It’s been a quiet offseason so far for the New York Yankees, at least compared to their AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. Both clubs have already made big splashes, signing Dylan Cease and Pete Alonso to respective long-term deals. The Yankees, on the other hand, have made no such big move. The two players they’re most likely to go after are Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker, the two most coveted outfielders in this year’s free agent class.

According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post , Bellinger and Tucker both have a lengthy list of potential suitors, including but not limited to the Yankees, Blue Jays, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Angels. This won’t make it any easier for New York to retain Bellinger and/or sign Tucker.

Yankees Need a Backup Plan If They Miss Out on Bellinger, Tucker

Hot Targets

Bellinger’s agent, the infamous Scott Boras, spoke very highly of Bellinger’s skillset, claiming that many teams are all-in on acquiring a player of his caliber: “I haven’t met a team that dodges a five-tool player. To fill the center field need is a giant step towards the playoffs,” Boras said. “North and south, outfielders that fly with power, they’re rare birds. In the offseason, there’s a lot of start-up to organizations, and for that reason, there’s a lot of angel investors that are looking for very versatile outfielders.”

This only makes it look even less likely the Yankees will retain Bellinger; owner Hal Steinbrenner said at the beginning of the offseason that it would be “ideal” to keep the team’s payroll under $300 million, so keeping Bellinger would come at a cost that the Yankees would clearly prefer to avoid. Tucker will probably receive even more money than Bellinger, so the likelihood of New York having either in their lineup next season is not looking high.

“The better value, for me, is Cody Bellinger.”@StevePhillipsGM compares Bellinger and Kyle Tucker after Brian Cashman mentioned interest in both outfielders. pic.twitter.com/M28ckIGgGx

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They Need Another Dynamic Bat

That being said, the Yankees will have to add another quality bat if they aren’t able to sign either outfielder. Trent Grisham, presumably the starter in center field, cannot be relied upon to produce the same numbers as he did last season; Giancarlo Stanton cannot be relied upon to stay healthy for the entire year; this leaves Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. as the only consistent bats in New York’s lineup. If the Yankees want to field an offense that is at least as good as last year’s, they must add another slugger to take the place of Bellinger.

Though Kyle Schwarber is off the board, there are still a few above-average hitters on the open market. Eugenio Suarez, Bo Bichette, and Ryan O’Hearn are a few names that come to mind, but the problem with the Yankees is that they all play positions that already have starters. First base will go to Ben Rice, Chisholm is at second, Ryan McMahon at third, and Anthony Volpe will likely remain the shortstop once he recovers from surgery. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for any new additions if Jasson Dominguez returns to left field. Still, their lineup needs another solid bat if they’d like to remain competitive with the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Red Sox. Perhaps they will aim to add multiple B-tier players to make up for Bellinger’s production, but their lineup will be worse off for it.

Main Photo Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images