The only thing that matters to most Yankees fans is that players stay healthy, so at this point, there isn’t much more input I could have on the 2021 Yankees.
This is why I want to address an exciting rumor put out by Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger.
Klapisch said that Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager will be a target of the Yankees next offseason, and that is why Hal Steinbrenner did not want to spend a lot this year.
First, I want to address Klapisch’s track record regarding rumors because I hold a very high view of his credibility when it comes to what the Yankees will do.
Klapisch wrote a book called Inside the Empire: The True Power Behind the New York Yankees. This book was written based on the 2018 season, and there are a few lines in that book that confirm the credibility and connections that Klapisch has.
The first one is that heading into that offseason when Manny Machado and Bryce Harper were free agents, Klapisch knew that the Yankees would not pursue either of them. The second line of importance was that Klapisch knew the Yankees would go hard after Gerrit Cole in the 2019 offseason.
That’s a full year before Cole became a free agent, and exactly what Klapisch said played out. So when he says something, I put a lot of weight on it.
Seager is going into his age 27 season, so he is right about to reach his prime. He has been an outstanding player for the Dodgers since he came up to the majors in 2015 and was the World Series MVP in 2020.
What many people would question how Seager would fit in the Yankees infield. That is a fair question. The Yankees have DJ LeMahieu locked up long-term at second base, Gio Urshela at third, and Gleyber Torres at shortstop.
My first response to those concerns is that Corey Seager would be the best shortstop on the team and the best player in the Yankees infield if he were on the team.
In addition to that, many Yankees fans are thirsting for a left-handed bat. Personally, I am in the camp that it would be nice to have more left-handed bats, but there were no clear upgrades to the right-handed hitters in the lineup that were available and made sense for the Yankees this year.
Seager is a player that is a clear upgrade and a middle-of-the-order left-handed hitter that would easily fit into that third spot in the lineup between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Right now, Aaron Hicks is pretty much confirmed by Aaron Boone to be in that third spot, and it is a highly debated topic among Yankees fans as to whether that is the right choice.
If Corey Seager is available and willing to sign with the Yankees next offseason, you immediately plug him into shortstop and figure it out.
Even if it takes rearranging the infield and potentially trading a player for another need on the team.
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