Should Yankees Take a Flier on Whit Merrifield?

In a January 10 article, The Athletic's MLB Insider Jim Bowden asserted that the New York Yankees' biggest current roster question is what they're going to do about second base.

"If they follow through and move Chisholm to second base, will they get enough production from third base with some type of platoon between DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera?" Bowden wrote.

"LeMahieu has struggled to stay healthy and Cabrera profiles more as a utility player. The Yankees don’t appear to have enough left in the budget to make a run at free agent Alex Bregman and are concerned about the decline of Nolan Arenado."

The Yankees have been linked to numerous infielders to fill their current void at second base. And in a January 9 article, The Athletic's Brendan Kuty reminded the baseball world about the past interest New York had in free agent Whit Merrifield.

"The Yankees were also in contact with Merrifield after the Philadelphia Phillies cut him in July," Kuty wrote. "Merrifield landed with the Atlanta Braves, posting a 93 OPS+ in 42 games. He turns 36 later this month."

While there's no indication that the Yankees are pursuing Merrifield this offseason, they could quickly turn to targeting him if they decide doing so is worthwhile.

The career-worst .625 OPS he produced with the Phillies and Atlanta Braves during the 2024 regular season shows that he's not the same hitter he once was with the Kansas City Royals. Still, Merrifield's above-average baserunning ability and the fact that Spotrac projects he'll sign an affordable two-year, $3.5 million contract this offseason might be enough to convince the Yankees' front office that he's low-risk, high-reward enough to take a free agency flier on.