Now that first baseman Greg Bird is out for at least the next six weeks, the New York Yankees are surely in the market for a stopgap option at that position. Meanwhile, the Oakland Athletics are in full-scale fire sale mode after moving both Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle over the weekend.
So it would stand to reason that the two teams might discuss a potential deal that would send All-Star first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Bronx. That’s apparently now become a reality.
#Yankees, #Athletics discussing Yonder Alonso, sources confirm. @Ken_Rosenthal reported on activity between the teams yesterday. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 18, 2017
Even as nothing more than a rental, Alonso would provide the Yankees a veteran bat at first base. He’s had a splendid season in Oakland, posting a .268 average and .366 on-base percentage to go with 21 homers and 44 RBI.
It remains to be seen what Oakland might demand in a trade for the 30-year-old veteran, but the team has been scouting Yankees prospects over the past several days. Now that the two sides are in talks, it would not be a surprise to see New York end up acquiring Alonso.