Yankees’ Potential $189 Million Anthony Volpe Replacement Emerges

"What still isn’t clear is how the Rangers’ foray into owning their own regional sports network did financially and how much impact it will have on the payroll," he reported. "In the event [co-owner Ray] Davis demands a deeper cut, it would all but force the Rangers to trade Corey Seager ($32.5 million) or [starting pitcher] Jacob DeGrom ($37 million)."

"There may be a larger market for Seager, who has only limited no-trade protection and could not veto a deal to the Yankees or [Boston] Red Sox ... Both have young, promising and controllable shortstops: Anthony Volpe (Yankees) and Marcelo Mayer (Boston)," he continued. "Mayer has more value at the moment because Volpe has yet to produce a .700 OPS in three seasons in his early 20s, but the Yankees might be better able to supplement the deal to help fill other Rangers needs, like at catcher with either Austin Wells or Ben Rice and with another pitching arm."

Corey Seager Would Be Expensive, But Worthy Investment for Yankees

Seager is owed $189 million over the six remaining years on his contract, while Volpe has three arbitration years left and is owed just $3.25 million next season, per Spotrac. However, Seager has a career slash line of .289/.362/.509 since debuting in 2015, and he slashed .271/.373/.487 with 21 homers and 50 RBIs over 102 games this past season.

Additionally, Seager had just four errors and hasn't had double-digit gaffes in a season since 2022. Giving up Rice in a trade wouldn't be ideal, as he notched an .836 OPS with 26 homers and 65 RBIs as a second-year player this past season. But dealing Volpe, Wells, outfielder Jasson Dominguez, and/or prospects like outfielder Spencer Jones would be sensible, as none of those players are cornerstone pieces.

It would've been more cost-effective for Volpe to develop into the player the Yankees envisioned when they drafted him, but sometimes teams have to bite the bullet to reach the promised land.