SAN ANTONIO — The Yankees need a first baseman, but no prominent first baseman in town is under contract.
Following the decision to decline Anthony Rizzo's $17 million option for next season (the Yankees will instead pay Rizzo a $6 million buyout), general manager Brian Cashman on Tuesday announced that Pete Alonso's agent He said he had talked to Scott Boras.
“There's a lot of quality players in this market,” Cashman said at the GM meeting. “Certainly Pete did a great job with the Mets.”
Boras represents many of the top players on this year's free agent market, led by Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell.
Mr. Cashman said he had brief conversations with Mr. Boras about “a number of” customers.
Alonso received a qualifying offer from the Mets on Monday worth $21.05 million next season, but he is expected to decline it as he seeks a long-term contract.
Cashman said the organization likes Ben Rice's bat (a rookie who hit seven home runs in 152 at-bats) but is still evaluating whether he has what it takes to be a first baseman. .
Rice primarily plays catcher and started 41 games as a first baseman last season.
“We’re really excited about the offensive profile,” Cashman said. “There's a possibility he's available, but we'll evaluate market trends, trades and internal options.”
