Yankees news: Roki Sasaki update, Arenado impasse, sleeper free agent target

The New York Yankees Hot Stove remains hot, as Brian Cashman and the front office are tasked with replacing Juan Soto in the aggregate. It's hard to rebound from losing a $765 million bidding war, but New York has done an admirable job to date.

Max Fried forms the AL's most potent one-two rotation punch with Gerrit Cole, while Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt should go a long way toward stabilizing the Yankees' lineup. That said, we can't overstate how important Soto was to New York's success last season. More specifically, how valuable it was to bat Soto in front of Aaron Judge. That dynamic will be hard to replicate.

New York has also lost Gleyber Torres, so the offense is in need of some additional juice. Another quality rotation arm wouldn't hurt either. The reigning AL champs are still a good team, but how good is the question. It will ultimately depend on how the rest of this free agency cycle plays out.

Here is the latest buzz around around the organization.

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Yankees could tab Jurickson Profar in bid to boost outfield depth chart

The Yankees are still searching for avenues to bolster the offense around Aaron Judge. Bellinger and Goldschmidt are excellent hitters, but both appear to be trending in the wrong direction. Goldschmidt is plainly on the final leg of his career at 37 years old. It's a bit more of a wild card with Bellinger, but anybody expecting a return to his MVP form of five years ago is foolish.

Judge is just not as well-insulated in the lineup as he was last season. There's no way to replicate the individual brilliance of Soto, but in the spirit of Billy Beane and Moneyball — not that New York is short on cash — there are ways to create an offensive juggernaut from more disparate parts. Several quality bats still litter the free agent market and few teams are equipped with more wealth to spread around than the Yankees.

Enter Jurickson Profar.

MLB.com's Theo DeRosa tabbed the former top prospect as an ideal target for the Yankees.

"The switch-hitting Profar could slot into left field but could also play a role in the infield, where he began his career. Once an elite prospect, Profar delivered a breakout year for the Padres, hitting .280 with 24 homers and an .839 OPS and making the NL All-Star team. He could be just the right fit for a Yankees team that wouldn't mind adding a skilled and versatile hitter and has long been a fan of Profar's game."

At 31 years old, Profar finally put all the pieces together in 2024. He has spent his entire career in a San Diego Padres uniform, but a move to the hitter-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium would make for a compelling second chapter. He's positionally flexible, which is helpful as Aaron Boone attempts to plug several holes. Both Profar and Bellinger can switch between the infield and outfield.

Yankees will not eat majority of Nolan Arenado's salary in potential trade

The St. Louis Cardinals pretty clearly want to trade Nolan Arenado. The veteran third baseman pretty clearly wants to change teams, although his no-trade clause allows him to hand-select the "right" destination. That is, assuming the two sides can actually agree to terms on a trade. That has proven the most challenging aspect for the Yankees.

Arenado would give the Yankees a solution at third base and bring more pop to the lineup, but his contract — an additional $52 million through 2027 — is a lot to stomach for an expensive Yankees team. New York does have a spending limit and Arenado's production is no longer in line with his salary. Last season's .719 OPS was the lowest of Arenado's career since his rookie campaign all the way back in 2013.

New York is "[not] interested in taking on the majority of his contract," per Katie Woo and Will Sammon of The Athletic ($).

That puts the Cardinals in a tough position. John Mozeliak was almost able to offload Arenado and the bulk of his remaining contract to Houston earlier this winter, but Arenado invoked his no-trade clause. Rather than waiting long enough to revisit the matter, Houston turned around and signed Christian Walker and traded for Isaac Paredes, removing the Astros from Arenado's tepid market.

The Yankees are sure to continue monitoring the Arenado situation, but unless St. Louis caves or New York becomes more willing to indulge Arenado's salary, we shouldn't expect much traction here.

Roki Sasaki 'can handle' New York media, according to agent Joel Wolfe

Roki Sasaki is the biggest prize left on the free agent market and he has already granted the Yankees a meeting. Since he's signing as an international amateur, Sasaki won't be eligible for a nine-figure contract in the same vein as Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter. He will get paid from international bonus pool money, which puts a strict cap on his salary — and evens the playing field considerably.

Instead of wowing Sasaki with straight cash, the Yankees will need to convince him they're the best organization to come up with. For somebody so focused on achieving greatness, one has to think Sasaki is intrigued by the rich history of Yankees baseball. That said, there has also been concern about Sasaki's receptivity to a major media market after dealing with an intense spotlight in Japan. There isn't a more imposing media machine in the U.S. than New York.

That said, Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, shot down the notion that Sasaki can't handle the pressure of playing in New York.

Wolfe has the unenviable task of drumming up interest in Sasaki by courting offers from every corner of the MLB landscape. He doesn't want to dissuade the Padres of the world from submitting their offers, but he also needs to remind the Yankees and Dodgers that Sasaki can handle a bright spotlight. This is such a unique situation since Sasaki's decision comes down almost entirely to organizational merit. Wolfe is basically fighting to not tip his hand.

The expectation is that Sasaki will ultimately land on the West Coast, so the Yankees are fighting an uphill battle. If he does take an interest is crossing the country, however, there's something special about wearing pinstripes in the Bronx.