{"id":30637,"date":"2025-03-05T03:21:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T03:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30637"},"modified":"2025-03-05T03:21:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T03:21:27","slug":"division-heist-yankees-eye-trade-for-bounce-back-third-baseman-from-rising-nl-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30637","title":{"rendered":"DIVISION HEIST: Yankees Eye Trade for Bounce-Back Third Baseman from Rising NL Team!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Yankees now need a new third baseman more than ever after DJ LeMahieu suffered a calf injury in spring training.<\/p>\n<p>It was always going to be a gamble for the Yankees to roll with LeMahieu as the everyday third baseman with Jazz Chisholm at second base. That plan blew up before it could ever gain any traction.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Brian Cashman and the Yankees are back to square one with just a few weeks before opening day. They can still bolster the squad with this bounce-back candidate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"imageBox\">\n<div class=\"innerBox ar23-innerBox\"><picture class=\"mapping-embed\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.webp?w=790&amp;f=d0243f79359d3897ac758f55528c5b42 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.jpg?w=790&amp;f=d0243f79359d3897ac758f55528c5b42 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.webp?w=900&amp;f=72a015626b7f63161c7b27efe2def120 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.jpg?w=900&amp;f=72a015626b7f63161c7b27efe2def120 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.webp?w=790&amp;f=d0243f79359d3897ac758f55528c5b42 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 481px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.jpg?w=790&amp;f=d0243f79359d3897ac758f55528c5b42 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 481px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.webp?w=450&amp;f=e3e1cd58972192ff6d8e3a4ce03f64ab 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.jpg?w=450&amp;f=e3e1cd58972192ff6d8e3a4ce03f64ab 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.webp?w=1200&amp;f=7389673fd49079178c81a9e722131d68\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i2600149\" class=\"mapping-embed imgPhoto\" src=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2600149\/cincinnati-reds-infielder-christian-encarnacion-strand.jpg?w=1200&amp;f=7389673fd49079178c81a9e722131d68\" alt=\"Cincinnati Reds, Infielder, Christian Encarnacion-Strand\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption ar23-caption\"><span id=\"short-cap-description\" class=\"cap\">TEMPE, ARIZONA &#8211; FEBRUARY 26: Christian Encarnacion-Strand #33 of the Cincinnati Reds bats in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium on February 26, 2025&#8230;<\/span>\u00a0<button id=\"read-more-cap\">More<\/button>\u00a0<span class=\"credit ar23-credit\">Tim Warner\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Christian Encarnacion-Strand is in a tough spot with the Cincinnati Reds. He&#8217;s blocked at both corner infield spots by Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario with no guaranteed at-bats.<\/p>\n<p>The 25-year-old infielder didn&#8217;t have the best season a year ago. In limited playing time due to injuries, Encarnacion-Strand hit just .190 in 123 plate appearances. However, he posted a .270 average with 13 home runs and 37 RBI for the Reds in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Encarnacion-Strand being traded to the Yankees would give him a fresh start. Despite being in a high-pressure environment, he would receive consistent at-bats in the Bronx as the every day third baseman. His 2023 stats are proof there is potential to work with and room for growth.<\/p>\n<p>Neither team would have much leverage in the negotiations as the Yankees are as desperate as possible for a third baseman. On the other hand, the Reds know Encarnacion-Strand is blocked right now and could be frustrated by lack of opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>The Reds may not want to part ways with Encarnacion-Strand, but an overpay from the Yankees may make it too good to be true for general manager Nick Krall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Yankees now need a new third baseman more than ever after DJ LeMahieu suffered a calf injury in spring training. It was always going&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>DIVISION HEIST: Yankees Eye Trade for Bounce-Back Third Baseman from Rising NL Team! - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30637\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DIVISION HEIST: Yankees Eye Trade for Bounce-Back Third Baseman from Rising NL Team! - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The New York Yankees now need a new third baseman more than ever after DJ LeMahieu suffered a calf injury in spring training. 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