The New York Yankees may be disappointed that outfielder Kyle Tucker is heading to the Chicago Cubs. However, it also opens up an opportunity for the team to land one of the top available players remaining in free agency.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Cubs are sending third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Houston Astros as part of the Tucker trade. That move likely indicates Houston waving the white flag regarding the possibility of re-signing free agent Alex Bregman.
Spotrac’s calculated market value for Bregman points to a four-year contract of nearly $120 million. But agent Scott Boras’ representation hints that any deal that the nine-year Major League Baseball veteran inks will be higher than that.
With the stars coming off the market, the urgency to sign top talent still available only increases. According to FanGraphs, the Yankees currently have Oswaldo Cabrera penciled in as the Opening Day third baseman.
Having lost Juan Soto to the New York Mets, the Yankees need to make a splash. Even the proposed trade talks between the Cubs and Yankees for outfielder Cody Bellinger likely will not satiate the Bronx faithful with New York needing upgrades at first base (Ben Rice current starter) and third base.
There have been rumors of the Yankees signing Mets free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso, but what about third base?
Nightengale muses that the trade of Tucker to Chicago “would open the door” to the Yankees signing Bregman. New York certainly represents one of the few MLB teams that could give Boras a blank check in order to acquire the seemingly former Astros’ third baseman without batting an eye.
More MLB: Could the Cubs pull off a 2-fold raid on the Astros this winter?
