The New York Yankees have made several major additions this offseason. But there’s still one hole the team has yet to properly fill: third base.
The Yankees stuck All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base last season after acquiring him from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline. But with Gleyber Torres out of the picture, Chisholm is set to move over to second base.
The Bronx Bombers have reportedly “hit their financial limit” and do not appear likely to add a starting-caliber third baseman before the season begins. According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the team is “basically holding its first open, many-man tryout” in decades.
DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza are considered to be the players competing for the role. The trio does not exactly inspire confidence among Yankees fans given their production last season.
LeMahieu is a 4-time Gold Glover but has struggled to stay on the field of late due to injuries. He played in just 67 contests last season and had a career-worst .204 batting average with just 2 home runs. Cabrera did not fare much better with his 8 home runs in 326 at-bats across 108 games.
The young Peraza has started two of the Yankees’ first three spring training games at third base. But his bat also does not figure to be potent enough to be an everyday MLB third baseman just yet.
The Yankees added former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt this offseason. However, the team reportedly is not expected to pursue a deal for the ever-available Nolan Arenado due to both financial and on-field reservations.
