The New York Yankees will have their hands full this off-season trying to find a long-term solution at shortstop. The likely move for them is finding a player who can hold over shortstop for the next two years while they wait for Anthony Volpe to reach the MLB level.
However, there are a few quality players they could be considering, but one is expected to be left off their wish list. Colorado Rockies star infielder Trevor Story was a trade deadline target for the Bombers this past year, but spending big money on him instead of Corey Seager or Carlos Correa could end up being a bad move.
According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the Yankees have “soured” on Trevor Story as a primary shortstop target this offseason. Hoch indicated that the Yankees tried to trade for Story at the deadline this past season, but failing to do so has convinced them to look elsewhere.
Story hit .251 this past season with 24 homers and 75 RBIs. He recorded a career-low 23.4% strikeout rate, but looking over at Seager presents an entirely different talent.
Comparably, Seager hit .306 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs but enjoyed a far lower 16.1% strikeout rate and solid 11.7% walk rate, the highest since his rookie season in 2015. Seager struggled in the postseason significantly, hitting .188 with a 26.4% strikeout rate, which undoubtedly will give the Yankees a bit of caution tape to work around, but ultimately he is an incredibly consistent contact hitter with a bit of power.
Correa could end up costing far too much to land this off-season, so expect the Yankees to be heavily involved in the Seager sweepstakes. In addition, adding a strong lefty bat that you can depend on with batters in scoring position is valuable, and a short right porch at Yankee Stadium would work wonders for Seager.
Nonetheless, it seems that the Yankees will hyperfocus on Corey and potentially Correa, depending on how much their representatives are demanding on the open market. Spotrac has Seager’s value at $32 million per season and Correa at $26.6 million. I anticipate Correa will earn a more lucrative deal over Seager, given his injury issues the past two seasons.