A new report has revealed who the New York Yankees are likely to target if their offseason pursuits of stars Juan Soto and Cody Bellinger fail.
The next few days will be very interesting for the New York Yankees. The Winter Meetings will soon be underway and the organization is expected to be active in trying to add an impact outfielder to play left or center field, and the franchise has been linked to a pair of stars to upgrade those positions.
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One-time National League MVP Cody Bellinger is seen as the next-best outfielder in the MLB free agent market after two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Many around the league have viewed New York as a top contender for his services. However, since last year the team has also been very interested in San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto and has reportedly engaged in trade conversations with the NL club recently.
Yet, there is no guarantee the organization will be able to land either. Late last week, it was revealed that the Yankees and Padres have hit a stalemate in trade talks, and they will have a serious amount of competition for Bellinger. That is why they will likely have a contingency plan if they are unable to acquire either over the next month. And it seems those backup options were recently revealed.
New York Yankees interested in Kevin Kiermaier and South Korean MVP
According to New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees have been keeping their eye on the markets for Korea MVP Jung Hoo Lee and veteran Kevin Kiermaier.
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Jung Hoo Lee is one of the South Korean baseball league’s best players and has a playing style very similar to his idol Ichiro Suzuki. New York fans are very familiar with Kiermaier since he has played all 11 of his years in MLB in the American League East. Mostly with the Tampa Bay Rays and last year with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Neither man may blow Yankees fans’ hair back, but both are upgrades over their current options beyond Aaron Judge and would cost far less than either Soto or Bellinger in a trade or free agent signing.
