This is going to be an interesting next few weeks and months for the Yankees. While they had a fantastic season in 2024, for a team with lofty expectations, falling short in the World Series was a major letdown. Now they must try and keep the key pieces of this year’s team while also improving the roster.
New York’s first big move of the offseason was to lock ace Gerrit Cole into the remaining years on his massive $324 million contract. However, it looks like they have decided to move on from second baseman Gleyber Torres and first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
Now the team must fill those two important roles, not to mention re-sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto. The club has been linked to several veteran first basemen on the free-agent market. Including one-time NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt. However, in a recent column, The Athletic Yankees reporter Chris Kirshner suggested a star player from the Cleveland Guardians could soon be a “top target.”
- Josh Naylor stats (2024): .243 AVG, .320 OBP, .456 SLG, .776 OPS, 31 HR, 108 RBI, 84 R
Could the New York Yankees soon target a trade for Josh Naylor?
“Josh Naylor remains an intriguing option for any team considering him. He has posted three consecutive seasons as an above-average hitter. Including a career-high 31 home runs this past season,” Kirschner wrote. “Naylor is also a frequent pull hitter, which makes him an ideal fit for Yankee Stadium.
“Statcast projects that if Naylor had played all of 2024 at Yankee Stadium, he would have hit 34 home runs, compared to just 27 at Progressive Field.”
- Josh Naylor contract: One year, $14.2 million (Arbitration estimate)
Kirschner added that mattering on the asking price, he could “quickly become the Yankees’ top target,” to replace Rizzo at first. The 27-year-old is in the final year of his rookie deal. And is expected to earn around $14 million in arbitration.
He earned All-Star honors for the first time in 2024. And certainly could be a major impact player for New York hitting behind Aaron Judge and possibly Soto.
