The search continues.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman remains in need of an outfielder after Andrew Benintendi signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Chicago White Sox.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports “The Yankees would still like to bring in another outfielder, but continue to be put off by free agent Jurickson Profar’s asking price. Profar opted out of his contract with the Padres that would have paid him $7.5 million, which he is having trouble achieving on the free-agent market.”
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Last week, The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reported “A person with knowledge of the team’s decision-making said free agent Jurickson Profar’s asking price has kept him out of the Yankees’ plans.”
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported last week Profar “perhaps the best remaining free-agent position player, is a better fit for a team with a more pressing need in left field — the Yankees, for example, or the Rangers. But after turning down a $7.5 million player option with the Padres, he almost certainly wants a multi-year deal with at least that average annual value. The Yankees have luxury-tax concerns, and the Rangers’ estimated $196 million Opening Day payroll would be a club record by about $30 million.”
The 29-year-old Profar spent the last three seasons with the Padres. He played in a career-high 152 games in 2022, hitting .243 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI.
Profar previously played for the Rangers and Oakland A’s. The nine-year MLB veteran is a jack-of-all-trades, with experience at all three outfield positions, as well as all four infield positions.
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The Yankees had been linked to Josh Harrison, but he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
New York has also been connected to David Peralta, Bryan Reynolds and Max Kepler.
Yankees’ in-house candidates for left field include Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Cabrera. Cashman also recently signed Billy McKinney, Willie Calhoun and Rafael Ortega as outfield depth.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected].