Yankees could pick Adames if they miss Soto

The New York Yankees are hopeful about bringing Juan Soto back to their side, but if that does not happen, they can use Willy Adames as backup. 

According to sources, one of the players the Yankees are considering in place of Soto is Adames. He is a top free-agent shortstop available after posting a career year with 32 homers and 112 RBIs in 161 matches. 

While Anthony Volpe has played well during his first two years in the Majors, he posted a 3.3 and 3.4 bWAR in those terms. Volpe won a Gold Glove while posting a 20-20 term in his rookie year of 2023. New York could move him to second base, filling the gap Glyeber Torres left. 

The Yankees can find some versatility in Jazz Chisholm Junior, who can play second base, third base or center field. That allows them to seek out players for any of those positions, although it seems they prefer to keep him at third, where he posted a career-best 8 Outs Above Average and 1.5 bWAR in 46 matches after joining the club in a midseason trade. 

If New York signs Adames, they could keep Volpe at Shortstop, move Chisholm to second base and play Adames at third. Adames wants to stay at shortstop, but he is open to moving places for the right situation and right contract. 

“I do think he would prefer shortstop, but it’s always a sliding scale on dollars,” a source said. “If someone is going to pay you substantially more to play another position, you tend to be more OK with it.”