The Yankees will likely have a strong focus at shortstop and first base this offseason, but they could also use some center field help if Aaron Hicks continues to struggle with injuries, and the team is reportedly looking at a pair of outfielders through both the free agent and trade markets.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Yanks are one of multiple teams interested in a potential trade for Pittsburgh’s All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds, who has racked up over 150 hits in each of his only two full big-league seasons. According to NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty, Starling Marte is also on New York’s radar.
Reynolds, just 26 years old, batted .302 last season with power, hitting 24 home runs and leading the league with eight triples. He posted a .912 OPS and made 137 appearances in center field. In 134 games as a rookie in 2019, the switch hitter batted .314 with 16 homers.
Reynolds, a two-way talent, would command a hefty return package, as he isn’t a free agent until 2026. But the Yanks and Pirates have recent trade history, working out a deal for Jameson Taillon last offseason and for reliever Clay Holmes before this year’s trade deadline.
The Yanks also had interest in Marte near the deadline, but he wound up being sent to Oakland. The 33-year-old, now a free agent, hit .310 with the A’s and Marlins last year, hitting 12 home runs and stealing 47 bases. He posted an .840 OPS in a total of 120 games.
Hicks, under contract through 2025, appeared in just 32 games last year before a season-ending wrist injury. He played in just 59 games in 2019, and 88 in 2017. The most appearances he’s made as a Yankee were 137 games in 2018, when he was among the most valuable center fielders in the American League when going by WAR.
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