The New York Yankees have had a slow offseason, as they want to stay under the $210 million payroll threshold for 2021. They have at least two holes in the rotation and many more in the bullpen, but so far, they have remained relatively silent in the winter.
However, they continue to scan the market in search of upgrades in several key areas. The most recent report came on Monday, from MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand.
Feinsand said that free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig is drawing interest from multiple teams. One of them, of course, is the New York Yankees. The reporter explained that the Boston Red Sox, the Houston Astros, the Miami Marlins, and the Baltimore Orioles all have “varying degrees of interest” in the slugger.
The Yankees could use Puig’s power
The report represents a surprising development in the last few weeks, as Feinsand had stated in late-November that the Red Sox, Orioles, and Astros were in on the outfielder. That means the Yankees’ interest is relatively new.
The Yankees currently have Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman, and Miguel Andujar under contract in the outfield position, although Andujar’s role is up in the air. There have also been internal discussions on whether or not to re-sign Brett Gardner.
Puig failed to sign with a team in the 2020 season after a bout with COVID-19. In fact, he had a deal in place with the Atlanta Braves but it all fell apart after his positive test.
The Yankees are looking at Puig as a reliable alternative since he is still young, at 30 years old, and has a track record of past success.
For his career, Puig has a .277/.348/.475 slash line with a 124 wRC+, 132 home runs, 441 runs scored, 415 RBI, and 79 steals. He is seen as a controversial character in the clubhouse, but when he’s on, he can greatly improve a lineup.