Yankees Rumors: Japanese Star Masataka Yoshida Interests NY If Posted for Free Agency

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network said that the New York Yankees are likely to enter the race for Masataka Yoshida if he is posted by the Orix Buffaloes.

In 118 games this season, Yoshida had a.335/.447/.561 slash line.

Junichi Fukura, the general manager of the Buffaloes, said that discussions would be held about his future.

He said that they are going to happen in the next few days. We also need to talk about the club.

The future of Judge is one of the biggest questions for the Yankees this off-season. The most sought after free agent is the American League's Most Valuable Player.

The organization's belief in whether its best player will be back is what makes the Bronx Bombers' interest in Yoshida different. Even if Judge comes back, the outfielder would address some areas of need.

A Yankees lineup without Judge will include seven right-handed hitters and two switch-hitters, according to FanGraphs. The team needs to find a way to hit left handed.

The playoffs showed how reliant Judge New York was. In their nine playoff games, the Yankees had a.173 batting average and a.255 on- base percentage.

Yoshida has a career batting average of.............. He has a profile at the plate that could give New York more consistency when it matters the most.