The New York Yankees still have some areas to address before spring training arrives next month, most notably at one of the infield spots.
Though it remains to be seen where Jazz Chisholm will play, the Yankees have the flexibility to target either a second or third baseman as one of their final offseason moves before making their annual trip down to Tampa.
The options aren’t plentiful, and it’s clear the Yankees want to get under the $301 million luxury tax threshold after missing out on Juan Soto.
One potential option the Yankees could target is free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco, who was named a potential fit for New York by Nick Deeds of MLB Trade Rumors.
“Between that solid floor of production at the possibility Polanco can rediscover either the power stroke or the more contact-oriented approach he found success with in previous seasons, he figures to be one of the better players available to teams in need of help at second or third base at this point in the winter—particularly for clubs that aren’t willing to commit what it would take to land (Alex) Bregman, Nolan Arenado, or Ha-Seong Kim on an annual basis,” Deeds wrote.
Along with the Yankees, Deeds named the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates as speculative fits for the 31-year-old.
Polanco, a 2019 All-Star, has experience playing both second and third base. He’s been slightly above average at the plate, recording a 109 OPS+ in nine seasons as a regular player. The switch-hitting infielder has averaged a 2.0 bWAR over his last three seasons.
There are questions about his defense as he recorded a -10 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2024, according to Baseball Savant. That was the worst mark among 15 qualified second basemen in 2024 — yes, even worse than Gleyber Torres (-7).
The Yankees have focused on improving their run prevention after missing out on Soto so this definitely would be a risky move.
With that said, the Yankees need to add more infield depth and competition so it’s worth wondering if they could sacrifice a bit of defense to improve the lineup.
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