Yankees should trade for Matt Olson, not sign free agent Freddie Freeman.

The New York Yankees need a first baseman for the 2022 season.

They are considering two options for first base:

Freddie Freeman: Born: September 12, 1989 (Age: 32-182 days); free agent; Atlanta Braves 2010-2021.

The Yankees can sign Freeman by outbidding other teams and signing him to a long expensive contract, probably at least six years. That means that Freeman would be 37 years old in year six of the contract.

Matt Olson: Born: March 29, 1994 (Age: 27-349 days); free agent 2024; Oakland As 2016-2021.

The Yankees can trade for Olson, probably by offering top minor league prospects. Then sign Olson to a new contract. Olson will be 28 this month, so a six year deal starting in 2022 would take Olson through 2007, his age 33 season. Or keep him in his current contract for 2022 and 2023, then deal with him as a free agent.

Olson would be less expensive and younger. The question is whether the Yankees should trade top prospects.

I don't pretend to know how valuable those minor league players are. I have the impression that the Yankees should not trade their best of multiple shortstop prospects, Anthony Volpe. The Yankees just traded for shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, probably for one year or until Volpe is ready to move up through the Yankees minor league teams and join the big league Yankees.

After that, maybe offer their second best shortstop prospect and a starting pitcher prospect. Then let the negotiating begin.

Supporting stats on first basemen:

2021 first basemen:

Rk	Player	OPS+	PA	WAR/pos	dWAR	oWAR	Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
1	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	169	698	6.8	-0.7	6.6	2021	22	TOR	AL	161	604	123	188	29	1	48	111	86	7	110	6	0	2	20	4	1	.311	.401	.601	1.002	*3D/5
2	Matt Olson	153	673	5.8	-0.2	5.2	2021	27	OAK	AL	156	565	101	153	35	0	39	111	88	12	113	9	0	11	17	4	1	.271	.372	.540	.911	*3/D
3	Paul Goldschmidt	143	679	6.1	-0.1	5.3	2021	33	STL	NL	158	603	102	177	36	2	31	99	67	2	136	4	0	5	13	12	0	.294	.365	.514	.879	*3/DH
4	Max Muncy	138	592	4.9	0.2	4.2	2021	30	LAD	NL	144	497	95	124	26	2	36	94	83	5	120	11	0	1	7	2	1	.250	.368	.527	.895	*34/5HD
5	Joey Votto	136	533	3.5	-0.4	3.2	2021	37	CIN	NL	129	448	73	119	23	1	36	99	77	6	127	4	0	4	7	1	0	.266	.375	.563	.938	*3/HD
6	Pete Alonso	134	637	4.2	-0.4	3.7	2021	26	NYM	NL	152	561	81	147	27	3	37	94	60	6	127	12	0	4	20	3	0	.262	.344	.519	.863	*3/DH
7	Freddie Freeman	133	695	4.7	-0.7	4.5	2021	31	ATL	NL	159	600	120	180	25	2	31	83	85	15	107	8	0	2	11	8	3	.300	.393	.503	.896	*3
8	Yuli Gurriel	131	605	3.7	-0.2	3.2	2021	37	HOU	AL	143	530	83	169	31	0	15	81	59	2	68	4	0	12	16	1	1	.319	.384	.462	.846	*3/D5
9	C.J. Cron	130	547	3.4	-0.5	3.1	2021	31	COL	NL	142	470	70	132	31	1	28	92	60	3	117	13	0	4	11	1	0	.281	.375	.530	.905	*3H/D
10	Jared Walsh	128	585	2.8	-1.0	3.1	2021	27	LAA	AL	144	530	70	147	34	1	29	98	48	6	152	4	0	3	7	2	1	.277	.340	.509	.850	*39/H
11	José Abreu	125	659	3.0	-0.9	3.1	2021	34	CHW	AL	152	566	86	148	30	2	30	117	61	3	143	22	0	10	28	1	0	.262	.351	.481	.831	*3D/5
12	Josh Bell	124	568	3.1	-0.7	3.1	2021	28	WSN	NL	144	498	75	130	24	1	27	88	65	2	101	2	0	3	22	0	0	.261	.347	.476	.823	*3H/7D9
13	Nathaniel Lowe	113	642	2.4	-1.1	2.6	2021	25	TEX	AL	157	557	75	147	24	3	18	72	80	2	162	2	0	3	13	8	0	.264	.357	.415	.771	*3/DH5
14	Jesus Aguilar	112	510	1.4	-0.4	1.2	2021	31	MIA	NL	131	449	49	117	23	0	22	93	46	4	93	3	0	7	11	0	0	.261	.329	.459	.788	*3H/D5
15	Miguel Sano	112	532	1.0	-1.5	1.7	2021	28	MIN	AL	135	470	68	105	24	0	30	75	59	2	183	2	0	1	13	2	1	.223	.312	.466	.778	*3D/5H

First basemen 2011-2021; WAR is a total:

Rk	Player	OPS+	PA	WAR/pos	dWAR	oWAR	From	To	Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos	Tm
1	Joey Votto	147	6258	49.5	-3.2	44.3	2011	2021	27-37	1444	5096	846	1516	322	15	241	767	1069	119	1133	51	0	42	132	52	18	.298	.421	.508	.930	*3/HD7	CIN
2	Paul Goldschmidt	142	6300	50.7	-3.3	45.4	2011	2021	23-33	1469	5366	939	1572	341	22	280	927	837	107	1404	39	0	46	127	140	33	.293	.389	.521	.911	*3/HD	ARI-STL
3	Freddie Freeman	139	6636	43.2	-8.0	42.3	2011	2021	21-31	1545	5743	966	1700	366	25	270	940	776	102	1304	76	0	41	125	53	24	.296	.385	.510	.894	*3/5HD	ATL
4	José Abreu	135	4827	27.7	-7.5	28.7	2014	2021	27-34	1113	4353	612	1262	263	16	228	788	324	54	978	105	0	45	148	11	5	.290	.350	.515	.865	*3D/H5	CHW
5	Matt Olson	134	2369	18.1	1.2	14.1	2016	2021	22-27	575	2048	323	517	101	1	142	373	272	25	555	35	0	14	50	7	2	.252	.348	.511	.859	*3/9HD	OAK
6	Anthony Rizzo	127	5992	36.8	-0.9	29.8	2011	2021	21-31	1406	5113	762	1372	291	21	251	814	661	68	945	178	0	40	119	66	36	.268	.369	.481	.850	*3/H417D5	SDP-CHC-NYY
7	Brandon Belt	125	4781	27.2	-2.6	23.0	2011	2021	23-33	1232	4136	603	1092	258	35	167	561	580	33	1124	40	1	24	50	46	21	.264	.358	.465	.823	*3H/79D	SFG
8	Adrian Gonzalez	123	4415	23.9	0.9	16.9	2011	2018	29-36	1071	3972	509	1150	251	4	149	677	367	63	740	25	0	49	112	5	5	.290	.349	.467	.817	*3/H9D	BOS-LAD-NYM
9	Josh Bell	118	2759	6.0	-7.2	9.5	2016	2021	23-28	696	2398	358	626	129	14	113	397	325	25	518	10	0	26	67	4	11	.261	.348	.468	.816	*3/HD97	PIT-WSN
10	Yuli Gurriel	116	2721	13.8	-0.9	11.9	2016	2021	32-37	655	2501	347	734	166	5	86	382	158	5	297	25	0	37	75	15	9	.294	.337	.467	.804	*3/5D4H67	HOU
11	Mark Teixeira	111	2679	9.9	-1.6	8.1	2011	2016	31-36	644	2312	317	541	106	2	134	392	302	16	511	33	0	32	51	11	3	.234	.327	.455	.782	*3/DH

Is Freeman worth the big bucks and older age?

Is Olson worth the minor league players who would be exchanged for him ... and pretty big bucks?