Could Yankees Solve Third Base Vacancy With This 'Buy-Low' Free Agent?

The New York Yankees could turn their free agency attention toward this high upside infielder.

Jun 8, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (10) makes a running throw to first base in the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Now that longtime second baseman Gleyber Torres has officially signed with another team, the New York Yankees infield picture for 2025 has become a bit clearer.

Here's what we know: Paul Goldschmidt will be playing first base, Anthony Volpe will be manning shortstop, and Jazz Chisholm will be playing either third base (where he played for New York after getting traded to the Yankees last season) or second base (which is his natural position).

If the Yankees elect to move Chisholm to second, that means they could either look internally for a new third baseman, trade for one, or sign one in free agency.

There's a case to be made that former Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada would be a great fit for the Yankees' hot corner. And this idea sounds even more compelling after Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter called him an 'MLB Free Agent With Huge Buy-Low Upside" in a December 24 article.

"After emerging as an elite prospect, he was sent to the White Sox as the prospect centerpiece in the Chris Sale blockbuster, and he looked like a star on the rise when he logged a 5.2-WAR season in 2019 at the age of 24," Reuter wrote of Moncada.

"The White Sox inked him to a five-year, $70 million extension on the heels of that breakout performance, but he logged just 6.4 WAR in 404 games over the life of that contract while battling a variety of injuries.

Yoán Moncada gets us on the board with a solo homer! pic.twitter.com/ey8T6P5hZj

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 1, 2023

"His age and raw tools make him an intriguing buy-low flier, though he may need to earn his way onto an Opening Day roster this spring on a minor league pact," Reuter added after projecting that Moncada will sign a one-year, $1.5 million contract this offseason.

There's no question Moncada is an extremely talented player. And considering he's just 29 years old and the Yankees might get him for as low as Reuter's projected $1.5 million (Spotrac projects he'll sign a two-year, $3.2 million deal), he could blossom in New York at a bargain price.