Signing free shortstop Carlos Correa would make the New York Yankees even better World Series champion hopefules. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
The Yankees aren’t World Series-ready as currently constructed. They need to move fast after the lockout.
The standard for the New York Yankees is different from any other baseball team. Nobody has won more championships. So to see them miss out on even appearing in the World Series every year since their last victory in 2009 weighs heavily on the minds of fans.
The Yankees have remained competitive throughout the last decade even while undergoing some minor retooling along the way. Expectations are high right now with this current bunch. Given this, the 2022 season is another championship or bust season.
In order to reach this goal, the Yankees will need to make the most of whatever remaining offseason they will have left once the MLB lockout ends. Any of these five moves will help get them there. While we can’t expect them to make all of them, the more they do complete, the better off the team will be.
1) Yankees move to make them World Series champions: Sign Carlos Correa to play shortstop
The Yankees have been heavily rumored to have interest in adding one of the top-tier free agent shortstops this winter. Corey Seager found a home with the Texas Rangers. Javier Baez will suit up for the Detroit Tigers. There’s still Carlos Correa and Trevor Story available. The better move would be to buy Correa now and possibly move him to another infield position down the line.
Correa’s value is gigantic and so should his next contract. As one of the best shortstops in the game over the last seven seasons, he’s the kind of guy you sign to make a statement.
Fresh off of winning his first Gold Glove, finishing fifth in the MVP race, and staying healthy for the second straight year, all of the signs for Correa to have an amazing season ahead are right there. Most astonishing of all: he’s only 27.
Correa would take a big commitment. Whether he ultimately spends most of his career at shortstop, second base, or third base is something the Yankees can figure out later. Right now, he’s the big fish on the free agent market. Who better to reel him in than the biggest franchise in the game?