The New York Yankees have a laundry list of positions to add now that free agency has begun. With Aaron Judge, Andrew Benintendi, Anthony Rizzo and others now on the market, there are suddenly a lot of holes in the roster that won 99 games and the American League East last season.
On top of that, the team is always looking to improve, even where there are established starters.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman adressed this, saying:
“Currently, we don’t have a right fielder, we don’t have a left fielder. Always like to improve the pitching. And I stated in my New York press conference that we have some kids pushing in on the infield. So, there’ll be, I would think, probably going to be a lot of exciting opportunities that could play out next spring.”
Cashman’s statements seem to imply that while the team has needs that will have to be addressed in free agency, shortstop isn’t one of them.
Last year’s acquisition Isaiah Kiner-Falefa didn’t pan out quite like the team had hoped, but he might be the starter again next season.
If not, the Yankees do have several young prospects, a couple of whom contributed down the stretch and in the postseason, who might take that job. That includes top prospect Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza.
Cashman seems to believe that they have who they need for that position, which means they will probably not be going after Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts.
He did mention that he’s always open to improving positions that have established players, so the possibility isn’t totally ruled out.
Who will be the Yankees shortstop next season?
Among the four possibilities, Peraza probably has the best shot at being the starting shortstop on Opening Day. He supplanted Kiner-Falefa at the position and is a superior defender to Cabrera.
Cabrera can play almost anywhere on the field, so he might be elsewhere. Volpe might not be major league ready by the time the season begins, which leaves Peraza.
They could also sign a one-year stopgap like Jose Iglesias or Elvis Andrus, but that’s far less likely.
