The shortstop who got away may be available this winter, but the Yankees may not be in the same opportunistic position to pounce.
Rangers ownership plans to cut payroll for 2026, according to the Dallas Morning News, and the severity of such measures could lead the team to possibly trading high-priced stars such as shortstop Corey Seager or ace Jacob deGrom.
Should Seager be made available, some have linked the Yankees since they showed previous interest and Anthony Volpe’s lack of development in three seasons.
However, the Yankees’ payroll is already near the $300-million mark Hal Steinbrenner uses as a point of reference and the team still hopes to sign Cody Bellinger.
Seager still has six years and $189 million remaining on the 10-year, $325 million contract he signed with the Rangers following the 2021 season.
“My main thought is that we’re going to have a payroll that’s high enough for us to win,” Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said during the GM meetings, per MLB.com. “We’ve got a great core group in place. We are in a great position. We don’t have to make any moves to accommodate payroll or to buy payroll flexibility, so to speak.
The Yankees did not sign Corey Seager before the 2022 season. AP
“But we’re expecting to win with whatever number we have. I’m very confident we’ll be able to put together a very good team, whatever the payroll number is.”
Seager entered free agency in 2021 following a strong run with the Dodgers and many projected the Yankees as a logical destination.
The shortstop seemed like a natural fit in The Bronx due to the team’s glaring need at the premium position, the upside of his lefty bat playing 81 games at Yankee Stadium and the financial flexibility the Yankees possessed at the time.
The Gleyber Torres experiment at shortstop had runs its course, with Quad-A player Andrew Velazquez actually starting the wild-game loss to the Red Sox.
The Yankees, though, had Volpe waiting in the pipelines.
Most sites projected Volpe as a future star at the position and the Yankees opted not to pursue Seager like the Rangers did, leading to him landing in Texas.
Well, four offseason later, waiting on Volpe has not proven to be wise.
Volpe has slashed .222/.283/.379 with a .622 OPS, with the fans booing him mercilessly during the playoffs. Even his Gold-Glove defense and baserunning have deteriorated.
Yet, even if the Yankees wanted to move on it would be challegning.
Volpe is not making much and it seems the team is determined to give him every opportunity to succeed, even if the fans disagree.
Cot’s Baseball Contracts projects the Yankees already around $281 million in payroll, and Steinbrenner has made it known that he doesn’t believe he needs to support $300-million-plus payrolls each year.
Adding Seager’s $31.5 million would add another hefty contract to the books at a time when the Yankees still have Giancarlo Stanton for at least two more years for $56 million, with Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole also being paid more than $63 million combined for the next three seasons.
Anthony Volpe has not lived up to expectations in The Bronx. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
On the Rangers’ end, it remains to be seen whether the team will have to make such drastic moves.
The Dallas Morning News said its uncertain whether the team will have a slight or big reduction in payroll, since, in theory, trading either or both would compromise the team’s chance to win.
Seager cannot block a trade to the Yankees since they are not on his no-trade list, per the outlet.
The 31-year-old posted a 6.2 BWAR season last year, posting an .860 OPS with 21 homers and 50 RBIs in 102 games.
“We love the position-player group we have, and we’ll have to evaluate if there are ways to improve that group,” Young said. “Our obligation is to put the best team together that we possibly can. Unfortunately, as is the nature of baseball, sometimes you have to make tough decisions on players that you love, that have been part of the core group.
“I don’t think you’re going to see wholesale changes where we flip out nine position players, but I think that change can be good. Every team will go through change. No team is going to bring back the exact same roster. Who that is, I can’t tell you, but I just say we’re open-minded in terms of personnel.”