When will the New York Yankees have a long-term solution at third base?
It's been one of the top storylines of the season for this first-place Yankees club. Night after night, they've trotted out offensive question marks at the hot corner, from Oswaldo Cabrera to Oswald Peraza to Jorbit Vivas.
There's long been speculation that the Yankees could trade for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, but New York has never bought into that narrative publicly. It's possible, therefore, that they could wait until this winter's free agency to sign a new third baseman.
One Major League Baseball insider believes that the third-base solution could come straight from the roster of an American League East rival.
On Wednesday, Jim Bowden of The Athletic named the Yankees as a top projected suitor for Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, who grades out as a subpar defender at his position and could be headed for third base in the future.
"Bichette had a subpar 2024 during which he battled injuries, but he has been better this year, hitting .286 with four homers and a 119 OPS+, which matches his career mark. He’ll need to pick it up some and get back to his 2021-23 form if he wants to get paid at that value," Bowden wrote.
Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp
"Bichette might have to be willing to move to third base for certain interested teams like the Tigers, Yankees or Dodgers, but he should have a strong market if he plays at his accustomed level this season."
If the Yankees are going to bring in Bichette (or Alex Bregman, or any high-priced free agent, really), they're going to have to be willing to ratchet up the payroll. They seemed reluctant to extend past the $300 million marker this offseason, and the biggest salary they have coming off the books is Paul Goldschmidt's $12.5 million.
Bichette is projected for a seven-year, $147 million deal by Spotrac. That doesn't seem out of the question for the Yankees, but it's a matter of whether they decide to allocate those resources to one player, or spread them out.
More MLB: Dodgers urged to trade for 2-time All-Star reliever from floundering Orioles