According to Katie Wu of The Athletic, the Yankees are among the teams that have inquired about infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman to the Cardinals. The Yankees follow the Dodgers, who were said to be interested in acquiring Edman earlier today, in inquiring about the versatile switch-hitter.
The 29-year-old Edman has yet to make his major league debut since undergoing wrist surgery last fall. His recovery from that surgery took longer than expected and he began his rehab at the Double-A level, but only as a DH. Edman batted just .248/.307/.399 in 137 games for the Cardinals last year, so it seems unlikely he would attract interest from any team as a DH only player. Any team would need to be convinced Edman can play defense this year to make a deal.
Despite the question marks over his health, it’s not surprising the Yankees would be interested in acquiring Edman. After all, the versatile defender has experience at every position except first base and catcher, and has been a plus defensive player at each position. That combination of versatility and defensive excellence is rather rare, and coupled with a switch-hitting bat that has recorded a near-league average wRC+ of 99 over his career, Edman would be a valuable asset to just about any team, including the Yankees, who have been below average at just about every position in the batting order this year without Juan Soto or Aaron Judge.
The Yankees’ incentive to acquire Edman may seem diminished by the recent trade that sent infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Bronx. After all, Chisholm is another versatile defender with experience at both shortstop and center field, and his 103 wRC+ this year is significantly better than Edman’s 92 wRC+ in 2023 with the Cardinals. But it’s easy to imagine the two players coexisting in the same lineup. After all, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Brendan Coutee) today that he plans to use Chisholm at third base when he plays infield. While Chisholm has never played third base in the majors, Boone has expressed a preference to keep current second baseman Gleyber Torres (who also has no experience at the hot corner) in his current position for at least the time being.
The addition of Edman, who has played 94 major league games at third base, would give the Yankees a more experienced defender in the hot corner lineup while also adding a significant offensive boost over other in-house options such as DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera. With Edman at third base, the Yankees could either use Chisholm as a super-utility type to maximize the team’s offensive power by resting players like Torres and Alex Verdugo against tough opponents, or trade for a hitter like Torres or Trent Grisham to bolster the bullpen, as is rumored to be under consideration. Edman could also pair with Chisholm to give the Yankees more certainty. With Soto, Torres, Verdugo, and possibly Anthony Rizzo set to become free agents in the 2025 season, there could be plenty of holes to fill in the Bronx.
But even if Edman were healthy enough to merit a trade, that doesn’t mean a potential deal wouldn’t be without obstacles. The Cardinals are believed to be looking for a “cost-saving major league starting pitcher” in exchange for Edman’s services, according to Woo, who suggested St. Louis could target Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes. The 29-year-old Cortes, like Edman, is under contract through the 2025 season and has posted a 4.13 ERA and 3.99 FIP in 22 starts this year. It’s unclear whether the Yankees would be willing to part ways with Cortes or any other potential starting pitcher, with rumors swirling around the possibility of acquiring another pitcher who could control Luis Gil’s innings, especially in a late-season bullpen arrangement.