New York Yankees' Busy Offseason Leaves Question at Key Infield Position

The New York Yankees worked hard to bolster depth and slugging at key positions, but one infield spot remains a question.

Aug 25, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) slides safely at home plate in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

With pitchers and catchers reporting for the New York Yankees, the start of the season is right around the corner.

It has been a very eventful winter for the Yankees with many moves made to improve the team. After their first plan for the offseason fell through, New York did a nice job adjusting to help fill out what has become a balanced roster.

Despite a lot of new additions, the Yankees do have a couple of question marks that will take some time to work out.

Heading into the offseason, the corner infield spots were two areas that needed upgrading from last year. So far, New York was able to make an upgrade to first base with the addition of Paul Goldschmidt to replace Anthony Rizzo.

While Rizzo has had an excellent career, he struggled with injuries during his time with the Yankees.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the biggest question mark for New York being the corner infield spots heading into the season.

“Third base is a major concern, where it appears Plan A is hoping that 36-year-old DJ LeMahieu can rebound from what was an awful 2024 campaign. But transitioning from Anthony Rizzo to Paul Goldschmidt at first base is something of a reclamation project of its own.”

While first base should be solidified with Goldschmidt coming in for the most part, third base still could be a massive problem for the organization.

Currently, it appears that LeMahieu is going to be the favorite to be the starter on Opening Day. When healthy, the veteran can be one of the best hitters in baseball. However, he has been a few years removed from that at this point.

Staying healthy has been a major issue and the Yankees are taking a significant risk by not having a better plan in place.

Currently, third base is going to be one of the most scrutinized positions on the field during Spring Training.

Besides third base, New York looks like a team that is built to win once again in 2025. Compared to last season, they have a bit more balance both in the lineup and on the pitching staff.

To potentially make an upgrade at third base, it appears that the Yankees would try to move Marcus Stroman and his large contract to be mindful of the luxury tax.

Overall, New York shouldn’t have to worry too much about first base. Even though Goldschmidt is coming off a down year by his standards, he has been an iron man at the position.

The real question will be at third base. Ideally, they will add some insurance for LeMahieu at third base before the start of the season.