The free agency market is thin this year. If the New York Yankees make any significant changes this winter, they'll have to come through trade. The biggest upgrades will likely come from the infield, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. likely not returning, Austin Wells underwhelming again, and Ryan McMahon needing to be cut due to his ineffectiveness at the plate and regression defensively.
One idea that could potentially fix the infield could come in the form of another trade with the Marlins. That's for shortstop Otto Lopez, who, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, is one name that could be on the move this winter. The Marlins did field calls on him at the summer trade deadline, but they opted to keep him.
Envisioning Yankees' infield with Otto Lopez at short
For Lopez, his best position is shortstop, and the defensive metrics have him pegged as one of the league's best glove-wise. This season, Lopez had 14 Outs Above Average at short with six defensive runs saved.
With this move, New York could shift George Lombard Jr. to second or third base, filling another hole. Lopez is such a significant upgrade that, if they land him, the Yankees might change their plans on Lombard, since the Marlins shortstop is a superior defender to most in the league.
The Yankees wouldn't trade for Lopez just for his glove, of course. It's also because he'd be a solid offensive upgrade. Last season, he hit .305/.349/.437 with a 115 wRC+. He hit 11 homers and stole 34 bases.
One thing about Lopez's profile that makes him a solid top-of-the-order bat is that he doesn't strike out much. He has a 93rd-percentile 13% strikeout rate and an 80th-percentile 19.5% whiff rate. The issue with Lopez, though, is he doesn't walk much. He has a 5.8% walk rate.
A Lopez trade would be out of the box. Especially since the plan is to have Lombard Jr. at shortstop. There's no doubt, though, that Lombard can play other infield positions like second or third, and having both of them in the lineup would be a vacuum. For someone like Max Fried or Ryan Weathers, who both have 49% groundball rates, having these two behind them would certainly make their lives easier.
If you're the Yankees, any deal of this magnitude for a player still in arbitration and with years of control would center on Dax Kilby at this point. He's the jewel of the minor league system, and it will come down to whether Brian Cashman and company see Lopez as a significant enough upgrade to trade him. Another trade piece could be Elmer Rodriguez. Rodriguez saw an uptick in velocity late in the year.
Then there's the hard-throwing Carlos Lagrange. His season was hampered by injuries, but he can dial it up to triple digits. Hunter Dietz is another name that could be on the move in a deal like this. The Yankees recently drafted him in the first round of the 2026 draft.
Between the lockout and a weak free agent class, the Yankees might be forced to trade some of their more valuable minor league pieces to upgrade the roster. Either that, or they'll be forced to run back essentially the same infield, and after back-to-back ALDS exits against AL East rivals, they need some change.
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