Yankees Receive Significant Trade Update That Will Have Fans Perplexed

It looks like the wheels are finally starting to churn for the New York Yankees, who were laying dormant for much of the offseason but are now finally emerging mid-winter.

Late last week, we heard that the Yankees had expressed interest free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette, who is one of the top bats available on the open market.

However, with Bichette being such a poor defender, the general consensus was that New York would not want him at shortstop.

Well, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has confirmed that much, revealing that in order for the Yankees to sign Bichette, they would have to trade one of Jazz Chisholm or Ryan McMahon because they do not view him as a shortstop.

This should not come as much of a surprise.

Bichette is one of the worst defensive players in baseball, and for as frustrated as Yankees fans are with Anthony Volpe, he has been a terrific defender for the bulk of his big-league career. So has Jose Caballero, who will be starting 2026 at shortstop with Volpe recovering from shoulders surgery.

Chisholm has also been labeled as a trade candidate ever since the outset of the offseason. He has just one year of club control remaining, and it doesn't seem like New York will re-sign the 28-year-old in free agency.

Yankees fans would surely love for McMahon to be moved after the third baseman managed a .641 OPS over 54 games in the Bronx last season, but trading the 31-year-old will certainly be easier said than done considering he has two years and $32 million remaining on his contract.

All in all, Bichette is probably not the most prudent target for New York. Signing him would probably all but seal the departure of Cody Bellinger, who is still evidently the Yanks' top priority, per Rosenthal.

Given Hal Steinbrenner's payroll constraints, it seems highly unlikely that the Yankees will sign both Bichette and Bellinger.

There is no question that Bellinger is the more valuable player thanks to his terrific corner outfield defense, so New York should definitely be aiming to get something done with him first.

And to be quite frank, I'm not even sure that Bichette — who could land over $150 million on his next deal — is even a great backup plan to Bellinger.