Yankees Trade Pitch Solves Third Base Problem in Deal for $24 Million Veteran

The New York Yankees are off to a good start in their quest to defend their American League pennant, sitting atop the AL East before Wednesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. But they still have work to do, in addressing several roster construction issues that they let slide in the offseason.

No position on the Yankees has been more neglected than third base. After losing seven-year second baseman Gleyber Torres in free agency, they slid Jazz Chisolm, who held down the hot corner down the stretch last season, over to second.

The plan was to plug 36-year-old D.J. Lemahieu into the position, after the 14-year veteran played 36 games there in last season and 69 in 2023. But in his first spring training game, Lemahieu suffered a left calf strain and has yet to even begin his rehab assignment.

The Bronx Bombers have divided time at third base over the first three weeks of the season between Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, but neither appears to be more than a stopgap.

For some time during the offseason, the Yankees were linked to a blockbuster deal that would have brought St. Louis Cardinals All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Bronx, but that rumored trade never became reality.

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On Wednesday, Dylan Backer of Empire Sports Media proposed another deal for the Yankees — one that would bring in a Tampa Bay Rays veteran with a lifetime 802 OPS, Yandy Diaz.

Diaz is in the final year of a three-season, $24 million contract with the Rays, who may as a result be willing to deal him away rather than give him a raise with a new contract.

“Diaz would be a perfect fit for the Yankees, as they need more right-handed hitting and a reliable everyday third base option,” Backer wrote. “He has spent seven of his nine big league seasons with the Rays and has established himself as one of the top contact hitters in the sport.”

Diaz won the AL batting title in 2023, his lone All-Star season, with a .330 average. But the 33-year-old has served mainly as a first baseman and designated hitter for the Rays in recent seasons. He put in 112 games at first last season, but has not played third since 2023 — and only logged six games there in that season.

But if the Yankees believe Diaz can be reconverted to third base, the native of Cuba — who finally defected from his home country after three failed attempts that landed him in Cuban prisons — may become one of the Yankees’ top trade targets.

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