The search for help at third base is shaping up to be one of the winter’s bigger storylines, and the Phillies, Yankees and Red Sox are all being linked to the same prize.
That matters because each club has reasons to keep an open mind at the position. In New York, the Yankees have spent the last couple of seasons trying to patch third base together, and it still hasn’t stuck.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was asked to learn the spot on the fly after arriving at the 2024 trade deadline, and the team has since added Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero in hopes of stabilizing the hot corner. None has fully taken hold.
McMahon has been the biggest letdown, with his glove still playing well but his bat dragging down the bottom of the lineup.
Philadelphia is facing its own decision with Alec Bohm. Bohm’s season got off to a rough start, but he settled in as the year went on and finished with .249/.315/.383, 15 home runs and 88 RBI.
Even with the slow opening, he is being viewed as a legitimate free-agent target. Still, the Phillies are trying to get younger, and a long-term commitment to another veteran may not line up with what they want to do.
That sets the stage for a possible market chase, and Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes Japanese star Teruaki Sato could be at the center of it. Bowden wrote, “Some teams believe he can stay at third base; others see him as best suited for first base or left field.
Either way, the bat profiles for the middle of the order. I think he stays at third base initially and would be a perfect fit for teams like the Phillies, Red Sox, Angels and Yankees, which leads me to believe this will end up being a big-market bidding war,”
If that kind of competition develops, Sato would bring exactly what clubs are hunting for: a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat and a defender capable of handling third base. He is coming off a 39-home-run season and won the Triple Crown, which only adds to the appeal for teams trying to upgrade the hot corner in a hurry.
In Other News...
Red Sox Right Field Fix Could Come With A Bigger Catch
The Red Sox appear set on adding more right-handed power this offseason, and the outfield is a natural place to hunt for it. One name that fits the profile is Teoscar Hernandez, the veteran slugger in the final year of his deal with the Dodgers, who could give Boston the kind of short-term pop it has been looking for without locking the club into a long commitment.
Of course, the pursuit could come with a bigger roster question attached. Boston has also been weighing whether Jarren Duran could be part of the answer in a trade, which would make any move for an outfield bat feel less like a simple upgrade and more like a reshaping of the depth chart. Hernandez's recent production has been uneven, but his power and the possibility of a club option for 2028 keep him in the mix as the Red Sox sort through how aggressive they want to be. [Read more 🡒]
Roman Anthonys 2027 Outlook Just Became A Real Red Sox Concern
Roman Anthonys hand and wrist have become the kind of offseason storyline the Red Sox would rather not be managing, especially with 2027 approaching and so much of the clubs long-term outlook tied to his bat. The injury began with a partially torn carpometacarpal ligament during the 2026 season, then got more complicated when he kept playing through it and picked up additional muscle strains in the same area.
After 4.5 months of rest, the injury still had not fully healed, and that is where the concern starts to deepen for Boston. Medical experts have pointed to how uncommon this issue is and how limited the surgical options are, which leaves the timeline murky and the odds of a clean recovery far from certain as the Red Sox try to project what Anthony will look like in 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Kristian Campbell Suddenly Feels Like A Real Red Sox Dilemma
Kristian Campbells first season in the majors already has turned into something far different from the optimistic Red Sox script that accompanied his eight-year extension. The young infielder debuted in 2025, got sent to Triple-A in June and has not made it back since, leaving Boston with one of those uncomfortable roster questions that can follow a promising player when the depth chart gets crowded and the opportunities get thin.
Campbells value still makes the situation tricky for the Red Sox to sort out. He is young, versatile and under long-term control, which is exactly the sort of profile that can appeal to a team weighing bigger moves elsewhere on the roster, even if Boston would rather keep him in the picture. For now, the dilemma is less about what Campbell has done than about what the Red Sox decide they need next, and whether his name becomes part of the conversation this offseason. [Read more 🡒]