The New York Yankees will be active in the free agent market once again this off-season, with shortstop as their primary target. After the Gleyber Torres experiment failed, the Yankees were forced to move Gio Urshela over to SS from 3B, creating a bit of a problem on the hot corner.
Solving the shortstop position with a free agent is likely, but one option that would fit Yankee Stadium the best given his lefty bat is LA Dodgers star infielder Corey Seager. At 27-years-old, Seager is finishing up a one-year, $13.75 million deal, but he could be in line for a decade-long contract from a team looking for a permanent solution at SS.
The Yankees, however, also view prospect Anthony Volpe as a fit down the line, but there is a way they can sign Seager while also fitting Volpe in at shortstop when he reaches the MLB level.
The Dodgers will likely have a tough time retaining Seager, especially if he wants a 10+ your deal.
“It will probably take close to a 10- or 12-year deal for the Dodgers to keep Seager, and if they make that type of commitment, they should plan to play him at third base for the majority of the contract,†states Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
The Yankees are no stranger to paying big money to elite players, a strategy that has bitten them in the butt in the past. However, Seager is relatively a safe bet, having hit over .300 in two consecutive seasons. His lowest average was .267 back in 2018 when he played in 26 games, so the sample size can’t even be considered.
The primary issue with Seager is that he’s played just 307 games out of 546 over the past four seasons, indicating he does have injury issues at times. He played in 95 games this past season, missing a big chunk, limiting his plate appearances to 409.
That could be a deterring factor for the Yankees, but his offensive and defensive capabilities stand out as a rather attractive prospect. Seager hit 16 homers this past season and 57 RBIs, recording a 16.1% strikeout rate and career-high 11.7% walk rate. He is a quality contact hitter that contains a bit of power, and given the Yankees’ short right porch, he could likely boost those long-ball numbers. In addition, Seager has the flexibility to move to 3B in the future when Volpe is ready for the big leagues — so his value wouldn’t go to waste down in the line.
Corey would be a fantastic option for the Bombers considering their stadium and the diversity he adds to the batting order. They need a contact-centric hitter to help balance out their sluggers, but it’s just a matter of how many years he’s looking for on a new deal and if the team feels he can be reliable in the health department.
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