One trade, one signing Yankees should make
The New York Yankees already made the biggest splash of the MLB offseason by trading for Juan Soto, but GM Brian Cashman must do more to turn his team into a World Series contender. Here’s one trade and one signing the Yankees should make this offseason.
Trade: Acquire Brewers RHP Corbin Burnes
After overhauling their outfield with the trades for Soto, Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham, the Yankees will have to compensate for losing several promising pitchers in the process. While they’re still considered among the favorites to sign Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, adding Burnes — who had a 3.39 ERA and struck out 200 batters over 193.2 innings last season — would be a solid fallback plan.
Burnes is entering his final season of team control, and it seems unlikely he’ll re-sign with Milwaukee, especially since he admitted that last offseason’s arbitration hearing damaged his relationship with the team. Although it seemed unlikely Milwaukee would consider trading Burnes earlier this offseason, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Wednesday that rival teams now “believe there’s a decent chance” Milwaukee moves the three-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner.
Speaking to reporters at the winter meetings, manager Aaron Boone revealed veteran DJ LeMahieu will be the team’s everyday third baseman in 2024, creating an interesting dynamic at second base between Gleyber Torres and Oswald Peraza. The 23-year-old Peraza needs an opportunity to play regularly, but he’s not a better option than Torres at the moment, though he would fetch a higher return in a trade. Considering Milwaukee’s second and third basemen combined for -0.2 and -0.9 WAR, respectively, in 2023, a versatile infielder like Peraza would be an appealing headliner in a package for Burnes.
Signing: Ink utilityman Whit Merrifield
If owner Hal Steinbrenner is really going all-in this offseason, he might as well round out his bench with All-Star talent. Merrifield slashed .272/.318/.382 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI and stole 26 bases for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, splitting time at second base and the corner outfield spots.
Given the latest roster turnover and the current dilemma at second base, Merrifield is more of a luxury than a necessity, though he’d still be a valuable addition for the Yankees. It wouldn’t hurt to have another capable defensive replacement for the outfield with Soto heading to the Bronx, and Merrifield is probably a more reliable option offensively than Peraza at this stage in their careers.
The Yankees will likely be among the leaders in home runs in 2024, but they’ll need more players who can consistently generate contact after they ranked 29th in hits (1,207) and batting average (.227) last season. Merrifield has been as steady as they come throughout his career, collecting the seventh-most hits in MLB (1,184) since debuting in May 2016. Despite entering his age-35 season, the three-time American League stolen base leader can still be an impactful pinch runner for a Yankees team that stole 100 bases in 2023, 21st in the majors.
