The MLB lockout continues on as it nears 100 days, and once it ends, there will likely be a free agency burst as teams look to scoop up the remaining available players before Opening Day.
The Yankees will be one of the biggest teams of intrigue, as they have multiple needs on their roster, most notably shortstop.
According to Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Bombers did some due diligence regarding the biggest shortstop left on the market.
Per Heyman, the Yanks “requested/received medicals” for Carlos Correa, a two-time All-Star who is expected to receive north of $300 million. Correa, seen as a villain and a face of the Astros cheating scandal by many Yankee fans, has been mentioned many times in connection to New York given the massive upgrade he would provide offensively and defensively, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today said Wednesday that the Yankees are out on Correa, who hit .279 with an .850 OPS and 26 home runs last season.
Heyman also reported that the Yankees requested physicals on pitchers Carlos Rodon and Yusei Kikuchi as well. Rodon, a lefty, was one of the biggest steals of the offseason before 2021, when the White Sox brought him back on a one-year, $3 million deal. Rodon responded by adding nearly 3 mph to his fastball, and most importantly, was mainly healthy. The 29-year-old tossed 132.2 innings, nine of them coming in a no-hitter, and posted a 2.37 ERA, earning his first ever All-Star selection. He showed some wear in the second half of the season, which wasn’t too surprising considering he hadn’t thrown more than 100 innings since 2018.
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Kikuchi, also a lefty, also posted his first All-Star season in 2021. He tossed 157 innings and finished with a career-best 4.41 ERA. But he fell off heavily in the second half of the season, his ERA from just before the All-Star break to the end of the season coming in at an inflated 6.22.
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