New York Yankees Were Engaged With Texas Rangers In Trade Talks About Corey Seager
The New York Yankees have had a very quiet offseason, bringing back the same roster from last season, but a recent report indicates they were swinging for a big-time player. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees and Rangers held trade discussions surrounding SS Corey Seager earlier this offseason.
After Texas traded Marcus Semien to the New York Mets, there was speculation that they’d be open to trading Corey Seager, but they decided to hold onto him. Reports said Texas was listening to offers on its star shortstop but needed to be overwhelmed to deal him.
Yankees Had Interest In Seager
Sherman’s recent report aligns with what Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News said in early December: that the Yankees contacted Texas to discuss a potential trade for Seager. The fact that New York was serious about acquiring Seager and taking on the rest of his contract is very interesting and shows that Brian Cashman was exploring different avenues to improve the roster.
Shortstop has been a position that’s held them back ever since Derek Jeter retired, and it looks like Cashman is starting to finally open his eyes and realize it. When Seager was a free agent in 2021, the Yankees were one of the teams that had interest in him, but opted to stick with their top prospect at the time, Anthony Volpe.
Missing out on him proved to be a huge mistake, as Volpe has really struggled in his major league career, and the Rangers won a World Series thanks to a huge playoff run by Seager.
What Does This Mean For Volpe?
New York has been very consistent when it comes to defending Volpe, but the tide is slowly starting to change. After trading for Jose Caballero at the deadline, Volpe will have actual competition heading into the season for the first time in his career, and he isn’t guaranteed to start as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.
In the past, there was no way the Yankees would even consider benching Volpe, who they’ve treated like their golden boy for years. The tone is completely different, and the front office is backtracking after propping Volpe up like he was an All-Star caliber player for years.
He was booed relentlessly all of last season and really never found his stride. Expecting him to be better after shoulder surgery, even when he played subpar when fully healthy, was an absurd mentality.
Can The Yankees Revisit This Trade?
If the Texas Rangers are far out of a playoff spot when the deadline comes around in early August, Seager could be available. The Rangers haven’t done much to improve their roster, which has been stuck in purgatory since winning the World Series, and could look to capitalize on Seager’s value while it remains high.
If the Yankees are serious about going all in to secure their 28th championship in franchise history, they’d make another run at Seager if he were to become available. He is a proven postseason performer and would pair well alongside Aaron Judge. As the season rolls around, we’ll see where both teams end up and whether or not Seager ends up getting traded.
