Without a Third Baseman, the Yankees Fall Short of a Great Pivot

The New York Yankees can never escape the spotlight during an offseason, but this one was perhaps more pivotal than those in recent years.

After making the World Series with modern Yankee legends Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole, the team needed to figure out how to come out on top in 2025. It wouldn’t be easy, or cheap.

Star outfielder Juan Soto’s tenure in the Bronx had come to an end. During his one year in pinstripes, Soto posted full-season career bests in wRC+ (180) and fWAR (8.1). It would require record-setting money to retain his services.

General Manager Brian Cashman made his best pitch to Soto but ultimately fell short of re-signing him. After reportedly offering a 16-year, $760 million contract, the superstar inked a deal with the cross-town rival New York Mets.

Replacing Soto wouldn’t be easy.

There was no one player available that the Yankees could acquire to provide them with equal value. They would have to spread some of their funds around to pick up quality players at various positions.

Given that their front office was comfortable with throwing around over $700 million of guaranteed money, they could certainly persuade other players to come on board.

Cashman had to figure out how to best allocate these funds available to him to improve the team’s weak spots, despite losing one of baseball’s best players. As spring training has begun and the dust has settled on the Yankees offseason, many of the holes they had have been filled.

With that said, there is one glaring hole that still exists, as the Yankees came an infielder short of completing a roster that could have been even better than the one with Soto last year.

Notable Offseason Acquisitions

Max Fried

Once Soto’s deal with the Mets became official, the Yankees quickly pivoted. Their first, and perhaps most impactful move of the offseason was signing the left-handed pitcher Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract.

Fried, 31, was a key member of the 2021 World Series-winning Atlanta Braves starting rotation and has been a valuable arm throughout his career.

In eight seasons with Atlanta, Fried had thrown 884.1 innings with 863 strikeouts and a 3.07 ERA. He may not be an elite strikeout pitcher, but Fried has always had a knack for getting ground balls and preventing hard contact at an elite rate. These are both traits that are likely to age well.

If there is any concern about Fried, it would be that he spent time on the injured list with left forearm ailments in the past two seasons.

However, this was a risk worth taking for the Yankees. Any free-agent pitcher over 30 who is getting this kind of money has thrown many innings, sustained injuries, and refined their routines. Fried will slot nicely at the number-two spot in their rotation behind their ace, Cole. That duo can pitch the Yankees to win any seven-game series, if they are both right come October.

Devin Williams

Perhaps the most impactful reliever to change teams this offseason, the Yankees acquired the talented closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin.

Williams, 30, has posted a sub-two ERA in the past three seasons. He has backed up this dominance with strikeout rates around 40%, which have been among baseball’s best in each season.

Williams’ marquee offering is his “Airbender” changeup, which grades as 25% better than the average major league changeup per Stuff+.

A back injury cost Williams over half of the 2024 season, which saw him throw only 21.2 innings. In the three years prior, the least innings that he had thrown in a season was 54 in 2021.

The Yankees hope that he is able to pitch throughout the entirety of 2025 as their closer, since he is just a one-year rental. Williams will be a free agent following the conclusion of this upcoming season.

Given that all the Yankees had to give up was rotation surplus and a hit-over-power infield prospect for one of the game’s most electric closers, it seems like a great deal for them. If Williams can stay healthy, he will improve their bullpen a great deal.

Cody Bellinger

Shortly after their move for Williams, the Yankees acquired the former National League Most Valuable Player Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs for right-handed relief pitcher Cody Poteet. New York will take on $45 million of the $50 million owed to Bellinger over the next two seasons.

After trading for star outfielder Kyle Tucker, the Cubs looked to cut ties with Bellinger. They had trouble finding a suitor who would take on his contract and give them something of value, because they got next to nothing in return.

As for what the Yankees are getting, Bellinger is long removed from his 7.9 fWAR MVP season in 2019. He struggled mightily in 2021-22 but turned his career around with the Cubs starting in 2023.

In those two years in Wrigleyville, Bellinger played in 130 games each season. He combined to hit 44 home runs, 167 RBI, 29 steals and posted 6.6 fWAR. Those numbers are buoyed by a 2023 season that was better than this past one, but he still earned a 109 wRC+ in 2024.

Bellinger is a decent outfield defender and figures to see most of his reps in center field this season. He will be the most visible replacement for Soto given that he is a left-handed hitting outfield option, but the Yankees certainly don’t expect him to make up for that production alone.

While the drop-off from Soto may be steep offensively, acquiring Bellinger does allow the Yankees to move Aaron Judge back into his natural position in right field.

Playing your star player in center field, especially one of Judge’s age and stature, can be a health risk due to the frequency and intensity of plays he will need to make. The Angels announced they will take that route with their oft-injured superstar Mike Trout this season.

Paul Goldschmidt

The main reason why Bellinger, an adept first baseman in addition to being an outfielder, is unlikely to see much time at the former in 2025 is due to the Yankees’ signing of Goldschmidt. The 2022 NL MVP signed a one-year, $12.5 million contract to be the team’s everyday first baseman.

Goldschmidt, 37, was one of the best first basemen in baseball for a decade. He’s fallen off a bit recently with age but won an MVP just a few seasons ago with St. Louis. The right-handed hitting slugger has hit for a career .289 batting average, swatting 362 home runs and amassing 56.5 fWAR.

An incredibly durable player throughout his career, Goldschmidt has not missed more than 11 games in a season in the past 10 years. The reason why the Yankees were able to get him on such a reasonable deal is that 2024 was the worst season of Goldschmidt’s career.

He slashed .245/.302/.414 (all career worsts) with 22 home runs, career-worst strikeout (26.5%) and walk (7.2%) rates, while also posting career worsts in wRC+ (100) and fWAR since his 48-game rookie season (1.1).

It is an amazing reflection on Goldschmidt’s 14-year career that a season in which he was considered perfectly average by wRC+ was a career-worst.

Goldschmidt is a year older, which could bring more regression, but the Yankees are likely banking on the Goldy having a little more left in the tank for a team with World Series aspirations. He also finished last season strong with a 120 wRC+ in the second half, giving some hope for a bounce back.

A Lineup Deep with Questions

By signing Fried, the New York Yankees took what was already a strength and made it even better, giving them what is likely the best rotation in the AL East.

The addition of Williams took a good bullpen that lacked a true closer until a late-season emergency by Luke Weaver, and gave them one of the best in the game. Williams and Weaver will be an intimidating late-game bullpen duo in 2025.

Looking at the Yankees projected starting lineup (per RosterResource), the loss of Soto is still apparent.

Last year, having Soto and Judge was a two-man engine that could carry seven other players to being one of the best lineups in baseball. This year, the Yankees need strength in numbers.

Hitting behind Judge are veterans with big names in Goldschmidt, Bellinger and Stanton, but each come with questions. For Bellinger, 2023 provided hope for a ceiling he could provide, especially in a ballpark that could favor his lefty swing. But 2024 showed a floor of a bat that wasn’t that much better than league average.

Goldschmidt and Stanton are both battling father time, with Stanton already showing up to camp with a pair of injured elbows, leaving a real question as to when he will start his season. A lengthy absence could open another hole in the lineup for the Yankees at DH.

Still, the Yankees were without Anthony Rizzo for large stretches last season, and Goldschmidt will undoubtedly provide an upgrade from the -0.2 fWAR and 84 wRC+ Rizzo posted in 2024.

At the top of the lineup, a full season of Jazz Chisholm Jr. should help bring a spark. Chisholm is coming off a 4-win season that saw him hit 24 home runs with 40 stolen bases.

Chisholm is returning to what is likely his best position, second base, after picking up third base on the fly following the trade to New York last year. Before that, he had spent the past two seasons in center field for Miami.

In doing so, Chisholm is effectively replacing longtime second baseman Gleyber Torres, who left for Detroit in free agency. Torres had a rocky season last year, particularly with his glove, but did turn it around enough to bat leadoff for the Yankees throughout their playoff run.

Now, the favorite to bat leadoff is either Chisholm or his new double-play partner, Anthony Volpe.

Volpe has proven to be a strong defensive shortstop across his first two years in the show, but has yet to establish himself with the bat. Entering year three at 23 years old, this is a pivotal season for Volpe to prove he can provide value on both sides of the ball.

Another young Yankee who will look to provide that level of production is catcher Austin Wells. Coming off a season where he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, the Yankees hope Wells continues his progression as one of the better all-around catchers in the game.

If there is one real x-factor at the bottom of the Yankees lineup, it is their top prospect Jasson Dominguez. After a lost year due to Tommy John surgery, the Yankees are giving Dominguez the runway to take his place as the left fielder of the future opposite Judge.

The Yankees went from two studs in the middle of their lineup, to just one. Around the reigning MVP Judge, each spot in the lineup is either filled by a veteran with a track record or a young player with upside that the Yankees can dream on.

The one exception, however, is third base, where the Yankees are left without any quality options.

Realistic Options to Play Third Base

Oswaldo Cabrera

2024 Stats: 326 PA, .247/.296/.365, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 88 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR

Cabrera, who will be 26 on Opening Day, has been a nice utility piece for the Yankees the past two seasons. He has played every position besides catcher in the major leagues and can switch-hit.

Cabrera is the projected Opening Day third baseman. The majority of playing time he has received in the major leagues is at third base, so Cabrera would not be playing out of his comfort zone at the position.

While he has been a quality utility man for the club, it seems unlikely that he will be able to produce enough offensively. Cabrera is good at cutting down on strikeouts (19.3%) but has not shown an ability to consistently hit the ball hard at even an average level. His 68.3 mph bat speed gives him a low floor for exit velocities.

His versatility is valuable enough to keep him on a major league roster. But, come time for the playoff push, it seems likely that the Yankees will want him back on the bench.

Oswald Peraza

2024 Stats (AAA): 406 PA, .246/.341/.394, 13 HR, 60 RBI, 94 wRC+

Peraza, 24, has been considered one of the Yankees’ better young players for some time now. His best abilities are his speed and glove, but he has shown the ability to hit for power.

The Yankees have called up Peraza from the minor leagues each of the past three seasons. He saw 191 of his 259 career major league plate appearances in 2023. Peraza has hit .216 with four home runs and a 23.9% strikeout rate in the majors.

In his extended sample in 2023, Peraza didn’t do much of anything well offensively. What we did see is that his bat speed jumped to an intriguing 74.6 mph this past season, which might give him more of an offensive ceiling than Cabrera.

Peraza hasn’t proven anything at the major league level, but that might be a good thing in this case. The other two competitors in-house are largely unexciting offensively, so perhaps the Yankees will try Peraza now that he has gained more experience in the minor leagues.

DJ LeMahieu

2024 Stats: 228 PA, .204/.269/.259, 2 HR, 26 RBI, 52 wRC+, -0.5 fWAR

LeMahieu, 36, is entering year five of a six-year, $90 million contract with the Yankees. Considering he still sports an elite strikeout rate (15.4%), it’s hard to imagine the Yankees won’t at least try keeping LeMahieu to start the season.

Despite being in his mid-30s, LeMahieu did start at third base for most of his appearances in an injury-shortened season. LeMahieu dealt with foot, face, and hip injuries, the latter of which is probably most concerning for an infielder.

LeMahieu would certainly be the experienced, veteran option in-house to trot out everyday and man third base. But, you wouldn’t expect to be getting much offensively.

Why Didn’t the Yankees Address Third Base?

Looking over the top free agents this year, there was really only one third baseman who would qualify as an impact player, Alex Bregman.

Signing Bregman would have improved the Yankees’ lineup greatly, but acquiring his services would not have been cheap. Fortunately, there are still other avenues the Yankees could pursue to get better at the position.

Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals is a player who comes to mind. His name was involved in trade rumors all offseason and donning the pinstripes may appeal to him. He could play with former teammates Paul Goldschmidt and DJ LeMahieu.

The Cardinals are looking to dump Arenado’s salary, like the Cubs were with Bellinger, but the Yankees haven’t shown the willingness to take it on. Arenado is the type of win-now player that would fit the Yankees window, but maybe the scars from the Josh Donaldson experiment makes the club hesitant to pick up another past-their-prime third baseman.

Cashman and the Yankees could opt instead to sign veteran infielder Jose Iglesias out of free agency, who made an impact for their crosstown rival last season. Iglesias might not hit .337 again, but can provide valuable depth to a team in need.

The Yankees could take this hole on their roster into the season hoping that an internal solution presents itself, or they can try to fill the spot at the deadline.

Final Thoughts

The New York Yankees were put behind the eight-ball this offseason by losing a bidding war for one of baseball’s best players, Juan Soto.

They recuperated quickly by making impactful acquisitions on the pitching side, bringing in Max Fried and Devin Williams. Adding two former MVPs in Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt will help to fill out their starting lineup.

The health of the Yankees’ pitching staff will be paramount for their success in 2025. They now have one of the best rotations in baseball, which will have to carry an offense that is likely to be worse.

Third base is clearly the team’s biggest need and none of the players in-house are good enough to justify not bringing in a new player. Cabrera, Peraza, and LeMahieu all could offer something to a major league team, but should not be an everyday player on a team looking to repeat as a pennant winner.

Luckily for the Yankees, they don’t have to have it all figured out by Opening Day.

Why? Just hear what Brian Cashman had to say about it: “Until the Trade Deadline, you’re never a finished product,”

“You’re never good enough. You’re always trying to find ways to improve on the margins or in a significant way. So it doesn’t matter what we do. The only thing that’s going to matter is if we win the whole thing.”

Whether that third baseman is acquired before Opening Day or is brought over in July, the goal is still the same: you need the best players possible for the team’s biggest moments at the end of the season.