Around the Empire: Yankees news - 1/7/23

NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: At time of writing, Bryan Reynolds is still a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Yankees still need a left fielder, so you know what that means: another “update” with pretty much no new information (such is the joy of January news roundups). According to reports, there are currently five teams inquiring on the Pittsburgh outfielder — the Yankees, Dodgers, Marlins, Mariners, and Rangers — although at this point in time, the Pirates’ asking price has been described as “ridiculous.” With the organization also comically lowballing him, it’s unclear what exactly the Pirates front office is doing at this point in time.

ESPN | Bradford Doolittle: Every MLB team seems to have that one position that they have struggled to fill year in and year out. Two years ago, shortstop was considered the Yankees’ biggest long-term hole, which was a testament to the organization’s ability to build a rather complete roster in the early part of the Baby Bomber Era: that “hole” simply reflected Gleyber Torres’ struggles in 2020. Today, that hole still remains, due to Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s struggles in 2022 and Torres’ inability to play the position at all. Fortunately, however, the future looks bright, with a plethora of young options pounding on the door ready for the job.

CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: Free agency has been fairly slow lately; to some extent, it feels like everybody’s waiting on Carlos Correa’s deal with the Mets to be finalized (or not). To help fill the time, R.J. Anderson takes a look at the top ten free agents who should be available next winter (note that the list includes Manny Machado, who has an opt-out in his contract with the Padres). Coming in at No. 10 on the list is Yankees center fielder Harrison Bader, while current Yankees starter Frankie Montas and former Yankees infielder Gio Urshela each received honorable mentions. And headlining it all is a player who the Yankees coveted years ago, and likely will pursue again: Shohei Ohtani.