Yankees Unlikely To Pursue Superstar Slugger Due To Previous Scandal

It doesn't sound like the Yankees will look into signing the superstar

Aug 4, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; Houston Astros gloves and hats rest in the dug out during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

There's certainly going to be plenty of speculation across Major League Baseball over the next few months.

There isn't too much time left in the regular season and soon enough the playoffs will be here. After the World Series ends, the full focus will turn to free agency. The New York Yankees will be an interesting team to watch.

New York's top priority certainly will be superstar slugger Juan Soto. He is a generational talent and the Yankees should do everything they can to keep him in town for the foreseeable future.

If Soto ends up leaving in free agency, New York will have to find a way to try to fill the hole in the middle of the lineup. New York could use some help at third base and this has led some to wonder if the Yankees could look to Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman who will be a free agent.

Bregman would be a great option, but Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly said it would be unlikely for the Yankees to pursue him due to the Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

"There seemed to be a feeling prior to the 2024 season that this would probably be it for Alex Bregman in Houston, with the (Scott Boras) client likely to test free agency and go to the highest bidder," Kelly said. "Bregman does have some things working against him, though.

"First of all, the 30-year-old got off to an ice-cold start to his contract year, as he was hitting just .219 with a .652 OPS at the end of May. Secondly, his connection to the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal might cause some teams that would otherwise make sense as suitors—such as the (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Yankees—not to pursue him in free agency."

New York will be looking to add this winter but Bregman likely won't be in New York in 2025.

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