If the Yankees want elite post-season play, here’s the player they need to sign

Reports have indicated that the New York Yankees will exit the lockout with an aggressive mentality, ready to spend big money to fill multiple positions of need. After letting most of the starting pitching talent go before the lockout commenced, they’re going to have to take a big risk on a player that may be injury prone, similar to their strategy the past few seasons.

General manager Brian Cashman could view Clayton Kershaw or Carlos Rodon as potential suitors, but it is yet to be seen if they will spend big money on a player with red flags. Kershaw has had his fair share of injury troubles, and Rodon had his first adequate performance in 2021 with Chicago, offering a small sample size of quality play.

However, shortstop remains the big question as we move forward towards Spring Training. The Yankees have a few options on the board and ones that we’ve discussed extensively over the past few weeks. They could execute a trade for a player like Elvis Andrus from the Oakland Athletics, or maybe even sign Andrelton Simmons as a stopgap until one of their stud prospects is ready to take the reins.

One of the Yankees’ biggest downfalls has been during postseason play — a failure to provide offensive production. Their hitters go quiet, and their pitching struggles. If they want elite postseason performances, there’s only one shortstop on the market that can offer them that value.

That player is Carlos Correa, who is coming off a regular-season where he hit .279 with 26 homers and 92 RBIs. Aside from the 2020 season, which was affected by Covid, Correa has never dipped below 15 homers in a single campaign.

During postseason play, though, he’s experienced 334 plate appearances, recording 82 hits, 18 homers, and a .272 batting average.

However, using a Yankee Stadium overlay, Correa’s numbers skyrocket, hitting .385 with 82 hits and 89.6 exit velocity. That is a type of production and quality you pay for, especially since Correa is looking for a 10 year, $300+ million deal.

The Yankees have available funds to offer him a lucrative contract, and if there’s any outstanding reason as to why he deserves it, his postseason play tells the full story. Aside from his incredible regular season stats, the Yankees need that type of efficiency and consistency when the post-season starts to simmer. They have disappeared far too frequently in recent memory, failing to reach the World Series in over a decade.