Brian Cashman publicly admitted Tuesday what the rest of the world already knows: the New York Yankees need a shortstop.
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The infield void was created last month, when the Yankees shifted Gleyber Torres back to second base.
There are two ways Cashman can take care of business.
The most obvious route would be to chase one of the big-name free-agent shortstops hitting the market this winter: the Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager, Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story, Toronto Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien and New York Mets’ Javier Baez.
The more conservative (and fiscally responsible) move would be to pursue a short-term fix while waiting for top prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza.
But ESPN’s Buster Olney believes Cashman will do both. Here’s how:
After a year of limiting their spending, the expectation is that the Yankees will land a shortstop, and that will likely be either Seager or Correa -- perhaps with the intention of eventually shifting that player to another spot. New York’s top prospect, shortstop Anthony Volpe, is expected to graduate to the big leagues sometime in the next two seasons. There is a lot of sentiment that Seager will need to move to another spot sooner rather than later over the course of a long-term deal.
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Olney reached his conclusion after polling 11 evaluators, who were asked to rank the five elite shortstops coming on the open market. Here’s what some had to say about Seager:
“He’s perfect for the Yankees, in what they need right now. Left-handed hitter, big-market experience, a great hit tool.” ... “I have the same concerns about him that I do about Correa, about the games he’s missed. But with [him], it’s a bunch of different injuries, and not one major problem.” ... “He’s going to need an almost near-immediate move to third base.”
Free agency is the last thing on the minds of Correa and Seager, with both studs still playing in the League Championship Series. Seager’s Dodgers trail the Atlanta Braves, 2-1, in the best-of-7 NLCS. Correa and the Astros beat the Boston Red Sox Tuesday to tie the ALCS, 2-2.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
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