Going into 2020, there’s expected to be bit of a roster shakeup at several positions for the New York Yankees. One of those positions include third-base, with the debate between Gio Urshela and Miguel Andujar. But, could the Yankees go an entirely different direction and pursue signing Anthony Rendon? They can try all they might, but the likelihood of getting him is slim to none.
What He Brings To The Table:
Rendon is an all-star third baseman that can absolutely rake. In 2019, he hit .319 with 34 home runs and 126 runs batted in. He had an OPS over 1.0 and a slugging of almost .600.
On defense, Rendon is pretty average with a .969 fielding percentage with 11 errors. He doesn’t have a ton of speed, but enough for decent defensive range and the ability to steal a bag occasionally.
Why The Yankees Won’t Get Him:
There are two main reasons why the Yankees won’t sign Rendon this off-season: money and loyalty.
Over the last few seasons, we’ve seen that Bran Cashman hasn’t really been wanting to spend a lot of money on free agents. Rendon may be offered a contract much lower than what other teams will offer him, and obviously players want the most money.
It would also be very difficult if not impossible to get both Rendon and Gerrit Cole in the off-season. Both players would want too much money. If the Yankees shifted their focus to Zack Wheeler, then they may be able to get a starting pitcher as well as Rendon.
But, the other obstacle that stands in the way is Rendon’s loyalty to Washington. He really like Washington, and Washington likes him. It would be really hard to get him to come somewhere else, especially after making a World Series. The Yankees would have to offer him a contract he absolutely can’t turn down.
We’ll see what happens, but I would be shocked if the Yankees managed to sign Anthony Rendon this off-season.