The Yankees newest infield target would be a horrible fit for their lineup

After losing Juan Soto to their bitter crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees embarked on an encouraging spree of deals, trading for Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams as well as signing Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt. But with Gleyber Torres gone, there is still one hole left to fill, either at second base or at third.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman showed interest in Alex Bregman, the Gold Glove-winning third baseman with some pop at the plate. Unfortunately, his right-handed bat wasn’t seen as a fit for Yankee Stadium. More recently, the Yanks targeted trade candidates Gavin Lux and Luis Arraez. But soon after Lux was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, it came out that the Yanks didn’t see him as a fit, likely due to his lack of speed and poor defense.

At this point, it's getting hard to see where this infield upgrade is going to come from. With his options dwindling, it didn’t take Cashman long to land on a new target. But unfortunately, this one carries the same problem as Bregman.

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Yankees’ interest in Brendan Rodgers is head-scratching

Free agent Brendan Rodgers is coming off a 2024 season where he hit .267/.314/.407 with 13 home runs playing for the Colorado Rockies in the most hitter-friendly park in MLB. His presence at the plate comes with undesirable attributes already common to the Yankees and doesn’t complement their batting order: He strikes out at a high clip, doesn’t barrel the ball very often and he doesn’t walk much, leading to poor on-base numbers.

Furthermore, according to Baseball Savant, his 13 home runs would have only been 10 in the Bronx, thanks largely to his right-handed swing. This was seemingly the same reason the Yankees passed on Bregman. Another alarming factor would be his splits: At home in Denver, Rodgers hit .328 with nine home runs; on the road, he hit .214 with only four home runs.

Unfortunately, Rodgers doesn’t bring much that could offset the Yankees’ obvious offensive flaws. His speed on the bases is also not an advantage: In his career, Rodgers has stolen one base, and he ranks in the 20th percentile in sprint speed. So, why does Cashman want him?

Rodgers is a solid defender at second, winning a Gold Glove in 2022. A solid infield defender would be a much welcome sight after the excruciating World Series defensive debacle that scattered the Yankees’ championship hopes in a single inning. In Rodgers' case, however, it would come at a real cost.