The New York Yankees have one of the strongest rosters in baseball heading into spring training this year.
Despite not being able to re-sign Juan Soto, they are not hurting for talent.
The money that would have gone to him has been spread out amongst other weaknesses on the roster, making them an even more dangerous team.
However, there is still one glaring need that has to be addressed in their starting lineup; third base.
Right now, the Yankees seem content with starting veteran DJ LeMahieu at the hot corner, which would be the wrong decision to make as his production has slipped in two straight years.
New York should be looking elsewhere for a starter, and these four players would all be worth giving a shot instead of the current in-house options.
The St. Louis Cardinals had a deal in place to trade the veteran third baseman to the Houston Astros earlier in the offseason, but he used his no-trade clause to block it.
After the Boston Red Sox agreed to a deal with Alex Bregman, the Yankees could feel the need to throw a haymaker back at their rivals.
Even with his power numbers taking a step back the last few years, Arenado has remained, at worst, a barely above-league-average hitter. When taking into consideration his elite work defensively, he is more than a useful player to have.
The cost to acquire him wouldn’t be too steep, either, since the Cardinals would have to pay down some of his salary.
Could a swap of undesirable contracts, Marcus Stroman for Arenado, be something both sides are interested in?
Taking over at the hot corner for the first time in his career, DeJong more than held his own after previously only playing the middle infield at the Major League level.
Alas, defense isn’t what New York would be bringing DeJong in for. He would provide the team with some more power, as he hit 24 home runs in 2024 between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.
He hasn’t been a league-average producer at the plate since 2019, but he was close last year. His numbers were much better than what LeMahieu provided, and they could at least count on him to provide some pop to the bottom of the lineup.
If the Yankees are going to go with an in-house option, they should let one of their young players take over to see what they have.
It was not too long ago that Peraza was a highly-regarded shortstop prospect in the system. But, his star has dimmed and the team has given the job up the middle to Anthony Volpe.
Trying Peraza out at the hot corner would make some sense. Maybe a position change would help him regain the form that led to him being such a highly-ranked prospect.
New York knows what it will get from LeMahieu, who is better suited for a utility role off the bench than an everyday role at this stage of his career.
If Peraza can’t handle the job, they can seek an upgrade ahead of the trade deadline.
It is a bit surprising Rodgers remains a free agent with teams opening up spring training this week.
The No. 3 pick in the 2015 MLB draft hasn’t lived up to those expectations, but he is a serviceable player nonetheless.
He doesn’t have any Major League experience playing third base, but he could take over at second with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving back to the hot corner after valiantly doing it for the first time in his career when the team acquired him from the Miami Marlins ahead of last year’s deadline.
Ideally, Chisholm will handle the keystone for the Yankees. But, if they cannot find an upgrade for third base, giving Chisholm all of the reps he can handle during camp at the position with a capable Gleyber Torres replacement at second base could be their next course of action.
