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SNY | Andy Martino: The Yankees reportedly looked for upgrades at shortstop during the trade deadline, but ultimately chose to bring reinforcements in other positions. Per Martino, the Yanks were “one of the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Báez at this year’s trade deadline.”
Báez ended up going to New York, but not the Yankees. He had a good 47-game stint with the Mets after coming over from the Chicago Cubs. General manager Brian Cashman said this week that Gleyber Torres, who started the year at the position but failed to shine both offensively and defensively, will remain at second base, and the team will look for a shortstop in a free agent class that will include Báez.
ESPN | Buster Olney: In addition to Báez, there will be plenty of heavyweight shortstops available after the World Series, most notably Carlos Correa and Corey Seager. According to Olney, however, the team might get into the bidding, but with the idea of having whoever they sign change positions in the not-so-distant future.
Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza might be ready to take over at shortstop within the next couple seasons. Seager in particular will require a move out of the position relatively soon, presumably to third base. That appears to be the Yankees’ intentions, provided they can get a big name to sign and play in the Bronx.
NY Post | Dan Martin: As most fans know by now, Jameson Taillon will be out for five months after undergoing ankle surgery in late October. The injury, and the player’s recovery, will be one of the hottest storylines of the offseason for the Yankees because it may mean they bring more reinforcements to the pitching staff.
New York had to bring a top starter and some depth even before the Taillon news, but now, they might need to make a concerted effort to bring top-end talent in the event the pitcher’s recovery takes longer than anticipated. As of now, if he has no setbacks, he is expected to be ready for Opening Day, albeit with not much time for work at the end of spring training. However, Taillon already aggravated the injury once during the season. There is a non-zero chance it happens again, and the organization needs to be covered.
SI.com | Gary Phillips: Brian Cashman praised catcher Gary Sánchez, even though he had a subpar season both offensively and defensively. “Gary has worked his tail off. Gary has been so committed. I know at times the results may not be there, but I am proud that we’ve got a guy with a lot of heart, a lot of care, a lot of effort,” the GM stated on Tuesday.
However, Cash didn’t commit to Sánchez being the starter next year. “We’ll see,” he said when asked if the Kraken would be the regular in 2022. “We’re going to evaluate all available options.”