The New York Yankees have been working fast and furious this week at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. Of course on Sunday, the Yanks lost superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the crosstown Mets. It was a massive blow considering just how good Juan Soto is.
However, GM Brian Cashman and the rest of his team got to work right away pivoting to Plan B. That plan started yesterday with signing top pitcher Max Fried to an eight-year contract. Fried joins the likes of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Luis Gil to form one of the best rotations in all of baseball.
Not a single player can replace the offensive production that Juan Soto will bring, but the Yankees are shifting their mentality from run creation to run prevention. Today, it was reported by Joel Sherman that NYY is in hot pursuit of superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker of the Astros. They’ll face stiff competition as the Cubs are making a serious play for Tucker as well.
It’s also been reported that there’s buzz between the Yanks and All Star third baseman Alex Bregman. Last night, it appeared that things were heating up between New York and first baseman Christian Walker. However, today it’s appeared that more teams are involved and it doesn’t seem as much of a sure thing as it did last night.
Things seemingly cooling with Walker while talks of Bregman and Tucker heating up makes me think that the Yankees are potentially balking at the current price for Christian Walker. That might not be true at all, but if it is, there’s another first baseman that YES’ Jack Curry has tied them to that would cost significantly less.
Yankees could turn to Carlos Santana
Curry mentioned that one of the names that’s being discussed internally by the Yankees is Carlos Santana. Santana will be turning 39-years-old at the start of the 2025 season, but he could be a great value on a one-year deal especially if other moves limit the first base budget.
Santana is a Gold Glove first baseman and he’s a switch hitter. Last year while playing for the Twins, Santana played to a 2.5 WAR while batting .238, hitting 23 homers, and driving in 71 runs. It’s not the sexiest add in the world, but when you’re focusing on run prevention, Santana would be a great pickup considering his glove at first base.
I would also expect Santana’s power numbers to go up with him playing his home games at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are clearly interested in Christian Walker and they’re talking to the Cubs about Cody Bellinger who could play first base.
However, if they go on to land a Kyle Tucker and / or Alex Bregman, they could turn to someone like Carlos Santana who would come cheap while providing a good at-bat with excellent defense at first base. A defensive infield of Carlos Santana, Jazz Chisholm, Anthony Volpe, and Alex Bregman would be one of the best defensive infields in all of baseball.