New York Yankees Sign No.1 Ranked International Prospect

They may not have been that active on the major league trade market, but the New York Yankees made sure to nab the top-ranked international prospect as the signing period opened this weekend. And yes, it's another shortstop, to add to their shortstop prospect cache. 

17-year-old Roderick Arias, from the Dominican Republic, signed with the Yanks for $4M. He's a switch-hitter, with an impressive arm at short. “He’s a five-tool guy with the ability to stay at short and be an impact player on offense,’’ Donny Rowland, the Yankees’ director of international scouting, told The New York Post. “He’s shown some power and can run. His arm is elite. He has a cannon.”

The Yankees already have a couple of prime shortstop prospects a little farther up the chain, closer to the majors, in Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza. Both players have an estimated major league arrival time of 2023. 

As Rowland said, “You can never have enough shortstops.’’ Of course, the problem is, as Yankee fans will be quick to point out, the team has NO viable shortstop at the major league level for 2022. 

Carlos Correa and Trevor Story remain out on the market when business begins after the lockout, but with this stockpile of sensational prospects at short, it's expected the team will go with a cheaper, stop-gap measure for the coming season.