The options for the Yankees at first base have been reduced as Christian Walker has signed a 3-year deal with the Houston Astros.  With this option off the board, let’s see what possible moves are left for the Bronx Bombers in their attempt to assemble a World Series Champion.    

I am very OK with Walker not ending up in pinstripes as I did not want the Yankees to sign him for more than 2 years, though that was probably never going to happen.  With Walker off the board, the obvious options for the Yankees are down to Paul Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana, and Pete Alonso.  I do not like any of these options.  Carlos Santana will be 39 and is pretty much done. Goldschmidt is 37 and has been on a straight decline over the last 3 seasons.  His BA has gone from .317 to .268 to .245.  Home runs, 35 to 25 to 22.  I was a big fan of Goldschmidt’s and think he has been a very underrated player throughout his career.  But that time is done.  It’s been floated that the Yankees could sign him and use him in a platoon with Ben Rice.  That’s not the worst idea as Goldschmidt did his .295 against lefties this past season.  However, it would have to be a very short contract.  If not one year, it has to be a deal the Yankees can get out of after the first season either through an option or at a value where they would be OK cutting him. And Goldschmidt would also have to be OK with being in a platoon.          

That leaves Alonso.   He’s easily the best player available through free agency.  However, he isn’t a particularly good fit with the Yankees. He is not a good defensive player, something the Yankees have been stressing this offseason, and the Yankees already have two big power right-handed hitters.  The Polar Bear is 30, isn’t much different than Stanton except for health, and will be very expensive in both money and years. I just don’t think it’s a match.  

If these are the only options for them, I would much rather the Yankees just went young at 1^st base and let Rice and Rumfield battle it out for the job in Spring Training.  Of course, free agency isn’t the only way they can fill the first base hole. They can also make a trade.  At this point, I think if the Yankees are going to look outside the organization for a 1^st baseman, this is the way to go.  I have no idea who would be available but I also had no idea Devin Williams was available.  So maybe there is a great fit out there in the trade market and the Yankees just need to get the deal done.  

Then there is the Bellinger option.  The reports of the Yankees telling Cody he was going to play centerfield were debunked by Aaron Boone himself who told reporters that he and Bellinger talked about him playing either center, left or first base.  Thus, if the Yankees feel there is an outfielder who is a better option than the 1^st Base options, they can go in that direction and have Bellinger play 1^st.  I like this idea better than any of the free agent 1^st base options as well. 

While not great defensively, Anthony Santander is a better option than Goldschmidt, Alonso, and Santana.  He’s not a high batting average guy but Camden Yards was a terrible hitter’s ballpark after they moved the left field wall back (they are moving it up again so you know how bad it had to be) so his numbers should actually be better playing for a different team.  He hit .251 on the road last season as opposed to .218 at home.   He is a switch hitter so he will be able to take advantage of the short porch at the Stadium.  That also means they can hit him between Judge and Stanton without really going righty, righty, righty unless there is a lefty on the mound. He’s not a great outfielder but I never felt he was a problem out there. He too can play first base if necessary.       

Of course, as with 1^st base, trading for an outfielder is also an option.  And much like first base, I have no idea who may be available.  Then they could also go young as well and give Spencer Jones a shot out there but I feel they will be very reluctant to go young at two outfield positions.  They could just sign a halfway decent left fielder, someone just better than Verdugo, to a short-term contract and reassess next season.  He can be a place holder until Jones is ready.  They can always make a move at the trade deadline if it doesn’t work out.  That is a better move than signing someone to a long-term contract that is just going to be a bad contract in a year or two.  As I have said in the past, they don’t want to spend money just to spend money.    

As for the other infield position the Yankees need to fill, it’s a much bigger question actually.  As I pointed out, there are options for 1^st base.  But third and second are a lot slimmer pickings.  I want nothing to do with Bregman on a long-term contract and if he was going to sign a short-term contract, he would just stay with Houston.  It’s a shame the Giants were very smart and signed Willy Adames before Soto made his decision.  He would have been perfect.  There really are no infield free agents that make you say “go get that guy, he’s the answer”.   The best middle infielder left is probably Gleyber Torres.  And now that they traded Calib Durban, the Yankees don’t really have a young guy they can turn to.  Maybe if they acquire a big hitting outfielder or first baseman, they can look for a great defensive player to fill in the other infield slot.  Not everyone on the team has to be a great hitter.  Maybe they can find someone with a great glove and maybe some speed to complete their lineup.  A guy like Ha-Seong Kim would fit that bill but the 28-year-old three-time Gold Glove winner had shoulder surgery in September and from what I can tell, isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the season.

There just are no perfect players out there for the Yankees to fill their line up holes with.  It’s going to be interesting to see where Cashman goes from here.  To be honest, I don’t have a lot of confidence in him in this situation.  This is where he usually comes up with a Joey Gallo or a Josh Donaldson.  Hopefully he will surprise me.