NEW YORK — The Yankees may have found an unconventional addition to their future third base picture nearly 11,000 kilometers from the Bronx.
New York is nearing an agreement with South Korean teenage infielder Seongcheol Cho, one of the more physically imposing players available from the country’s amateur ranks.
The move would take Cho out of the KBO development pipeline before a Korean club ever gets the opportunity to draft him.
Sports Chosun reported Thursday that the Yankees and Cho are in the final stages of an agreement. The 17-year-old did not submit an application for the upcoming KBO rookie draft, according to the report, signaling that his professional path is increasingly pointed toward the United States.
There is one important catch.
Cho cannot formally sign until Jan. 15, 2027. So the Yankees have not officially added him to their farm system, and no signing bonus has been reported.
Still, the emerging agreement gives New York an intriguing international prospect whose profile already looks built for a corner infield position.
Yankees target very different kind of international prospect
Cho plays for Raon High School in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
At approximately 189 centimeters and 102 kilograms, he already owns the frame of a much older professional hitter.
That physicality shows up at the plate.
Current Korean amateur data lists Cho with a .344 average across 79 plate appearances this season. RookiezPark credits him with a .344/.462/.656 slash line, four home runs and a 1.118 OPS while listing his primary position as third base.
Cho also earned home run and RBI honors during the second half of the 2026 high school weekend league schedule.
The power production makes his fit with the Yankees particularly interesting.
New York has spent years looking for young impact bats capable of developing the kind of power that plays at Yankee Stadium. Cho remains years away from the majors, but his combination of size, strength and left-handed power gives the Yankees another high-upside bat to develop.
Contrary to some early descriptions circulating in the United States, Cho is not a right-handed hitter. Korean player records list him as throwing right-handed and batting left-handed.
That only makes the potential Yankee Stadium fit more noticeable.
Cho brings more than one tool to Yankees system
Calling Cho merely a third baseman also understates his amateur background.
He has worked as a two-way player.
Cho has logged 18 innings on the mound this year with a 3.00 ERA and 23 strikeouts. His pitching experience offers another indication of his arm strength and overall athleticism, even if his professional future ultimately rests with his bat.
The Yankees would not need to make that decision immediately.
At 17, Cho would enter one of the organization’s lowest developmental levels and have years to refine his defensive position, swing decisions and approach against professional pitching.
There are already indicators that the bat carries risk along with the upside. Cho’s physical power has produced significant damage, but developing consistent contact will become increasingly important as he encounters better velocity and breaking pitches.
That is normal territory for an international player this young.
What separates Cho is the ceiling attached to the physical package.
The Yankees would essentially be acquiring a high school draft prospect without using a domestic MLB draft selection.
Yankees beat KBO clubs to Cho
The circumstances surrounding Cho’s expected move are just as notable as the player himself.
South Korean clubs were preparing for their Sept. 21 KBO rookie draft when several prominent amateurs began choosing MLB organizations instead.
Sports Chosun reported that Cho is among three additional Korean prospects preparing to take the American route. Shortstop Nam Hyun-woo has moved toward an agreement with the Detroit Tigers, while pitcher Kwon Si-woo has reached an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Cho’s talks with the Yankees are in their final stages.
If all of the pending moves become official, six Korean amateur prospects from this class will have chosen MLB organizations.
The trend has generated concern among KBO scouts because players expected to populate the upper portions of the domestic draft are disappearing from the available pool.
Cho’s exact draft value is difficult to pin down. Korean reporting describes the departing group as containing players considered likely high-round selections. Public mock drafts have varied significantly on Cho because teams could evaluate him as either a hitter or pitcher.
What is clear is that the Yankees saw enough upside to pursue him before the KBO could acquire his rights.
Third base adds another layer to Yankees gamble
The timing makes the positional projection particularly interesting.
Ryan McMahon currently occupies third base for the Yankees, although he is on the injured list with a Grade 2 sprain of his left thumb. McMahon entered the IL hitting .216 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs in 106 games.
Cho is obviously not an answer to New York’s present roster problem.
He is a long-range investment.
But organizations rarely find 17-year-old third basemen with a 189-centimeter frame, left-handed power and legitimate two-way experience without spending either significant draft capital or international bonus money.
The Yankees appear prepared to use the latter route.
There will be a considerable developmental gap between hitting Korean high school pitching and producing against professional arms in the United States. Cho’s defensive home also remains something the organization can evaluate after he enters its system.
Third base, however, offers a logical landing spot.
His size already points toward a corner position. His throwing background provides the arm strength normally demanded at third. Most importantly, his offensive profile carries the power potential teams seek from the position.
For the Yankees, that makes this more than an unusual international signing.
They are attempting to take a promising Korean power bat out of the KBO draft before another organization can build around him.
If the agreement reaches the finish line, Cho’s road to professional baseball will begin not in the KBO League, but inside the Yankees’ development system.
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