Yankees: Potential short-term shortstop solution just went up in flames

Right now, it appears as if Corey Seager is the frontrunner to be the New York Yankees‘ next shortstop. That’s according to the latest buzz coming from ESPN insider Jeff Passan. If you’re going to believe anyone’s speculation during a cluttered offseason, it’s him and a few others.

However, we’re not going to sit here and assume that’s a done deal. At the very least, the shortstop discussion is trending in the right direction, as is the Yankees’ willingness to spend big bucks.

If you remember not too long ago, SNY’s Andy Martino reported the Yankees were considering wide-ranging options, which included short-term possibilities in Andrelton Simmons (please, no) and Marcus Semien.

Forget about Simmons, because if that happens there will be riots. Semien, though, isn’t anything to scoff at.

The concerns with the likely MVP finalist is that he’s hardly played shortstop over the last two years. He logged just over 50 games in the shortened 2020 and then mostly played second base with the Blue Jays. Do the Yankees really want to import a guy to play arguably the most important position on the field who hasn’t logged a full season there since 2019?

Well, it might not really matter anymore, because Semien has signed on with super agent Scott Boras. Don’t expect him to be a short-term option any longer. Boras will get the most years and dollars humanly possible.

The Yankees can cross Marcus Semien off their list of potential shortstops.

Ah, yes, it was fun projecting Semien to get a three-year, ~$65 million deal from the Yanks and then eventually moving him in favor of one of the team’s top shortstop prospects for those few weeks.

If the Yankees are considering anybody long term, it’s likely going to be Seager and Carlos Correa, both of whom are the market’s top options. We learned on Wednesday that the front office is souring on Trevor Story, and we’ve heard nothing on Javier Baez outside of another off-handed Martino report a few weeks ago.

Semien, once upon a time, made sense in a very, very specific scenario. That specific scenario was less likely than the long-term solution, and now the top option for that less likely specific scenario is just about as unlikely as it’ll get.

The silver lining here, though? The process of elimination happening in a natural fashion helps the Yankees, because if free agency has taught us anything over the last 10 years or so, it’s that the front office enjoys spectacularly botching the affair when presented with a glut of options.

It also helps that this all but officially rules out the short-term shortstop vision. Get the long-term one. Don’t trust the prospects just yet.

Yankees: Rumored offseason shortstop plan is far from inspiring

The New York Yankees could reportedly consider short-term shortstop options in the offseason because they're keen on Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza.