SO WHO'S ON FIRST?

There's always work to do in the offseason, and this winter is no exception. In fact, this winter feels like there will be even more to figure out then normal but the Yankees only have themselves to blame for that. The infield in general is just a hot mess.

The Yankees probably have more needs to address then the payroll they want to spend will address. We are all sitting back and waiting to see who the Yankees get to plug in at shortstop, and that's where it becomes a logjam. If we are to assume that Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela stay and play second and third base respectively then DJ LeMahieu is stuck at first. Or maybe the Yankees DON'T keep both Torres and Urshela....then who's on first?

1.  Reunite with Anthony Rizzo?
I liked the Rizzo acquisition, but Rizzo is a free agent for the first time after 11 seasons at 32 years old. He's what baseball calls "on the wrong side of 30" and what are his expectations contract wise? I don't see a multi-year deal here considering the Yankees already have too many long term deals on the books and several areas of need to address. For what it's worth though....sounds like he wants to return.

2. Stick with Voit
Luke Voit quickly became a fan favorite, but this was a rough season for him after an exciting 2020 season as the Home Run champion. He was riddled with injuries which led to the Yankees trading for Rizzo. He's proven he has a powerful bat but can he prove that he can stay healthy and handle first base? It's a gamble and the Yankees already have several of those.

3. Move LeMahieu to first base
I'm not a big fan of this move. It's not that I don't think he can do it....it's that the Yankees shouldn't put him there because they are "stuck" because of their logjam. His natural position is second base and that is where the Yankees envisioned him when they re-signed him. At this point, I thin we all just want to see him rebound after his challenging season.

4. Trade or sign a free agent
The first base free agent market is not inspiring. I'm not even going to throw out Freddie Freeman as a wildcard in this discussion because I'd say he has a 99% chance of staying with the Braves. 

So who's on first? I wish the Yankees hasn't put themselves in this scenario but here we are. Who would make the biggest impact at first? I have a feeling we will have a lot to talk about and possibly complain about over the winter. First base may not be the biggest need, but it is still something we need to think about. I hope Brian Cashman makes the right move.....he's overdue.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Senior Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj