Yankees position battles to watch in spring training

After Juan Soto's departure, the New York Yankees made a flurry of moves, and most of their lineup is now set. Unless something unexpected happens, the starters will be:

• Austin Wells - Catcher
• Paul Goldschmidt - First base
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. - Second base
• Anthony Volpe - Shortstop
• Jasson Dominguez - Left field
• Cody Bellinger - Center field
• Aaron Judge - Right field
• Giancarlo Stanton - Designated hitter

That leaves third base as the only open position, with DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza as viable candidates. Chisholm manned the hot corner for the Yankees last season, but they moved him to second after Gleyber Torres signed with the Detroit Tigers in free agency.

However, the club could later place the speedster at third. His versatility allows them to acquire a new player at either position, depending on how camp goes. Aaron Boone admitted that the situation is in flux, via The Athletic's Chris Kirschner.

“You never know how the roster shakes out,” the eighth-year manager said. “I’ve talked to him about keeping that possibility open. If something declares itself in a certain way, or, depending how the roster shakes out, I do want to keep it open (so) that I could move him over there.”

New York needn't worry if one of the third basemen plays well before Opening Day. The front office likely hopes it'll be LeMahieu, as the oft-injured veteran has two years and $30 million left on his contract. Meanwhile, Cabrera and Peraza will each make $800,000 on pre-arbitration deals this season.

That said, LeMahieu hasn't come close to justifying his salary since he won his fourth Gold Glove in 2022. The 36-year-old is coming off his worst year, as he slashed .204/.269/.259 with two homers and 26 RBI across 67 games. He fractured his right foot before the season started and never fully healed.

LeMahieu may regain even half the form that led him to two batting titles, but New York can't bank on it. On the other hand, Cabrera has produced in spurts and is a valuable utility player, but he's unproven as a full-time option. The 25-year-old slashed .247/.296/.365 with eight home runs and 36 RBI across 109 games last season, but he'll need to show offensive improvement in spring training to make a convincing case.