The New York Yankees are reportedly interested in veteran infielder Whit Merrifield to address their second-base vacancy.
With Gleyber Torres signing with the Detroit Tigers in the offseason, the Yankees are in need of an infielder. They could either move Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third base to second and sign a new third baseman, or keep Chisholm at third and bring in a second baseman.
New York has been connected to several infielders during free agency, and now, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, the Yankees have shown interest in Merrifield. Kuty mentioned that the Yankees had also been in talks with Merrifield after the Philadelphia Phillies released him in July. Merrifield later joined the Atlanta Braves, where he posted a 93 OPS+ over 42 games. He will turn 36 later this month.
Merrifield, a versatile veteran, could be a potential option for the Yankees at second base in 2024. In 2024, he played for both the Phillies and Braves, hitting .222 with 4 home runs and 15 RBIs. Over his career, Merrifield has played 1,147 games, batting .280 with 94 home runs and 485 RBIs. He is also a three-time All-Star and has led the American League in stolen bases three times.
The Yankees have been linked to various free-agent infielders and trade options, including Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, Ha-Seong Kim, Kike Hernandez, and Brendan Rodgers.
Kuty also noted that New York would prefer to sign a third baseman and move Chisholm to second base. He explained that Chisholm, who played primarily at second base from 2020 to 2022, was an All-Star at that position in 2022 before an injury cut his season short. While he played third base after joining the Yankees, Chisholm is likely more comfortable at second. He posted 8 outs above average at third in 45 regular-season games in 2024.
Chisholm hit .256 with 24 home runs and 73 RBIs in 2024.
While the Yankees lost Juan Soto to the Mets early in the offseason, they have since made significant moves to strengthen their roster. They signed Max Fried to bolster the rotation, traded for closer Devin Williams, and added Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt to the offense.
With the bulk of their offseason moves completed, general manager Brian Cashman expressed satisfaction with the progress but acknowledged there is still more work to be done.
“The job is not done yet, we have more to do,” Cashman said. “Hopefully, we can find opportunities that make sense for both sides, whether that’s with an agent or another club. I look forward to having more Zoom calls to discuss other potential moves.”
