Yankees should use Corbin Burnes deal to craft dream Alex Bregman contract

According to MLB insider Joel Sherman, the Yankees love Alex Bregman, specifically in the context of what they're building for 2025. He fits like a glove on the current roster, able to provide top-quality third base defense and a bat that still plays, though it may not forever. He may have trouble acclimating to Yankee Stadium's grounds, but he'll be especially valuable in 81 road games (and road playoff games, an environment in which he's long been pressure-tested). Surely, on the right deal, he'd provide enough Bronx gappers to at least slightly mask his home-turf power outage.

Unfortunately, Sherman noted, in the same breath, that Bregman doesn't appear to be an option for New York, based on his current contract ask. He turned down a six-year, $156 million offer from Houston that surely made Jim Crane as queasy as the Yankees' failed Juan Soto offer made Hal Steinbrenner. The Yankees have been averse to discarding four draft picks in the same offseason in favor of signing free agents who've declined the qualifying offer; they get a pick back for losing Soto, but two of them floated away upon Max Fried's arrival.

Signing Bregman for six or seven years would surely bake in a few seasons of regression (at least), as well as further deplete the Yankees' farm system. It's a tough sell to a team in transition.

But ... counter point ... f*** them picks. The Yankees already proved they were willing to mortgage the future for only one guaranteed year of Juan Soto last offseason. They already struggle to stomach the idea of rostering offensive rookies and giving them prominent roles. They love graduating young pitchers from the farm system, and already reloaded in that department in last summer's arm-heavy draft. They've made enough recent gains on the international market to withstand the loss of three draft picks in pursuit of a World Series, and will be making more of them soon.

They shouldn't commit to Bregman for seven years, but they absolutely should see if he's willing to follow in his idol Derek Jeter's footsteps and sign a six-year deal in the Bronx with a Corbin Burnes-esque opt-out clause after Year 2.

The Yankees should offer Alex Bregman an opt-out after Year 2 to satisfy all parties

Did we mention Derek Jeter is his idol? No. 2 may not be available in the Bronx, but the hot corner sure is, and Bregman could easily parlay two more years in the spotlight into another impressive four-year payday at the age of 33.

The Yankees shouldn't push for, or even approach, Burnes' $35 million AAV here, but a $25-28 million AAV with only two years guaranteed, paired with a shedding of Marcus Stroman's money, would fit the needs of all parties.

It's highly unlikely to happen — the best-laid plans never do — but Burnes' deal and Bregman languishing on the market should've opened the Yankees' eyes here. Rarely do they "love" players and decide not to get creative in order to obtain them.