This offseason is shaping up to be a blast from the past for the Yankees.
New York knows it has work to do after a disappointing end to the 2021 season, and the offseason improvement plan apparently centers around upgrading at shortstop.
The Yankees have already spoken to representatives for Carlos Correa and Corey Seager, the top two free agent options at the position, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden. ESPN’s Buster Olney, meanwhile, said it’s no secret New York is looking at the elite options at the position.
The Yankees ranked 21st in Major League Baseball last season by wins above replacement at the shortstop position. Gleyber Torres played the bulk of the games at the position for New York in 2021, appearing in 108 games. Tyler Wade, Gio Urshela and Andrew Velazquez also saw time at short.
Torres, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 and then hit 38 home runs in 2019, had the worst season of his young career in 2020. He hit just nine home runs with 51 RBIs with a career-low .697 OPS.
By WAR, Correa was the third-best shortstop in baseball last season, hitting .279 with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs for the American League champion Astros. Seager, meanwhile, was fantastic despite having his season railroaded by injuries. He missed a month and a half but still hit .306 with 16 home runs and 57 RBIs as a nearly 4-win player in just 95 games.
