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Yankees MLB rumors: Bryce Harper at first after Paul Goldschmidt trade – Metro US

Yankees MLB rumors: Bryce Harper at first after Paul Goldschmidt trade

Yankees MLB rumors: Bryce Harper at first after Paul Goldschmidt trade

While the New York Yankees have been losing out on starting pitching this week, Wednesday night saw another notable name fall off the market as the Arizona Diamondbacks traded star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals. 

There is no denying that the rotation has been and will continue to be a top priority. The Yankees are in need of one more solid arm to round out the rotation, but losing out on Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi is making the free-agent market thing. 

Sure, there is still the possibility of pulling off a trade for an ace like Corey Kluber, but the Yankees right now seem more interested in bringing back the likes of JA Happ.  

Meanwhile, there the first-base spot is an area of concern for the Bronx Bombers. For a team on the cusp of a serious run at a World Series, there are too many “what if’s?” pertaining to the position. 

Greg Bird looks as though he’s completely lost any chance of being the team’s starting first baseman. Due to injuries that have robbed him of much of the last three years, the 26-year-old’s .214 career average simply won’t cut it for a contender like the Yankees. 

There is a chance that general manager Brian Cashman stumbled upon something great when he traded for Luke Voit from the St. Louis Cardinals. After years of being stuck on the merry-go-round between the majors and minors in St. Louis, Voit took his chance to be the Yankees’ starting first baseman after the trade deadline and ran with it. 

In just 39 games, the 27-year-old hit 14 home runs with 33 RBI. He had just five home runs in 70 career games with the Cardinals. 

That kind of performance warrants a shot at Voit winning the starting job outright in spring training. However, the Yankees would be in a difficult spot if 2018 just proved to be a flash in the pan for him. 

And so we return to the possibility of pursuing Bryce Harper. 

Major League Baseball’s biggest free-agent star, normally a right fielder, has made it known mostly through his representation that he is capable of playing first base. With the MLB Winter Meetings kicking off on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas, Harper’s hometown, the Yankees will be one of a slew of teams that will meet with the 2015 NL MVP. 

Even with a scheduled meeting, it has been reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Yankees are not showing a ton of interest at the moment. But Goldschmidt’s name coming off the market could change things. 

The Yankees seem more inclined to go after shortstop Manny Machado as a replacement for the injured Didi Gregorius. Given the prospective pricetags of both players, which could exceed over $300 million respectively, the Yankees will only be able to afford one as they pay Giancarlo Stanton’s massive deal. 

Once the Winter Meetings kick off though, we’ll have a better idea of which direction the Yankees will go in.