New York Yankees Still Asking: Who’s Playing Third Base?
The strategy concerning the filling of the position of starting third baseman for the 2025 New York Yankees resembles the infamous Abbott and Costello skit. What’s on first? A man named Paul Goldschmidt. Who’s on second? Cool Jazz Chisholm Jr. I don't know who is on third base. As of February 14th, neither do the Yankees.
The first option was Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was returning from a half-season of experience gained at the hot corner under his belt. The rumor of free agent Alex Bregman coming to the Bronx for most of this pre-season had Jazz moving to second. However, that fell through. Another brainstorm moves Jazz to second with a platoon of DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza in a three-way Spring Training competition. Now Nolan Arenado’s presence is being spoken of more and more as the season is nearly upon us. The bottom line is that this selection is vital to how the infield will look and determine how far New York can go as they will rely on much improved starting pitching.
When the free agent market began, Jazz Chisholm Jr’s work at third impressed many with his quick reflexes and cannon arm. It seemed that second base was the only position remaining unfilled with the departure of Gleyber Torres. The pool of second baseman was shallow, and a proposed trade for Luis Arraez failed to materialize. Jazz manning this position was presented as a solution to this problem. This created a hole at third that had more possible candidates if money was not an issue.
When time passed and options were exhausted. The Yankees went back to the backup option of running it back. That’s why LeMahieu’s name suddenly emerged off of general manager Brian Cashman’s lips. Oswaldo Cabrera's solid work there brought him into the mix while Peraza competes only to finally determine if there is anything to scratch out of this former top prospect who long ago lost the faith of the Yankees management.
Now, with Bregman’s landing in Boston, Nolan Arenado is in the conversation. Three teams were on the radar for Arenado as a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals appeared possible. However, this would be a long shot as Nolan is a 10-time Gold Glove winner who would be a defensive upgrade and is a level above the three-man platoon option the Yankees are trying to sell. The price to acquire Arenado would be similar to what St. Louis gave up for Nolan to Colorado in a classic case of trade imbalance. So, as of now, the question remains. Who's on third? The answer? Everyone or anyone. It remains to be seen if the Yankees will ever know in time.
