New York Yankees: 3 Last-Minute Moves They Should Consider
The offseason is rolling to a stop. Spring training is right around the bend—squint and you can see it.
The possibility for last-minute deals remains, however, as teams tinker around the edges of their rosters and look to plug any remaining holes.
For the New York Yankees, that could mean bolstering the starting rotation, the bullpen and possibly adding a veteran catcher to the mix behind budding star Gary Sanchez.
Let's take those priorities.
Add a Starting Pitcher
The Yankees have been linked to Chicago White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana, with USA Today's Bob Nightengale even reporting talks had taken place. But at this point, a blockbuster trade of any kind falls somewhere between unlikely and not gonna happen.
Still, New York's rotation is a bastion of question marks.
Masahiro Tanaka is the undisputed No. 1. After that, it's creaky left-hander CC Sabathia, mercurial righty Michael Pineda and some combination of Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Luis Cessa and Chad Green.
The Yankees shouldn't break the bank or mortgage the farm to add depth. They don't have to if they target a lower-tier free agent such as Jason Hammel, who is still flapping in the February breeze.
Hammel is no one's idea of an ace, but the 34-year-old posted a 3.83 ERA in 166.2 innings for the champion Chicago Cubs last season.
His 4.48 FIP and modest 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings suggest a No. 4 or No. 5 arm. He could thus likely be had on an inexpensive, short-term deal and would add valuable depth for a club that's technically rebuilding but always under pressure to win.
Sign a Lefty Reliever
General manager Brian Cashman did the heavy lifting when he brought fireballing closer Aroldis Chapman back to the Big Apple for five years and $86 million.
Chapman joins righty setup men Dellin Betances and Tyler Clippard to create a formidable back of the bullpen.
The Yankees could use another proven left-handed option in the middle innings, however, to supplement LOOGY Tommy Layne.
Fortunately, a number of high-upside options remain unsigned, including Jerry Blevins (2.79 ERA, 52 strikeouts, 42 innings with the New York Mets) and Boone Logan (3.69 ERA, 57 strikeouts, 46.1 innings with the Colorado Rockies).
In late December, Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media reported that Blevins was seeking a three-year deal worth around $5 million per season.
If he's willing to accept a lesser commitment at this late stage, the Yankees should pounce.
Acquire a Veteran Catcher
The Yanks are all-in on Sanchez, who hit 20 home runs and posted a .299/.376/.657 slash line in 53 games in 2016.
"Honestly speaking, this first time around, I felt confident against every pitcher I faced," Sanchez told me in November. "I didn't feel overmatched against anybody."
That said, growing pains are inevitable, and the depth chart is thin after the Yanks shipped Brian McCann to the Houston Astros.
Austin Romine is the best bet to back up Sanchez. The 28-year-old owns a .222/.256/.329 line in 139 MLB games and rates as a below-average pitch-framer, per StatCorner.
The Yankees aren't going to snag a headline-grabbing receiver such as four-time All-Star Matt Wieters, who is unsigned as of this writing.
Many of the down-ticket options, including Kurt Suzuki and Nick Hundley, have been claimed.
It's a stretch, but New York could consider the 40-year-old A.J. Pierzynski, who hit a scant .219 in 81 games last season with the Atlanta Braves. On the other hand, he hit .300 in 113 games in 2015 and has a couple of All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger on his resume, along with a wealth of catching knowledge.
This is bottom-of-the-barrel scraping, no question there. A savvy, seasoned backstop, however, could be a worthwhile wild card to assist Sanchez's development.
All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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