Will the Yankees trade for a third baseman?

The New York Yankees lost out on the biggest free agent in baseball history but still added this offseason. They don’t have Juan Soto anymore, but Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Devin Williams highlight their additions. But they still have not replaced Gleyber Torres in the infield.

Jazz Chisholm will move from third to second, meaning they need someone at the hot corner. With Hal Steinbrenner’s recent comments to reference, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Yankees are looking to trade for a third baseman.

“I don’t believe they’re comfortable,” Rosenthal said of the Yankees at third base. “The question is how much are they going to be able to spend, and Hal Steinbrenner has been pretty clear that maybe the line has been drawn now, or at least they aren’t going to go too much above where they are.”

Rosenthal continued, “So here they are, they want to trade Stroman, and if they trade Stroman, that could open up some things, but I don’t expect if they do anything for it to be something big.

“I don’t expect it to be Bregman, and I don’t expect it to be Arenado, although that’s less expensive than Bregman would be at least in terms of the dollars and commitment you’re taking on.”

Who should the Yankees trade for? 

The Yankees are close to reaching the top end of the luxury tax threshold. While they have the highest revenue of any baseball team, they do not want to cross that line. That’s where the Stroman trade comes into play, as they have a surplus of starting pitchers. He is making $18.33 million in 2025 and 2026, so that opens up money for their third baseman.

If they cannot trade Stroman, the Yankees may look internally for a third baseman. Oswaldo Cabrera had a solid season coming off the bench last year and could play third base in a full-time role. Add that to DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza, and there is a solid Spring Training competition.

The Diamondbacks have Eugenio Suarez at third base, but his contract is ending soon. They could get a solid prospect haul for one of the best offensive third basemen in the league.

But he can only come to the Yankees if Marcus Stroman is traded. And considering their desire to trade Jordan Montgomery, Arizona is unlikely to take Stroman back. If Bregman and Arenado are not coming to The Bronx, they should look internally for their third-base hole.