The New York Yankees had been strongly pursuing a chance to re-sign Juan Soto, but Sunday night’s bombshell report of him signing with the New York Mets forces the Bronx Bombers to turn to option B. Of course, there is no singular talent to replace Soto, so the Yankees will have to get creative and add multiple players to help replace the four-time All-Star’s production.
Yet, now we have a better idea of who the Yankees and a few other teams are chasing after now that MLB free agency’s biggest domino is off the board.
Anthony Santander drawing interest from New York Yankees, two other AL East teams
According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, the New York Yankees are showing “strong interest” in signing free agent outfielder Anthony Santander. The one-time All-Star is coming off a career year where he blasted 44 home runs and drove in 102 RBI. Yet, unlike Soto, he only had a .235 batting average.
Still, Santander is one of the top hitters available in free agency, and any team that gets him would be injecting a power bat into the middle of their lineup. Plus, Santander’s a switch-hitter, giving him added value to any ballclub he joins.
While the Yankees are in hot pursuit of the 30-year-old, they’re not alone. Morosi adds that the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays are two other AL East teams expressing a heavy amount of interest in Santander this offseason. He’d be a good addition to any of the teams mentioned above if the Orioles aren’t interested in retaining his services.