The shortstop options are dwindling for Brian Cashman.
In the last two days, the New York Yankees general manager has seen the Texas Rangers sign Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million) AND Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million).
On top of that, New York Mets’ Javier Baez is poised to join the Detroit Tigers.
So only two elite shortstops remain on the open market: Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa and Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story.
And that led The Athletic’s Jim Bowden to send out this tweet Tuesday morning: “In terms of what’s left on the Correa watch… #Yankees #RedSox #Astros #Mariners ? #MysteryTeam”
Before the start of free agency, Bowden predicted Correa would get a 10-year, $300 million contract, while ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected a nine-year, $297 million deal.
But after watching the Rangers throw Monopoly money at Seager and Semien, it’s hard to see the Yankees staying in the mix for Correa.
After all, New York already has a pair of $300-million deals on the payroll (Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton) and Aaron Judge is in line for a long-term contract extension.
The more conservative (and fiscally responsible) move might be to pursue a short-term fix (i.e. Andrelton Simmons) while waiting for top prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza to develop.
According to MLB Pipeline, Volpe is the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect, while Peraza ranks No. 3.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
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