With the Atlanta Braves officially winning the World Series, the New York Yankees now shift their attention to the off-season free-agent market. With several high-profile options available, general manager Brian Cashman has some thinking to do.
Spending an exorbitant amount of money on a new shortstop and bringing in more starting pitching talent will be priorities, but one elite talent has become available at arguably the most crucial infield position.
The Houston Astros failing to win the World Series is accompanied by fleeting players. Star shortstop Carlos Correa is preparing to hit the open market, and the Yankees will have eyes on the former first overall pick in 2012.
Cashman has also shown interest in Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers’ star lefty shortstop, who could be a better fit at Yankee Stadium. However, Correa is 27-years-old and coming off a season where he hit .279 with 26 homers and 92 RBIs. He logged a career-low 18.1% strike-out rate and career-high 11.7% walk rate, showing even more patience at the plate.
Correa contributed 94 singles, 34 doubles, and one triple. He struck out 116 times and walked 75, showcasing an incredible ratio. Correa also saw a nice uptick in exit velocity, averaging 90.2 mph, up from 88.6 in 2020. That is a number that will intrigue the Yankees, given their slugger status.
Correa could be in line for a massive 10-year contract, and the Yankees might be scared away from investing big money in another player. They are already on the hook for Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole and will likely offer Aaron Judge a massive deal as well. The question is, can they afford to maintain that level of investment, as long-term deals can often bite teams in the butt — see Jacoby Ellsbury.
However, it seems as if the Steinbrenners are willing to push past the luxury tax threshold to become a winning team once again, and solving the shortstop position would fix a massive deficiency. Correa would likely earn upward of $25 million per season, and coming off a year where he posted a .981 fielding percentage with just 11 errors over 1304 innings is incredible. Comparably in 2020, Correa posted a .995 fielding percentage, showcasing he’s one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball by a fair margin.
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”ipqnrerjsn” question=”What do you think?” opened=”0″]Despite Correa’s unfortunate past, do you think you should still shift their attention to his services? Comment here![/wpdiscuz-feedback]