4 former Yankees that could return to New York this winter

Gio Urshela, 3B

He's no Josh Donaldson, but he'll do.

The last we heard, Urshela had ditched the crutches after an awful pelvic fracture ended his 2023 season prematurely, but prior to the injury (a complete accident), he was having the same ol' representative season that had come to define his career, post-Yankees breakout. Urshela hit .299 through 214 at-bats, displaying the type of bat-to-ball skills that are often forgotten in the modern game, as well as excellent-looking defense that continues to defy most metrics. He racked up 0.8 bWAR, but had a below-average 91 OPS+ (relatively powerless with just two homers, didn't walk). If the Yankees decided to be the team to help him rehab his image, they could probably expect a slight power uptick, roughly league-average offense, some defensive struggles as he worked to regain the lateral quickness he once had with a reformed pelvis, and off-the-charts intangibles.

Bringing in Urshela on a one-year pact the same offseason Gleyber Torres is most likely to be traded would represent a cruel irony of baseball friendship, but that doesn't mean the Yankees shouldn't consider it. Many of their best times from 2019 to present were fueled by Urshela, and everything got 10 times more hideous the second he left for Minnesota.

Gio Urshela: Starting Shortstop sounded scary during the Carlos Correa/Corey Seager offseason, but the reality following his departure was much more skin-crawling.