COULD FREDDIE FREEMAN BE A YANKEE IN 2022?

It is no surprise that Freddie Freeman is one of the top, if not the top, free agent in this year's cohort. The 2020 NL MVP and World Series Champion first base man is being pursued by the Yankees and division rival Toronto Blue Jays. Could Freeman be a Yankee in 2022? Why not!

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network's Tweet on Tuesday afternoon, "Teams are trying to pry superstar 1B Freddie Freeman from Atlanta. Some say they still don’t think it will happen but r surprised he’s still free. Dodgers, who lost Seager and could move Muncy to 2B, may have best hope for SoCal product, NYY, TOR (h/t Carlos Baerga) reached out." Would the Yankees even want to bring in another first baseman when they need a shortstop and likely a center fielder, not to mention more starting pitching? Stranger things have happened.

"Freeman is one of the game’s most consistently productive hitters, having been at least 32 percentage points better than average at the plate (by measure of wRC+) in each season since 2013," wrote MLB Rumors. Even though that is an attractive reason to go for Freeman, plus he is an all around great guy and would add amazing chemistry to the Yankee clubhouse, the Yankees need to go after what they need right now: short stop, center field and a starting pitcher. 

MLB Network's Jon Morosi tweeted, "Free agent Chris Taylor is drawing broad interest and could sign by Wednesday. Dodgers would like to retain him. Blue Jays, Mariners, Angels, and Nationals also have been involved over the past week." What about Taylor, who can play outfield, shortstop and second base? He put up great numbers this past year and would be a better choice given the Yankees current needs. 

Could Freddie Freeman be a Yankee in 2022? Sure. Will he be? Not likely. Given the Yankees deficits, they need to stay focused on filling positions of high need. And with Corey Kluber, Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade and other players off the roster and on other teams, the Yankees need to start to fill the void with players who can keep the team competitive and fresh for a fight for the East and eventual World Series run. As much as I would love to see Freeman in pinstripes, they need to pass. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

RUMOR: YANKEES ARE NOT SPENDING BIG BUCKS ON A SHORTSTOP

One thing we know about shortstop is that Gleyber Torres won't be playing it again in 2022. The Yankees have said it, but now we sit and wait to see who the Yankees put at shortstop instead.

And as we sit, we wonder about potential names the Yankees will chase. What about Corey Seager? Or Marcus Semien? Then there is Carlos Correa who I can't stand but someone is going to pay him and I just sit back and hope that it won't be the Yankees. We can't forget that the Yankees have been tied to Trevor Story also. But....what if it's NONE of these names?

That could be the case, at least that is what both the New York Post AND the NY Daily News have reported. We are in the Hot Stove season so why not speculate? What if the Yankees don't go for one of the big dogs on the market? It might not be a bad thing.

The Yankees already have long term deals on the books with Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, a stupid contract with Aaron Hicks and the Yankees are interested in keeping Aaron Judge long term. None of these big name short stops are going to sign for a short term deal so if they are serious about a long term deal with Judge, an expensive shortstop deal doesn't make sense. Sure, they are the Yankees and they can "afford it" if they want to....but that doesn't make it a good idea.

The Yankees are high on Oswaldo Peraza and Anthony Volpe, two of their best prospects and believe they are close to major league ready. The Yankees don't want another big deal that blocks their path to the majors and could still upgrade their shortstop with a shorter stop gap.

Let's face it, an upgrade from Torres at shortstop wouldn't be very hard. The Yankees had interest at the trade deadline for Andrelton Simmons who offers reliable defense but not much offense. Another name that I think the Yankees may consider is Chris Taylor, but he still has some defensive concerns as well. Not as bad as Torres, but still a concern. I think the Yankees will consider a less obvious path here because they are thinking about future financial commitments.

I am interested to see who the new Yankee shortstop will be, because I am not convinced it is a big name. After all, Cashman likes to bargain shop and we've seen it for a while now AND a big name shortstop only means they would be buying more future payroll inflexibility.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Senior Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj