Yankees reportedly attempted to trade for $325M 3-time Silver Slugger to replace Anthony Volpe originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees were eliminated in the 2025 playoffs just short of the World Series, a stage they reached the year prior. The end of the season left fans and the organization disappointed. Heading into 2026, the Yankees will start the season without shortstop Anthony Volpe.

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“Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Volpe won’t swing a bat for at least four months and will be unable to dive on his surgically repaired left shoulder for six months. Cashman added that the Yankees hope Volpe will be ready ‘sometime in April; maybe, worst-case scenario, May.’ The Yankees open the 2026 season in San Francisco against the Giants on March 25,” ESPN’s Jorge Castillo wrote.

The Yankees didn’t make many moves this offseason, but they were reportedly in on a big-name target. New York tried to persuade the Texas Rangers to trade Corey Seager.

“Per Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Yankees held trade discussions with the Texas Rangers about shortstop Corey Seager. New York’s need at shortstop was clear as day for most of the winter, and adding a player like Seager would’ve answered those questions and then some. Anthony Volpe may be a former top prospect, but he is not Seager, who is still in his prime entering his age-32 season,” FanSided’s Mark Powell wrote.

The Rangers considered the possibility of trading Seager, but made it clear that wasn’t going to happen.

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“We are not shopping Corey Seager,” Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young said. “We want Corey Seager to help us win our next championship…I want to make that very clear.”

The Yankees know that Volpe will face challenges returning from his injury, but Seager would have been a major upgrade at shortstop. If the Rangers hadn’t decided to keep him, New York would have had plenty of assets to offer in return.

As the team looks to return to the World Series, the AL East will provide a tough challenge. No matter what, the Yankees will need consistent play throughout the season to secure a playoff spot.

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