The biggest offseason mystery for the New York Yankees is why, despite knowing they would not retain free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres, they didn’t seem to have a clear plan to replace him. As the offseason has progressed, the Yankees have been linked to several second basemen, including three-time All-Star Luis Arráez of the San Diego Padres, former Los Angeles Dodger Gavin Lux (who was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds), and Edouard Julien of the Minnesota Twins.
Rumors have also swirled about a potential blockbuster trade for the Minnesota Twins’ highest-paid player, Carlos Correa, and Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets. However, no deals have materialized so far.
On Tuesday, though, USA Today’s MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported that the Yankees are particularly interested in one second baseman: Brendan Rodgers of the Colorado Rockies. According to Nightengale, the Yankees have even engaged in talks with Rodgers.
Yankees Eyeing Fallen Top Prospect for a Second Chance Rodgers, a former top prospect, is a free agent for the first time after the Rockies chose not to tender him a contract for 2025, opting not to give him a final year of arbitration after six seasons with the team. While the Rockies attempted to trade Rodgers, they were unable to find a deal.
The 28-year-old, once hailed as “MLB’s new most valuable defender” by The Sporting News in 2022, had a meteoric rise after being drafted third overall by Colorado in 2015. By 2019, he was the Rockies’ top-ranked prospect. However, injuries have derailed his career, preventing him from reaching the expectations the Rockies had for him.
Injury Woes Have Affected Rodgers’ Career Rodgers’ best season came in 2021, when he hit a career-high 15 home runs and posted an OPS of .798, despite playing just 102 games. In 2022, he played a career-high 137 games, hitting 13 home runs and earning a Gold Glove for his defense at second base. However, a shoulder injury in 2023 required surgery, limiting him to just 46 games. While Rodgers rebounded somewhat in 2024, hitting 13 home runs with a .721 OPS in 135 games, the Rockies decided to move on.
“Brendan gave a good effort. I think the world of Brendan. First and foremost, he’s a quality person,” Rockies GM Bill Schmidt said after announcing the decision to part ways with Rodgers. “I wish him nothing but the best. But we had to make some tough decisions, and that was one of them.”
The Yankees, however, appear to see potential in Rodgers that the Rockies do not, and according to Nightengale, they have targeted him as a possible replacement for Torres. With Rodgers having played in 2024 under a $3.2 million one-year contract, the Yankees likely expect to sign him at a lower price than the projected $56.4 million over four years that Spotrac suggests he could command.
