The Yankees’ Corey Seager debate keeps circling back to the same problem: this isn’t a team one piece away.
That was true after the 2021 season, when New York came out of a Wild Card Game loss to the Red Sox with obvious holes and then did almost nothing to address them. Instead of making a statement, the Yankees watched the month before the mini lockout pass with little movement, then doubled down on a move that felt out of step by acquiring Josh Donaldson from the Twins in March. They also extended Aaron Boone, passing on what looked like a clean chance to change direction.
Shortstop was the biggest issue then, with Andrew Velazquez starting there at the end of that season. The free-agent class offered real star power, and Seager stood out as the cleanest match. The Yankees passed on that entire group, though, and wound up trading for Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the Donaldson deal as a bridge to Anthony Volpe in 2023.
That choice has aged badly enough that it already feels like one of the franchise’s defining misfires. The Donaldson trade fit a familiar pattern, too: the Yankees bringing in players after the best years are already behind them.
Rougned Odor, Jay Bruce, Corey Kluber, Marwin Gonzalez, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco and others have all become part of that same frustrating list. Even deals that absorbed contracts, such as Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon, have created more headaches than help.
That’s why the idea of circling back to Seager now is such a tricky one. On paper, he still looks like the kind of name that can change a lineup.
In reality, the fit is messy. The Yankees would be paying for the back end of a huge contract after missing the stretch when Seager was at his most dominant.
The original appeal was obvious: get elite production from 2022 through 2025 before the decline phase kicked in. Now the conversation is about his age-33 through age-37 seasons, and that’s a very different bet.
There’s also the matter of where he would play. If the Yankees are looking at third base, that only underlines how incomplete the roster is.
Seager has played just six career games at the hot corner. He might be better than McMahon, but that alone doesn’t make him the right answer.
A move like this makes more sense for a club that already has six or seven positions settled. The Yankees don’t even have three.
Right now it’s Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and a whole lot of uncertainty, with Ben Rice’s future at first base sitting near the top of the offseason list.
The Yankees were heavily linked to Seager when he reached free agency in 2021, and he ended up with Texas. Last offseason, they were reported to have checked in with the Rangers about his availability, only to be turned away. Now the Rangers are expected to explore moving him, and Evan Grant suggested the two sides may already have talked about a deal, with Ryan Weathers and Anthony Volpe reportedly “floated as potential trade chips.”
If the Yankees actually make that move, there’s no question the reaction will come with plenty of support for Seager once he’s in pinstripes. But from where this stands now, paying a premium for an imperfect fit while giving up depth feels like the kind of move that solves one problem and creates another.
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Cashmans comments land in the middle of a larger pattern the Yankees have struggled to shake, with past injury situations often handled cautiously or with delays that left fans and observers wanting clearer answers. For a team that has spent so much time managing absences from key players, the issue is not just who gets hurt, but how the club explains what is happening and when. The next step for the Yankees is not only getting healthier, but proving they can handle the communication side of the equation better than they did this season. [Read more 🡒]