The Yankees have a new offseason priority, and it requires a bid for Alex Bregman
The New York Yankees continued their offseason makeover by sending Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee in exchange for closer Devin Williams. Sending Durbin, a highly regarded internal option to take over for Gleyber Torres at second base next season is a clear tell that Brian Cashman and his staff need to double down on their chase to land Alex Bregman in free agency.
Durbin's departure leaves a giant hole in Aaron Boone's infield at the second base spot. Fortunately, that happens to be one of Jazz Chisholm's most natural positions. He manned the hot corner for New York last year but can easily move back to second in 2025. So here's what needs to happen to fill the void.
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Yankees must double down on their effort to land Alex Bregman
That switch would leave DJ LeMahieu as the only possible third baseman on the Yankees roster. The team knows it cannot rely on him to be an everyday starter after his disastrous 2024 campaign. Filling the void via free agency for a high quality starter like Bregman would help the team's lineup recover from the loss of Juan Soto in free agency.
Some Yankee fans might struggle to embrace Bregman after his role in the Astros' scandal in 2017, but those hesitations will be quickly forgotten if the talented third baseman dons pinstries and helps New York end their lengthy World Series drought.
Bregman may not be quite the superstar he was during his prime, but he still gave the Astros an over 4 WAR last year. He has good power to all fields, even if New York might prefer a premium left-handed bat if it was available. Bregman is also an above-average fielder at third, which would help the Yankees continue the revamp of their infield defense. It was a weakness for Boone's squad a year ago, but it could easily turn into a strength this year with another shrewd acquisition from his front office.
Signing Bregman should be the next step in the Yankees offseason. It started with a massive disappointment by losing Soto to their crosstown rivals, but every step Cashman has made since that debacle has been perfection. His work is not done yet though and can't be completed with one more signing even if it is Bregman. Landing the former Astros star is just the next step in a complicated offseason plan for the Bronx Bombers.