Breaking: Yankees $4 Million Offer Rejected By Superstar Infielder, Insider Reveals
After a poor 2023 season, the New York Yankees strengthened their batting order this offseason with a big trade for Juan Soto, but some critical positions are still unfilled.
The organization hasn’t reached a deal with players like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, despite rumors that they may acquire a top starting pitcher. They also have some uncertainty at shortstop now that Oswald Peraza, their projected backup, is having shoulder problems.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees made two attempts to address the dearth of depth at this important position: they offered $4 million to Enrique Hernandez, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the same amount to Amed Rosario, who chose to sign a $1.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.
“In private, they will disclose that they truly feel so strongly about Peraza that they attempted to sign Enrique Hernandez during spring training—a move that was made public—and Amed Rosario, which is being reported here for the first time. “The Yanks do not have an obvious backup at shortstop, and really at second and third too, unless they believe Oswaldo Cabrera can recover from his struggles in 2023,” the statement reads, “if (Peraza) is indeed removed from the competition.”
The New York Yankees Have Tried and Failed to Address Shallow Infield
Even though Soto’s arrival will undoubtedly result in many more runs scored for the Yankees, they will struggle to advance far in the postseason without a strong infield. In the end, failing Hernandez and Rosario could come back to bite them.
The 22-year-old Anthony Volpe, sometimes referred to as “Tony Fox” by the team’s supporters, is expected to be the starting shortstop. He made team history last season by being the first rookie to win a Gold Glove. Prior to the onset of his shoulder ailment, Cabrera was probably going to spend the most of his time at bat in the minor leagues.
Sherman states, “They think Anthony Volpe will, like last season, start 150 games or more if healthy, and they don’t want a young player who they still think has upside but needs hitting refinement to play occasionally off the bench.” “Thus, it seemed that Peraza’s best course of action would be to start playing shortstop every day in Triple A this year and see if he could lessen some of the swing and miss in his game.”
Yankees Rebuffed on Two Offers for Veteran Infielders
The free-agent shortstop targets for the Yankees do not appear to have been interested in joining the team’s current roster. Hernandez had made up his mind to play for the Dodgers once more, having done so twice in 2023 after leaving the team in 2015. Furthermore, Rosario had no desire to cover for Volpe.
What Tampa Bay could provide, according to Rosaro’s agent Ulises Cabrera, “was a clearer route to regular at-bats, including at shortstop, where Tampa Bay is currently lined up to go with Jose Caballero,” Sherman continued.
The Yankees appear to be actively searching for a depth shortstop. In the end, that might include moving around a few of the team’s infield players, giving Peraza a promotion if he’s healthy, or making an acquisition before the 2024 trade deadline.
