Yankees predicted to sign $85M former Silver Slugger finalist to revitalize World Series hopes originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees are heading into the offseason with several things to address. Both the regular season and postseason were major letdowns compared to the standards the organization has set.

The American League Division Series went about as poorly as it could have for New York. The Yankees were swept by their AL East rival, the Tampa Bay Rays, who would go on to play in the World Series.

“Tampa Bay is moving on to the American League Championship Series, to play the winner of the Cleveland Guardians-Chicago White Sox series, winning 4-3 to complete a sweep of the Yankees in the division series that affirmed the Rays' summerlong dominance of their division rival,” ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote.

It was an up-and-down season for the Yankees, as they were without Aaron Judge for much of it. Judge was also left off the ALDS roster because of his injury.

“Judge has made his position clear -- he wants to be part of everything that transpires this month. However, Judge’s strained right calf has not healed enough for him to claim a spot on the 26-man roster for the Yankees' showdown against the Rays in the American League Division Series,” MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch wrote.

With Judge coming off an injury, SI’s Joe Najarian believes the Yankees should sign Seiya Suzuki and allow Judge to take on a designated hitter role.

“The Yankees would need to make quite a few moves to make this work, though. Because Suzuki is a full-time right fielder, Aaron Judge would become the everyday DH while Spencer Jones and Cody Bellinger play center and left field, respectively. It would also mean getting rid of both trade deadline additions (Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos) and Giancarlo Stanton. But after his injury-plagued season, Judge will inevitably be limited to DH duties in the future. And given how good Suzuki was in 2026, the Yankees' post-Judge outfield would be in very good shape if they sign the Japanese slugger,” Najarian wrote.

Suzuki could be a strong addition to New York's lineup, particularly given his raw power and the short porches at Yankee Stadium. With his power at the plate, he could help bolster the Yankees' offense while allowing Judge to spend more time at designated hitter.

Suzuki recently completed his $85 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. He has been a Silver Slugger finalist twice during his MLB career, making him an intriguing potential addition to New York's lineup. If the Yankees pursue him, he could provide another offensive weapon as the organization looks to get back into World Series contention.

More MLB news:

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• Yankees predicted to replace Jazz Chisholm with $12M two-time Silver Slugger winner, 4x All-Star

• Braves predicted to trade for $8.5M All-Star, Silver Slugger winner to replace Ha-Seong Kim

• Braves' disappointing $45M Silver Slugger went off the grid following second PED suspension