MLB.com is keeping track of all the latest Yankees-related free agent and trade rumors right here.

Jan. 7: Yankees eyeing Arraez for second base (report)
As the Yankees continue to explore ways to upgrade their infield, the club has been discussing a trade with the Padres for three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, reports Jeff Passan in an article for ESPN+ (subscription required).

Arraez would fill the second-base void left by Gleyber Torres, who signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Tigers in free agency. If the Yankees acquire Arraez, they’d presumably keep Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the hot corner.

The Yanks have checked in on free-agent second basemen Jorge Polanco and Brendan Rodgers, according to separate reports. Gavin Lux was another second-base option they were reportedly considering, but the Dodgers traded Lux to the Reds on Monday.

The Yankees also have been linked to a pair of big-name third basemen: free agent Alex Bregman and trade candidate Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals. However, adding one of those players has become increasingly unlikely for New York, according to recent reporting from MLB Network insider Joel Sherman (see below).

As for where the Yankees stand on the Arraez front? MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi said Tuesday that Arraez to New York "is a possibility but not at all something that is close [to happening]."

Jan. 7: Yankees ‘actively’ shopping Stroman (report)
Marcus Stroman appears to be the odd man out in the Yankees’ rotation after the team signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract in December, adding the left-hander to a stable of starters that already included Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, as well as Stroman.

As a result, the Bronx Bombers are “actively trying to deal” the 33-year-old Stroman, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

This isn’t the first time this offseason that Stroman’s name has surfaced in trade rumblings. Sources told MLB.com last month that the Yankees approached the Cardinals about a potential trade that would have sent Stroman to St. Louis for third baseman Nolan Arenado but were rebuffed.

Stroman is owed $18.5 million in the final year of a two-year, $37 million deal. The contract also includes an $18 million vesting player option for 2026, contingent on Stroman throwing at least 140 innings in the upcoming season.

Given his age and contract, Stroman could be tough to move unless the Yankees agree to pick up some of the money still owed to him. The right-hander posted a 4.31 ERA over 154 2/3 innings in 2024, including a 5.70 ERA after the calendar flipped to June. It was the second straight year that Stroman faded down the stretch, as he also recorded an 8.29 ERA over his final 11 outings (nine starts) as a member of the Cubs in 2023.

Dec. 30: What is Yankees’ plan at third base?
The Yankees have been busy since they lost Juan Soto to the Mets, redesigning their roster in just about every area. They signed starter Max Fried in free agency and traded for closer Devin Williams and outfielder Cody Bellinger. They made another bullpen move on Dec. 20, sending catcher Jose Trevino to the Reds for righty reliever Fernando Cruz and backstop Alex Jackson. The next day, they filled their need at first base by agreeing on a one-year deal with seven-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner Paul Goldschmidt, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

With those moves in the bag, it’s been widely assumed that addressing third base would be next on New York’s checklist, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. able to move to second base to replace the departed Gleyber Torres.

But while the club has been linked to free agent Alex Bregman and Cardinals trade candidate Nolan Arenado, MLB Network insider Joel Sherman doesn’t see either of those targets ending up in pinstripes.

“I never put anything at zero percent, [but] I will say this entire offseason, even when people were overheated on the Arenado thing … I couldn’t find anybody with the Yankees who would say, ‘Yeah, we’re interested in him,’” Sherman said Monday on the Pinstripe Post podcast. “And so, I’ve gotta follow my reportorial instincts and my work, and nobody was pushing hard on that.

“I never sensed that they thought Bregman was a good long-term [fit], as much as they think Bregman is a really good player who fits exactly what they’re doing this offseason, it’s going to take a minimum of six, seven, eight years to do,” Sherman added. “The ballpark is not built for what he does well. They have a lot of long-term money tied up now.”

So who will be playing third base for the Yanks in 2025? Perhaps DJ LeMahieu, per Sherman.

"I think they're going to try to take another look at LeMahieu," Sherman said. "And if they're taking a look at LeMahieu, they're taking a look at LeMahieu, I would think, playing third base, where I think even when he was a bad hitter the last few years he remained a very good [defensive] third baseman."

LeMahieu, who still has two years left on his six-year, $90 million contract, is coming off a rough 2024 season that saw him miss significant time due to injuries and record -1.3 WAR (per Baseball-Reference) with a career-low .527 OPS over 67 games. Although the 36-year-old's 2019-20 production (.922 OPS) is a distant memory, it's not out of the question that he could recapture the offensive form he showed across 2021-23 (.720 OPS) with better health.

Other internal options include Oswaldo Cabrera and former MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect Oswald Peraza. Neither player has put together an extended run of success in the Majors yet -- Cabrera owns a lifetime .643 OPS over 827 plate appearances, while Peraza has notched a .612 OPS in 259 PAs.

Dec. 20: Yankees meet with Sasaki (report)
The Yankees had an in-person meeting with coveted Japanese starting pitcher Roki Sasaki on Thursday, according to the New York Post. It reportedly came on the same day that Sasaki had a meeting with the Mets.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Wednesday that the club had a meeting scheduled "soon" with Sasaki.

The 23-year-old flamethrower was posted by his NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, at the start of the Winter Meetings. Sasaki can now negotiate a deal with an MLB team and is one of the most sought-after starting pitchers available this winter -- maybe ever -- due to his young age and high upside.

The Yankees GM said of Sasaki: "[He] has a chance to be one of the world’s great pitchers. It would be nice to have Yankee Stadium be his home."

Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, said at the Winter Meetings that MLB teams' meetings with Sasaki would likely begin this week and continue after the holidays in the teams' respective cities.

The Dodgers and Padres have been considered favorites to land Sasaki, but many other teams, including the Yankees, will be making their pitch.