.

Each will have a number of suitors lining up contract offers for them, though it remains to be seen whether the history of the Yankees can act as a bargaining chip.

 

Waiting game likely for the Yankees?

What could be the likeliest of scenarios is that the Yankees will observe proceedings closely, perhaps waiting for a dip in the market which could restrict other teams from making lucrative offers and then swoop in.

Should the Yankees decide to wait, they may opt for a stop-gap until highly promising youth prospects, Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza are ready to make their debuts. That stop-gap may come in the form of Andrelton Simmons.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes that a lot will depend on what happens in the market, as to whether the Yankees make their move: “Executives and player representatives who have dealt with the Yankees so far in free agency sense that they are monitoring the elite shortstop group rather than participating in it, waiting to see if a market collapses, in which case they might still swoop in to try to sign one,” he said.

 

Other priorities for the Yankees?

With the Yankees already committed to two $300 million contracts for both Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton, it is clear that they are not afraid of making significant investments, though an elite shortstop may be perceived as a luxury.

The Yankees also have right fielder Aaron Judge who is due for a long-term contract extension, which could further affect their budget, especially in the short term.

It is also understood that the Yankees have made enquiries for Oakland A’s first baseman Matt Olson, though his price could be a stretch.

Jack Curry of YES Network recently provided an update of the situation: “The Yankees have made inquiries about Matt Olson with the A’s, but I’m hearing there hasn’t been any detailed conversations about which players would be involved in a potential deal. Obviously, that can change with one call or one text. Yankees are definitely interested.