The Yankees remain hopeful about bringing Juan Soto back to the Bronx, but in the event that the slugger signs elsewhere, New York will have plenty of money to pivot to Plan B.

According to sources, one of the options being considered is Willy Adames, who is drawing interest from the Yankees. Adames is the top free-agent shortstop available after posting a career year with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs in 161 games.

Although Anthony Volpe has performed admirably during his first two years in the Majors ¨C he posted a 3.3 and 3.4 bWAR in those seasons, winning a Gold Glove while posting a 20-20 campaign in his rookie year of 2023 ¨C it¡¯s possible the Yankees could shift the 23-year-old to second base, filling the hole left by free agent Gleyber Torres.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.¡¯s versatility gives the Yankees some options, as he can play second base, third base or center field. That allows New York to pursue players at any of those positions, though it appears the Yankees are comfortable keeping Chisholm at third, where he posted a career-best 8 Outs Above Average and a 1.5 bWAR in 46 games after joining the team in a midseason trade.

If they sign Adames, the Yankees could also keep Volpe at shortstop, move Chisholm to second base and play Adames at third. Adames¡¯ preference is to remain at shortstop, a source said, but he¡¯s open to moving positions for the right situation and the right deal.

¡°I do think he would prefer shortstop, but it¡¯s always a sliding scale on dollars,¡± the source said. ¡°If someone is going to pay you substantially more to play another position, you tend to be more OK with it.¡±

• If Soto goes elsewhere, there is a backup plan for the Yanks

Another club with serious interest in Adames is the Giants, who continue to seek offensive help. San Francisco is also looking at Ha-Seong Kim, who has connections with both manager Bob Melvin and outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee. At last month¡¯s GM Meetings, president of baseball operations Buster Posey confirmed that shortstop was an area he was looking to upgrade this offseason.

¡°If we could find a shortstop, that would be great,¡± Posey said. ¡°I think Tyler Fitzgerald did a great job at short last year. I think he has value in multiple spots on the field. I do think it¡¯s hard to play multiple spots at the same time during the season. Whether he¡¯d be better suited to play second base long term is a discussion we¡¯re having.¡±

• All the latest Adames rumors

Soto sweepstakes rounding third?

The Juan Soto sweepstakes appear to be heading toward their conclusion, with four teams clearly establishing themselves as favorites for the generational talent.

The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all believed to be willing to pay Soto $600 million or more, potentially creating a four-way bidding war between now and the Winter Meetings, which get underway in Dallas next Monday.

• Soto favorites have emerged, and rumors are flying. Let's discuss

Agent Scott Boras said Tuesday that Soto is in the process of evaluating his options after meeting with the interested clubs. The Dodgers also met with Soto, but sources indicate that Los Angeles is unlikely to sign the four-time All-Star.

¡°We¡¯ve had meetings with a number of franchises,¡± Boras told reporters at the Dodgers¡¯ press conference to introduce Blake Snell. ¡°He¡¯s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we¡¯ll see, but I don¡¯t think anything is imminent in the near future.¡±

League sources believe Soto will make his decision by next week¡¯s meetings, setting the stage for an announcement in Dallas with the entire baseball world on hand.

Catch me if you can

While the free-agent market is deep with both starting pitching and bullpen arms, the position-player market is top heavy at most spots.

Alex Bregman is the clear-cut top option at third base, while Adames is the No. 1 shortstop by a wide margin. Torres is the best second baseman available, while Pete Alonso and Christian Walker are two solid options for clubs looking for first-base help. Free-agent outfielders include Soto, Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez and Anthony Santander.

The catching market, on the other hand, is awfully thin.

Kyle Higashioka¡¯s two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Rangers took the best remaining catcher off the market, joining Travis d¡¯Arnaud (two years, $12 million with the Angels) as backstops to cash in already this offseason.

¡°It¡¯s a very thin market right now in terms of free-agent alternatives,¡± a National League executive said.

Catchers haven¡¯t been a big presence in free agency in recent years, so this year¡¯s dearth of depth at the position isn¡¯t surprising. Last year, Mitch Garver signed for two years and $24 million with the Mariners, while Victor Caratini landed a two-year, $12 million contract from the Astros.

Two years ago, the top catching deals were Willson Contreras (five years, $87.5 million with the Cardinals), Christian V¨¢zquez (three years, $30 million with the Twins) and Omar Narv¨¢ez (two years, $15 million with the Mets). The only catcher to sign an eight-figure deal in the 2022-23 offseason was Yan Gomes (two years, $13 million with the Cubs).

The last time more than three catchers signed eight-figure deals in the same offseason was 2016-17, when Jason Castro, Matt Wieters, Welington Castillo and Wilson Ramos all signed deals worth at least $10 million guaranteed.

With few options in free agency ¨C Carson Kelly, Danny Jansen, Yasmani Grandal, Elias D¨ªaz and Gary S¨¢nchez lead the current list of available catchers ¨C clubs looking for catching help may have to turn to the trade market, with the Twins, Mariners, Yankees and Cardinals among the teams with depth at the position.

¡°I think some teams will have to [look at trades] given the lack of desirable free-agent catchers,¡± an NL executive said. ¡°There are some clubs who have an obvious glut of catchers; those clubs figure to be active trade partners for those in need.¡±

Two other teams to watch: the Dodgers (Will Smith) and Orioles (Adley Rutschman) are set behind the plate, which could make highly regarded prospects Samuel Basallo (Orioles No. 2, No. 13 on MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100) and Dalton Rushing (Dodgers No. 1 prospect, No. 39 on Top 100) potential trade targets.

¡°Teams are going to have to get creative if they need catching,¡± an American League executive said. ¡°It¡¯s become a difficult position to find good options.¡±