New York Yankees: 10 Players the Bronx Bombers Should Aim For This Winter
The big story of this Yankee season has been the starting pitching, so it is no coincidence that this list has only four batters included.
The Yankees have had disastrous seasons for how much they are paying both AJ Burnett and Javier Vazquez.
So it is without question that the Yankees need to address the top five arms on the squad and shore up their rotation when it comes time to make their offers to free agents this winter.
Without further ado, here are the 10 players that New York should take a run at this winter.
No. 10: Justin Duchscherer
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Duchscherer has pitched in only five games in the past two years. Why would the Yankees want a guy who has pitched only 28 innings in two years, you may ask?
Duchscherer would come as a low-risk, high-reward type pitcher, as he would be easily signed to a minor-league contract or an incentive-based deal.
This would allow the team to put very little money in a former All Star who has a career 3.13 ERA.
He could easily be a guy who wins a roster spot and possibly become a part of the rotation at mere pennies on the dollar, or he could just as easily not be the same pitcher after hip surgery. The good thing is it would only cost a maximum of a few million dollars to find out.
No. 9: Pedro Feliciano
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While he has had better years than last year with the Mets, he has shown himself to be quite a workhorse out of the bullpen.
Feliciano has led the league for three years in appearances by a pitcher, and has been a pretty effective pitcher for the past five years, posting an ERA below 3.10 in four of them.
Feliciano could be the lefty specialist that the Yankees have been searching for in the past two or three years.
No. 8: Adam Kennedy
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Adam Kennedy has had a downturn in offensive production this season, dipping below .250, after hitting for .280 or better in the previous two.
Kennedy's loss in offensive production, however, has in no way carried over to his defensive production.
Kennedy is still as effective as ever in the field, and is versatile enough to play first, second, third, or any outfield position.
He would be a good guy to pick up to be a defensive sub, a glove off the bench to give A-Rod or Teixeira a day off, or just an emergency guy if someone gets injured.
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No. 7: Yu Darvish
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It's only a matter of time before the tidal wave of offers roll into the latest phenom from the Far East.
This guy has had an amazing career in Japan, with a stunning 1.81 ERA and a 0.872 WHIP. He has also had a good showing in the World Baseball Classic, going 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA.
He has a large repertoire of pitches, throwing a hard four-seamer, a quick breaking slider, a two-seamer, a curveball, a splitter, a cutter, and a change-up.
While the Yanks have had bad luck with Asian pitchers in the past, with the failed experiments of Kei Igawa and Hideki Irabu, and the injuries to Chien-Ming Wang, Darvish could be the guy to break the curse.
It could be expensive to get the lanky righty to come to the states, but it couldn't hurt for the Yankees to throw their hat into the ring.
No. 6: Hiroki Kuroda
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Kuroda has been one of the most consistent pitchers for the Dodgers over the past three years, and he has the tools to continue to be successful.
He has put up a career-best 3.39 ERA this season with a 1.16 WHIP. Kuroda would easily be able to be the team's fourth or fifth starter, and eat up around 200 innings.
Kuroda has great control, with a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio, and is showing improvement in striking out major-league hitters, with a career high 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
No. 5: Derrek Lee
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Lee could be next year what the Yankees hoped Nick Johnson would be this year.
Signing Derrek Lee could provide New York with a steady designated hitter and a fill-in first baseman with defensive abilities that are still pretty good.
Like Johnson, Lee is a guy who is pretty patient at the plate. Unlike Johnson, Lee has shown the ability to hit for a high average, power, and stay healthy.
On paper it seems as if Lee is in decline. He has posted a .260 average while striking out 134 times, his most since 2002.
He has, however, hit 19 home runs this year and 35 doubles, which shows he can still hit the ball far when he gets the bat on it.
For the price, Lee might be a good investment in order to shore up the DH and have another menacing bat in the lineup.
No. 4: JJ Putz
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After his disastrous year with the Mets in 2009, Putz seems like a silly pickup as far as high-caliber free agent relievers go.
Putz posted an ugly 5.22 ERA as the set-up man for Francisco Rodriguez.
However, Putz said in February that he was unhappy with the way the Mets managed him, telling him to play through the pain that most likely was related to a bone spur in his elbow that required surgery.
If that were true, then it would explain why the former Mariner closer saw his ERA balloon rapidly with the Mets and then fall yet again to his normal ERA with Seattle.
Putz could be just the guy to fill in the eighth inning spot that nobody seemed to hold down with regularity this year.
No. 3: Jose Molina
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The Toronto Blue Jays own a $1.2 million option on the contract of Jose Molina, and it seems likely that they will exercise it, as he has been an effective backup to starter John Buck.
However, whether the Blue Jays decide to keep Molina, the Yankees should go after him by trade or free agency if possible.
In 11 starts behind the plate for Burnett last year, Molina led the troubled pitcher to a 3.28 ERA, .221 BAA and 10.1 K/9. In 16 starts for Burnett last year, Jorge Posada led him to a whopping 4.98 ERA, .270 BAA and 7.3 K/9. A noticeable difference.
Even under the glove of Francisco Cervelli this year, Burnett has managed only a 4.35 ERA and a whopping 7.28 ERA in 38 innings with Posada catching this year.
Whether the reasons are in his head or because Molina is actually that good behind the plate, the Yankees should look to reacquire Jose, if only to settle down the troubled mind of AJ Burnett.
No. 2: Carl Crawford
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Crawford is easily the best position player on the free agent market this winter, so naturally the Yankees will want to go after him.
Putting Crawford into the Yankee lineup would instantly give them another player who is a threat to hit .300 and hit 20 home runs, and it would also give them another player who is a threat to steal 50 bases.
Put him in the Yankee outfield and it would become a black hole. The trio of Crawford, Brett Gardner, and Curtis Granderson patrolling the Yankee grass would shrink gaps, stop advancing runners, and turn bloop singles into outs.
The addition of Crawford would have an enormous effect on the Yankees and an even bigger effect on their division counterparts in Tampa Bay.
No. 1: Cliff Lee
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Cliff Lee has been a stud when he puts his all into his pitching.
During his 2008 Cy Young campaign with the Indians, Lee threw up a 22-3 record with a 2.55 ERA. He had five games in which he earned a loss or a no decision when he allowed three or fewer runs.
He only lost a game every other month.
This past July, it was all but a done deal for the Yankees, who had a trade in place for Lee. The Yankees planned to hopefully re-sign Lee this winter after the trade went down. Unfortunately for them, the trade fell apart and the Rangers swooped in and snagged Lee from the reeling Mariners.
Lee will likely be the top target for the Yankees, as they have a definite interest in the crafty lefty. The Yanks obviously have the money to spend on Lee, and will have the added bonus of having his former teammate CC Sabathia on the roster to help convince him to come to the Bronx.
If the Yankees are successful in signing Lee and Carl Crawford in another free agent bonanza, they will be a team nearly impossible to stop next season.
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