Yankees Rumors: 3B Upgrade Eyed to Play Alongside Oswaldo Cabrera Before Opening Day

The New York Yankees could be considering acquiring a right-handed third baseman to platoon alongside Oswaldo Cabrera.

The Athletic's Brendan Kuty wrote Wednesday that New York "especially seems motivated to upgrade at third base" by "targeting a right-handed bat" to play with Cabrera.

Cabrera played every position other than center field and catcher for the Yankees last season, spending the most time (74 games) at third base.

With DJ LeMahieu recovering from a calf injury, the Yankees are currently on track to play him alongside Oswald Peraza. Peraza is out of minor league options and is a candidate for waivers if the Yankees add another third baseman.

Peraza has not helped his position by struggling to hit in spring training, during which he has batted .195 through 41 attempts. If the Yankees don't add a third baseman this spring, however, Kuty reports the club is expected to stick with him.

Cabrera has previously been a switch-hitter but relied heavily on his left-handed bat last season, to the point that he sometimes batted left-handed against left-handed pitchers.

In his first two MLB seasons, Cabrera recorded relatively similar numbers at the plate against left- and right-handed pitchers. In 2024 the difference was stark, with Cabrera hitting .268 against right-handers but just .190 against southpaws, per Baseball Savant.

Greg Joyce of the New York Post reported earlier this month that Cabrera "has spent the offseason trying to get his rhythm back from the right side," but the Yankees could be looking for some more insurance in case those struggles continue.

The Yankees overall have a heavily left-handed 40-man roster that features two left-handed catchers as well as six lefty batters.

Yankees hitting coach James Rowson told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that heavy representation would lead to "more homework" prior to matchups with left-handed pitchers.

The Yankees could look to help provide another answer for lefty pitchers while allowing Cabrera to resume his previous role as a catch-all utility player by adding a third baseman this spring.

One candidate the Yankees could potentially consider pursuing would be Alec Bohm, who is still on the Philadelphia Phillies roster despite the trade rumors surrounding him this offseason.

For now New York will prepare to take on a right-handed starter in Freddy Peralta when the 2025 season opens next Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium.