Report: Yankees prefer stopgap SS over star while top prospects develop

The free-agent market is saturated with star shortstops, but don't expect to see any of them wearing pinstripes.

The New York Yankees aren't likely to break the bank on an established shortstop this winter, multiple sources told Matthew Roberson of the New York Daily News.

Instead, the team prefers to find a stopgap at the position until its top shortstop prospects are ready to take over long term, Roberson reports.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman hinted earlier in November that he expected payroll to increase in 2022. But owner Hal Steinbrenner - who said Wednesday he supported an MLB proposal to lower the luxury tax threshold in the next collective bargaining agreement - sent some mixed signals.

"Any given year, there's a number of reasons to try to stay under the threshold. But we rarely do," Steinbrenner told Evan Drellich and Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. "Because our No. 1 goal is to field a championship-caliber team, period."

Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Trevor Story are among the marquee names available at shortstop, and all are expected to demand lucrative contracts. New York - which has a need at shortstop after moving Gleyber Torres back to second base toward the end of the season - reportedly has an interest in Seager, whose left-handed bat would fit well at Yankee Stadium.

Defensive wizards Andrelton Simmons and Jose Iglesias are among the second-tier free-agent shortstops available if the team decides to go that route.

Two of New York's top three prospects - Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza - are shortstops. Volpe, ranked as the 15th-best prospect in baseball by MLB.com, advanced to High-A this year, while Peraza is now on the Yankees' 40-man roster after reaching Triple-A late in 2021. Manager Aaron Boone termed the pair as "future, longtime impact big-league players," according to Roberson.