The New York Yankees are no strangers to blockbuster trades, and there are rumors that another one is possibly in the works. According to Matt Ehalt of the New York Post, the Texas Rangers are looking to offload certain players in an attempt to cut their payroll for 2026. Ehalt names Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom as the most likely candidates, with both having salaries of over $30 million next season.
Yankees Rumors: Corey Seager Emerges as Trade Candidate
Acquiring Seager would not be all that crazy for the Yankees; their starting shortstop, Anthony Volpe, has barely developed over his first three seasons in the Bronx and shows no signs of major improvement. On top of that, he is coming off a surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and should miss at least the beginning of the season. Jose Caballero, acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays, will likely be the Opening Day starter if no other moves are made.
Reports say the Rangers can trade Corey Seager to cut payroll
Yankees are not on Seager’s no-trade list. It’s believed the Yankees have what Texas needs in Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells and Ben Rice among other shortstops, catchers and pitchers
(via @Ken_Rosenthal, @Evan_P_Grant) pic.twitter.com/MuMp7RIElZ
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) November 21, 2025
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The Clock Is Ticking
With six years left on the 10-year, $325 million deal that he signed with the Rangers in 2021, any team that would consider trading for Seager will have a win-now approach. The Yankees should definitely have this approach for 2026, with Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge turning 36 and 34, respectively, and with their starting pitching poised to be one of the best rotations in MLB. Shortstop is one of, if not the, biggest weaknesses in New York’s roster, so plugging that hole with a proven winner and superstar could do wonders for the lineup.
As great as it sounds, the odds of this move coming to fruition are not great. The Yankees are already paying $22 million to Trent Grisham, $15 million to DJ LeMahieu (who is off the roster), and $19 million to Giancarlo Stanton. The chances of getting $41 million of production from Grisham and Stanton are not high, and if the Yankees are actively pursuing either Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker to play the outfield, they’ll be even more unlikely to make a move to acquire Seager and his $31.5 million price tag.
Sticking With Volpe
Additionally, the Yankees still seem to be keen on Volpe. They chose Volpe over Seager in 2021 when the latter was a free agent and the former was still a prospect, and they probably aren’t going to change their mind now, despite how little Volpe has been able to produce offensively. General manager Brian Cashman blamed Volpe’s struggles, particularly his defensive miscues, on the partially torn labrum that he sustained in May, which definitely affected his performance throughout the season. It is unclear exactly how long they will continue to make excuses for the 24-year-old, but it looks like they plan to start Volpe at shortstop until further notice.
Still, the Yankees have to at least consider what trading for Seager could do for the franchise; it would single-handedly make them an instant contender in the American League, and it would solve the problem that they’ve had at shortstop since Didi Gregorius departed after the 2019 season.
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