Confirmed deal : Yankees Linked to Trading for 31-Home Run Slugger to Replace Anthony Rizzo

 

The New York Yankees have a need at first base and could explore the trade market to fill it out.

The Yankees declined the player option on Anthony Rizzo making him a free agent. With that, New York has been linked to free agent first baseman like Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt among others.

Now, however, theScore’s Josh Goldberg linked the Yankees to trading for Cleveland Guardians slugging first baseman Josh Naylor to replace Anthony Rizzo.

 

Naylor doesn’t seem like an obvious trade candidate at first glance,” Goldberg wrote. “However, the Guardians have Kyle Manzardo and Jhonkensy Noel who are best suited getting playing time at first base or designated hitter. Naylor is projected to make $12 million in his final season of arbitration before reaching free agency. The Guardians were in the bottom 10 in payroll last season and have never been a team that’s comfortable shelling out big dollars. Especially at a position where there are other cheaper internal options.”

 

If New York doesn’t trade for a first baseman, the Yankees signing Walker seems the most likely.

The Yankees have been linked to Walker all off-season. MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today also reported in early November that New York was aggressively pursuing the slugging first baseman.