Yankees predicted to sign two-time All-Star to $147 million contract in free agency

It has been a great start to the campaign for the New York Yankees, who will be seeking another trip back to the World Series this year. 

Coming into the season, the Yankees had some serious question marks regarding their lineup. 

The loss of Juan Soto in free agency was significant, considering a player of that caliber can’t be replaced that easily. 

This winter, the Yankees focused on creating balance on their team. With the money saved by not being able to re-sign their star slugger, they brought in Max Fried, Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. 

All of these signings and trades filled needs. However, they shockingly left third base as a major question mark going into the season. 

Last year, it was Jazz Chisholm at the hot corner after the trade deadline. However, with Gleyber Torres leaving in free agency, he slid back over to his natural position of second base. 

Despite the offense performing well early on, the hot corner is still a major issue for the team. However, it doesn’t appear that they will be doing anything in the immediate future to fix that. 

Furthermore, the Yankees could elect to wait until the winter, and a former MLB executive believes they might make a massive splash. 

Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently predicted the Yankees would address their issues at third base in a significant manner this winter by signing Toronto Blue Jays slugger Bo Bichette to a massive contract. 

“Bo Bichette signs a five-year, $147 million deal to play third base for the Yankees.”

If the 27-year-old is all right with switching positions, this could be a great addition on paper for New York. Even though Bichette had a down year in 2024, that appears to have been injury-related considering the success he’s had in the past. 

Furthermore, he is also off to a hot start to the season for the Blue Jays. Currently, the slugger has slashed .368/.455/.474 through five games. 

Since he will be just 28 years old at the start of the next campaign, the Yankees will be getting a player just hitting his prime. 

This season will dictate a lot about what next winter looks like for Bichette in terms of value and potential interest, but if the two-time All-Star bounces back from a poor year in 2024, he could be highly sought-after. 

This article first appeared on New York Yankees on SI and was syndicated with permission.