New York Yankees: 5 Surprise Players the Yankees Should Consider This Offseason

The New York Yankees are looking to upgrade their team because of their disappointing loss to the Detroit Tigers in the 2011 ALDS, but if they want to stay below the $200 million barrier they will have to look at younger, more obscure players than the usual Felix Hernandez and CJ Wilson-type players.

Let's see who could be traded this offseason that the Yankees would look at for a possible trade.

Kyle Drabek

2011 Stats

78.2 IP, 4-5, 6.06 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 51 K, 55 BB

Bob Elliot, from the Toronto Sun, said the New York Yankees are interested in Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kyle Drabek.

The Yankees need pitching and it would be nice for them to add another young high-potential arm to their trio of Ivan Nova, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances.

Drabek is a 23-year-old righty who was drafted 18th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2006 MLB draft and was ranked as the 29th-best prospect in all of baseball in 2010. Drabek was the key piece that was sent from Philadelphia to Toronto in the Roy Halladay trade, and while he has shown promise he has major control issues.

One of the most speculated reasons for why Drabek struggled in Triple-A (7.44 ERA) compared to Double-A (2.94 ERA) was because the Blue Jays took his second-best pitch away, his cutter. If Drabek can work with Mariano Rivera for one season and he reintroduces a better cutter Drabek could be a steal because the Yankees would be buying low after his disappointing stint in the majors.

Michael Pineda

2011 Stats

171.0 IP, 9-10, 3.74 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 173 K, 55 BB

Michael Pineda is better than Kyle Drabek, but he will cost much more. Personally, I love Pineda and think he would work well with Nova, Banuelos and Betances.

I posted my full feeling about Michael Pineda here but I will paraphrase my thoughts.

Michael Pineda is a 23-year-old righty from the Domincan Republic that looked excellent last year. Pineda started off the year by posting a 3.03 ERA before the All-Star break. Yes, he did fall off after that, but another offseason will help build up his stamina for the long haul.

Pineda also can hit 99 mph on the radar, but averages around 95 mph to go along with his 9.1 K/BB. Pineda also has durability issues due to his 6'7", 260-pound frame.

There are a few issues, Pineda had a huge 0.95 HR/nine and a lowly 36 percent ground-ball rate in 2011, and in Yankee Stadium that will not cut it. Pineda also relies heavily on only two pitches: his fastball and slider. He does have a good changeup and curveball, but he rarely uses them because of how good his other two pitches are. In order to become a better pitcher Pineda will have to learn to use his entire repertoire.

Andrew Bailey

2011 Stats

41.2 IP, 6-3, 3.24 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 26 SV, 91 K, 24 BB

Buster Olney from ESPN said that Andrew Bailey's chances to be traded are 100 percent.

Andrew Bailey had a disappointing 2011 season. A 3.24 ERA may not sound disappointing but in 2009 and 2010 Bailey recorded a 1.70 ERA.

The Yankees already have a great bullpen so why would they want the 27-year-old righty?

Unfortunately Mariano Rivera will probably retire after the 2012 season and David Robertson will take over as closer. Now, who in the Yankees bullpen do you trust in the eighth inning? Rafael Soriano? No. Joba Chamberlain? Maybe, but only if he comes back from Tommy John surgery. Phil Hughes? Not really. I just don't trust anybody, I do trust Andrew Bailey.

Andrew McCutchen

2011 Stats

.259/.364/.456, .820 OPS, 23 HR, 89 RBI, 23 SB

Keith Law reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates would "listen" to offers for Andrew McCutchen.

Yes, McCutchen's batting average was awful but he drew a ton of walks, stole bases, has power in his bat and he played good defense at only 25 years old. The Yankees have a hole in right field if Nick Swisher is shipped out, and for the future even if he is not, and McCutchen could fill that hole for years to come.

Andrew McCutchen will become a perennial All-Star in the majors if he keeps improving. This deal seems very unlikely, but Brian Cashman never shows his hand and makes deals nobody sees coming (Mark Teixeira was supposed to be headed to Boston in 2008).

Jorge Soler

No Stats Available

Jorge Soler will be a long-term option in right field like Andrew McCutchen, but it will take two to three years before Soler is ready for the majors while McCutchen has already spent a season in the majors.

Many people may not know who Jorge Soler is because he is in the shadow of fellow Cuban-defector Yoennis Cespedes, but the 19-year-old Cuban defector has serious talent.

Jorge Soler may not be as well-rounded as Yoennis Cespedes but they are very similar. Both Soler and Cespedes play in the outfield and are legitimate five-tool players.

Soler will come much cheaper than Cespedes, but because of his age he has the potential to become a much better player in the long run.