Watching what Freddie Freeman has done this postseason should have the Yankees thinking hard about how they want to address their first-base situation heading into 2022. While the lefty-hitting Braves’ first baseman has made it clear he prefers to stay in Atlanta, the only team he’s ever played for, he is going to listen to other teams.
The Yankees should be one of those teams talking to Freeman, even though it is very hard to imagine the Braves letting him walk now.
While first base is not the most pressing need they have going into 2022 it is an opportunity for the Yankees to get more left-handed in their lineup.
There is also enough concern about the position the Bombers will, for the second straight winter, explore the option of trading Luke Voit. The 2020 Home Run King spent the majority of this last season on the injured list and the Yankees went out and got a taste of the possibilities at first base at the trade deadline when they brought in Anthony Rizzo.
If the Yankees want to solidify that spot heading into the next few years, the 32-year-old Freeman, who is hitting .288 with four home runs in the playoffs, would be pretty much going for the top-tier luxury name on the market. The 2020 National League MVP is finishing up his eight-year, $135 million contract, and hit .300/.393/.503 with 31 homers in 83 RBI this season.
Still, the Yankees — or potentially Dodgers — are going to have to commit to a big contract to pry him away from Atlanta.
Obviously, Rizzo was a nice fit for the Yankees. The 32-year-old does not have the same power he had when he was one of the faces of the young Cubbies chasing away a curse in 2016, but he still has solid numbers. He hit .248/.344/.440, but one red flag may be how his lefty-bat struggled against righties this season. Rizzo hit just .214/.321/.412 with a .733 OPS against right-handers.
Rizzo expressed interest in returning, which is a smart move to get the Yankees in the mix for any free agent, but it’s highly unlikely that the Yankees would surpass the five-year, $70 million extension he turned down from the Cubs last spring.
There are some other strong first baseman available, including Brandon Belt. He has been resurgent and, at age 34, has to be considered one of the top first baseman free agents out there. He hit .274/.378/.597 with a .975 OPS this season in 99 games. It’s not just a one-year fluke either. In last year’s coronavirus-shortened season, Belt raked .309/.425/.591 with a 1.015 OPS.
There are other utility players with bats who could fit in at first who will be available, if the Yankees want to go that route. That group includes Kyle Schwarber, who played a little at first base with the Red Sox after the trade deadline and whose swing the Yankees brass has always been enamored with. Kris Bryant, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha are others who could fit in.
The Yankees could also decide to just platoon at first base, picking up a guy like lefty-hitting Jake Lamb, switch-hitting Marwin Gonzalez, lefty-hitting Brad Miller or lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland and using them with Voit, who has proven to be more of a DH than a true first baseman.
A fan and clubhouse favorite for wearing his emotions on his sleeve, Voit played in just 68 games this season and struggled when he was in the lineup.
Voit, who will be 31 in February, made $4.7 million this season and in his second year of arbitration will likely make more. So, the Yankees have to think about moving on from him. With the potential for a universal DH in the next collective bargaining agreement, that could open the market wider for the Bombers to trade Voit.
