With the World Series coming to an end, the New York Yankees are gearing up for a vital winter where they can solve multiple problems on the roster. Unfortunately, after the Gleyber Torres experiment at shortstop failed, they will have to be active in the market to find a supplement and solution for the future.
While the team is optimistic that prospect Anthony Volpe will take a big step forward and make his way to the MLB in the next two seasons, they aren’t going to sit back and wait. With Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story all available this off-season, expect general manager Brian Cashman to be aggressive, as one former GM expects activity from the Yankees.
ESPN’s Jim Bowden expects the Yankees to be aggressive in free agency:
After a year of limiting their spending, the expectation is that the Yankees will land a shortstop, and that will likely be either Seager or Correa — perhaps with the intention of eventually shifting that player to another spot. New York’s top prospect, shortstop Anthony Volpe, is expected to graduate to the big leagues sometime in the next two seasons. There is a lot of sentiment that Seager will need to move to another spot sooner rather than later over the course of a long-term deal.
If the Yankees land either Correa or Seager, they will be in a much better position moving forward post-Torres. Both are far and away better defensive players and offer consistent offensive capabilities but vary in different categories. Correa is a big weapon capable of hitting for power and contact, while Seager features a lefty bat that could be beneficial in Yankee Stadium with the short right porch.
With Seager, it is entirely possible he moves to third base at some point, which would make way for Volpe at shortstop. However, expect the Yankees to continue their storied history of spending to acquire star players, which is essential at this point given the lack of elite prospect development.