New York Yankees: Who Will Play Third Base?

With the bad news that Alex Rodriguez could miss 10 weeks after having surgery to remove a cyst from his hip, the Yankees must now face the reality of who will replace Rodriguez.

The most obvious in-house answer would have to be Cody Ransom. Is he really an option?

During his career, Ransom has played 166 games since 2001 in the major leagues. In that time ,he has a career .251 batting average, a decent .348 OBP, and a modest .432 slugging percentage, for a total of a .780 OPS. That’s certainly not horrible.

Last season, he spent most of his time with the Scranton Yankees. While there, he hit .255 with a .338 OBP, and a .482 slugging percentage, for a total of a .820 OPS.

Another internal option might be Eric Duncan, but even I am laughing as I type this, so I’m not going to get into it. I just felt like it might be worth it throwing his name out there. He’s been in the minor league camp all preseason, and this news might at least get him switched to the major league camp for a look at the future.

If you want to look outside the organization everyone has their own options. Here is a rundown of them via MLB Trade Rumors:

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“Gammons speculates that Garrett Atkins or Chad Tracy could be fits for the Yanks, but the price for Atkins could be high.  River Ave. Blues likes Mark Grudzielanek or possibly Bobby Crosby as other external options, while ESPN’s Buster Olney speculates on Bill Hall (who is recovering from a torn calf).”

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Those options aren’t bad, I have my own thought—Chone Figgins. If the Yankees could make a deal with the Angels for Figgins, he could be slotted in as the starting third baseman. After A-Rod’s May return, he could become a great utility player, giving the Yankees a strong bench.

It is unclear to me whether the Yankees could pry him from the Angels, but they have a few pieces to offer that are attractive, starting with Ian Kennedy. They could throw in Triple-A first baseman Juan Miranda, who is currently blocked by Mark Teixeira, into any deal. If they were trading for Figgins, they could then afford to add Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher into any deal, because once A-Rod returns, Figgins would fill the spot left vacant by either of them.

I don’t know if my preference is realistic or not, but hopefully they won’t go with Ransom. Not because I don’t like Ransom, but mostly because taking him off the bench promotes Angel Berroa, and he is a train wreck.