The Yankees’ hunt for more contact keeps leading them to the same uncomfortable place: a player can fit the lineup better without actually making it better enough to justify the price.
That’s the squeeze Brian Cashman is dealing with after New York’s offense vanished against Tampa Bay in the American League Division Series. The Yankees put up just 12 hits and five runs over three losses, then piled up 31 strikeouts after scoring 18 runs during their two-game wild-card sweep of Boston.
The need for a different kind of bat is obvious. The cost of getting one is where it gets tricky.
A power hitter would not solve the contact issue. A singles-first hitter might, but that kind of player can come with a heavy trade bill and little guarantee of a matching jump in run production.
That is especially true at second base, where Jazz Chisholm Jr. is nearing free agency and Anthony Volpe is also in the mix after moving across the diamond. New York has to sort out whether an external upgrade is worth giving up what it already has inside the roster.
Chisholm’s season shows why this is not a simple replacement job. Even with uneven offense, he was worth 3.5 wins above replacement by FanGraphs’ measure.
He also logged 13 outs above average, good for fourth among MLB second basemen, giving the Yankees real defensive value to go with his speed. So if New York looks outside the organization, it is not just shopping for a cleaner batting profile.
It is trying to replace defense, athleticism and on-base ability at once.
That is why Miami’s middle infield has entered the conversation. According to reporting by Barry Jackson, the Marlins are open to substantial offers for second baseman Xavier Edwards and shortstop Otto Lopez, both of whom are controlled through 2029. Miami kept both at the Aug. 3 deadline, leaving the pair in place as a double-play combination the club can still hold onto if it wants.
Edwards, 27, is the name that has already lingered around the Yankees for a while. Joel Sherman has linked him to New York interest and talked about him as a possible second-base and leadoff fit on his podcast. He framed the appeal this way: “I think that would be a great help, but he would cost a significant amount,” Sherman said.
Sherman also floated Volpe as part of a possible package, while saying he expects Volpe to get a shot at second base next season. That makes the internal option a real factor in how aggressively the Yankees can chase outside help.
On paper, Edwards fits the contact-and-speed wish list. He hit .280 with a .360 on-base percentage and .371 slugging percentage in 142 games.
He walked 68 times and struck out 83 times in 595 plate appearances, then stole 21 bases in 26 tries. For a Yankees offense that needs more traffic in front of Aaron Judge and Ben Rice, that’s the kind of profile that catches the eye.
But the fuller picture is less clean. Edwards hit only six home runs and posted a 103 weighted runs created plus, which came out to just 3% better than league average. The on-base skills are real, but the overall offensive impact is more modest than the batting average might suggest.
There’s also a split that matters. Edwards’ career OPS sits at .762 against right-handers and .650 against left-handers. He did hit .321 with runners in scoring position in 2026, but the right-left imbalance would still follow him to New York.
His season arc adds another warning label. The 340 plate appearances he logged from June 1 on accounted for 57.1% of his year, and that was the stretch when the offense backed up.
Through May, he hit .314/.398/.480. After that, he slumped to .254/.331/.288 and didn’t hit another home run.
That works out to an OPS drop from .878 to .619.
Baseball Savant’s contact data points in the same direction. Edwards had a 28.4% hard-hit rate, along with a .258 expected batting average and a .356 expected slugging percentage. He kept the strikeouts down, but the quality of contact was not especially loud.
Defensively, the numbers have also shifted. Edwards moved from shortstop to second base in 2025 and posted nine outs above average and 12 defensive runs saved.
In 2026, both of those numbers fell to minus-2. That makes his recent glove work harder to project with confidence.
Lopez gives Miami another lever if it chooses to make a move. He turned in a .305/.349/.437 line with 34 steals and 14 outs above average, which is enough to make him another attractive option on the market. His availability does not force the Marlins to move Edwards, and his presence gives them flexibility with the infield intact.
The money side is manageable for buyers, at least in salary terms. Matt Swartz’s arbitration projections put Edwards at $3.5 million and Lopez at $5.4 million. The catch, of course, is that the real expense would come in the talent New York would have to send out.
Sherman has also mentioned Sam Antonacci and Michael Massey as other second-base possibilities, which only widens the Yankees’ decision tree. Miami, after finishing 80-82, can keep both Edwards and Lopez for three more seasons.
That means the Yankees are not dealing with a seller in a hurry. They are dealing with a club that can wait for the right package.
So the market is clear enough: Edwards offers contact and speed, and that is exactly what New York wants. But the full cost includes his limited power, the long dip in production, and the defensive uncertainty that has crept into his recent numbers. For the Yankees, that is the trap sitting inside the fit.
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