5 star free agents Yankees can sign when lockout ends

Is there a reason to be mad at the New York Yankees? Absolutely. Is there a reason to carry that anger until the lockout ends? No, don’t waste your time. Go grab an açai bowl, breathe some fresh air, and feed the birds. Is there a reason to be absolutely hopeless about this team upgrading the 2022 roster before the season starts? Not at all. There are plenty of players out there that can still be signed and traded for in a few months as we endure a lockout.

That doesn’t take away from the fact we all could’ve used at least one impact-ish move to have us feeling good while we have nothing to follow or look forward to for quite a while, but there’s time. And plenty of it.

The bright side? The Yankees cannot disappoint us for the foreseeable future. It’s not possible. The baseball world is shut down until further notice and it’s unclear when a new collective bargaining agreement will be signed into action.

In the meantime, fans will have the luxury of dreaming of a revamped 2022 roster featuring a couple new marquee names ready to bring a World Series to New York. Who will it be? A starting pitcher? An outfielder? A new first baseman? A high-priced shortstop?

All of those options are out there. Are all of them realistic? Heavens no. But we narrowed down a group of players that make the most sense even if some of them are obvious fits elsewhere. Max Scherzer bailed on the Dodgers and went to his former division rival in the New York Mets. Everybody has a price. We won’t rule anything out.

The Yankees can sway any of these guys to come to New York if they offer a big enough contract. So keep on dreamin’! The possibilities are still alive and well.

5 star free agents the Yankees can still sign after the lockout.

5. Kyle Schwarber

This should be the last time you hear about a potential link — no matter how loose or distant it may be — between the Yankees and Kyle Schwarber. Cashman will have one final favorable opportunity to bring aboard his white whale.

Last year, Schwarber was non-tendered by the Cubs, signed with the Washington Nationals, and was traded to the Boston Red Sox. This time around, he’s looking for another contract after signing a one-year deal and has interest from the Red Sox, Marlins, Rockies, Phillies and others, per the latest chatter.

He doesn’t exactly fit with this Yankees roster given the team’s needs at the moment, but was that a problem for the Red Sox? They acquired him at the trade deadline and had no spot for him … then they figured it out and used his hot bat to get to the ALCS. Maybe the Yankees bring him aboard as another outfielder and cycle in Joey Gallo/Aaron Judge/Aaron Hicks in center field and rotate Giancarlo Stanton and Schwarber between one of the outfield spots and designated hitter. Not ideal … but not that crazy?

We don’t know. But any time you have the chance to upgrade with this kind of power on the left side of the plate, you probably just go ahead and worry about the specifics later.

4. Kris Bryant

As of Wednesday night, Kris Bryant’s market began to “move,” as they say in the business. MLB insider Jon Heyman revealed a large chunk of teams have checked in on the former Cubs MVP, including the Mets, Padres, Angels, Phillies, Mariners, Astros and Rockies. If the interest is that widespread … perhaps the Yankees are peeking around the corner?

KB was an All-Star last year and carried a potent bat despite constantly bouncing around the field on the defensive side of the ball. He played all three outfield spots as well as first and third base. Though the Giants weren’t entirely “impressed” with his defense, that versatility is nothing to sneeze at, and there’s something to be said about logging reps at that many positions and yielding above-average results. He was far from a defensive liability.

You might say the Yankees don’t need another right-handed bat … but they’d sure take one that’s hit .278 with an .880 OPS (132 OPS+) since 2015. He’s a veteran with ample postseason experience, which checks another box. Maybe the Yankees want to upgrade at third base and end up trading Gio Urshela. Bryant can spend most of his days there and fill in at first or the outfield when needed. Or maybe Urshela stays and plays some third base/backup shortstop while Bryant alternates between third and the outfield.

The Yankees missed out on the one bonafide center fielder on the market in Starling Marte. Acquiring a full-timer at the position would take some serious work on the trade market because free agency is scarce in that department. Perhaps the Yankees have a roving situation in center and simply keep finding reps for very good baseball players. That’d be cool.

2. Trevor Story

Hey … that monster one- or two-year offer is still possible for Trevor Story. If the Yankees still want an elite option at shortstop, they need to get their ducks in a row for when a new CBA is stamped, because there’s going to be a mad rush for the final two options.

Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are in Texas and Javier Baez signed with the Tigers. The selection is dwindling. Truth is, Story’s situation has left us the most puzzled in regard to what kind of contract he might receive. Would he take a chunky prove-it deal to hit free agency again soon and be the clear-cut top shortstop on the market? Or does he want something more than Baez’s six-year, $140 million and to secure his future?

Some previously posited Story could be had in the $120 million range on a long-term pact, but we’re not buying that. The former Rockie is one of the best in the game and he’s not going to let himself become devalued simply because of the other men he’s standing next to this winter. That’s not how this works.

The Yankees might prefer to sign him to a shorter-term contract so they’re not blocking Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza, but would a long-term deal really be that bad? Won’t you be able to trade him in a year or two if you really needed or wanted to? Chances are shortstop contracts will continue to get bigger and Story’s could potentially look like a bargain later down the road.

Either way, this is very much a pragmatic match for the Yankees for a multitude of reasons. Good defense. Speed. Contact/power bat. Leadership. Hits ’em all.

1. Carlos Correa

Most of you hate him … but that’s just because he’s not here yet. Carlos Correa is likely eyeing to be the game’s highest-paid shortstop and the Yankees have reportedly been in contact with him. Like we said earlier, hope is not lost. Other teams acted fast over this last week because they absolutely had to. The Yankees, though urgency would’ve been appreciated, have the luxury of waiting around for their guys if they so please … assuming they’re playing their cards right. They just better not let all of their targets get away.

Correa would fill so many needs and is almost a quintessential free agent target for the Yankees. He’s the best out there, he’s a rival who spoiled years of New York baseball, and he brings character and energy that’s desperately needed on this roster.

Now, signing Correa — unless he were to somehow take a massive short-term deal and hit free agency again before he turns 30 — would more than likely keep the Yankees’ top shortstop prospects from beginning their quest to start a new era of Bomber baseball. However, might Correa move to third in a few years? Maybe Peraza can play second base and Volpe can play third? There could be other ways to make this work for all parties involved.

They’d be poaching Correa from a direct rival, too, so it’d be an addition at a serious cost for the competition. His postseason presence is undeniable (.272 average and .849 OPS in 79 games) and he just won his first Gold Glove. He’s got plenty of prime left ahead.

A glaring concern here, however, is availability. He missed a ton of games from 2017-2019 and has played in only more than 150 games in a season once. He’s played three “full” seasons out of his seven, with one of them being the shortened 2020. To be fair, though, one of his abbreviated ones was his 99-game rookie campaign.

There’s a lot to like here and the Yankees could quite frankly save their offseason by adding a multi-pronged spark like Correa. But they’re not alone in the bidding and they might have to come to terms with changing their long-term vision or shifting Correa out of position despite paying him to be a shortstop.

But if you really break it down, it’s not a difficult decision. Sign him if you like the price, wait for the prospects to develop, and either trade them or figure out a new plan. At this very moment, they’re all unproven commodities, and you cannot be eyeing 2024 in hopes of a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old being the next face of your franchise.

Yankees: 4 shortstop trade targets if NYY bow out of free agency

If the New York Yankees bow out of the high-priced shortstops in free agency, here are four trade targets they can chase this offseason.