So, the Yankee roster is essentially set. There will be a battle for the 5th spot in the rotation (between 5 guys according to Cashman, but does anybody actually think Gaudin, Mitre or Aceves actually stand a chance?), and a bunch of guys will face off to finish off the bullpen, but for the most part, no new players will be added; except for someone to play left field. There are many options and only a few which make sense. The Yankees can add someone as a starter, or, more likely considering they SAY they only have $2 mil to spend, they can add a right handed hitter to platoon with Gardner, give Granderson some time off vs. Lefties and add some pop off the bench. For me, it comes down to seven possibilities, lets take at them.Rocco Baldelli
Baldelli, former Tampa Bay Ray and Boston Red Sock, is an interesting player in many aspects. He came in 3rd for ROY voting in 2003 at age 21 and followed up with a solid sophomore year by hitting .280 with 16 homers, but then he missed all of 2005 with an injury. He came back in 2006 to play in 92 games and hit over .300 with 16 homers yet again, but over the next three years he would battle injuries and never play in more than 62 games (2009). It would eventually be discovered that Baldelli suffered from channelopathy, a disorder that makes him easily fatigued, which explained his injuries. Knowing this will affect how much Baldelli is played and can hopefully more easily prevent injuries. Although he has only played in 3 games in Left Field in his career, his UZR/150 there is 61.9 and his UZR/150 for center is 4.2 in almost 400 games, making it seem that a transition to left would go smoothly. It seems as though Baldelli has been in the majors forever, but he will only be 28 next year and has a career .279 BA, while also having a .295 BA in his career vs. lefties. If healthy, Baldelli can play all three outfield positions well while also displaying decent power; unfortunately, that is a very big if. Last year, Baldelli signed for $500,000 with incentives and a similar contract can be expected this year as well.
Johnny Damon
We all know this story by now so I will keep it short. I know the Yankees say they only have $2 mil to spend, but if push came to shove, I believe the Yanks would give Damon $5 mil. Will he play for that much though is the real question. We all know what he can do so I will not get into specifics, but lets not forget last year he posted his career high strikeout rate and while also getting a career low in SB. Damon will be 36 next year and isn't getting any younger. According to Jon Heyman (and Jerry Hairston Jr.), the Yankees and Damon continue to stay in contact.
Jermaine Dye
Although Dye hit 27 homers last year, his stock is very low at this time. He hit .250 with a very average .340 OB%, which is actually 2 points above his career average. He battled injuries but managed to play in 141 games and has a very strong career BA against lefties of .287 with a .366 OB%. Problem is, his defense is absolutely terrible, posting a UZR/150 of -24.5 in 2009. Is this defense worth it for a guy who could hit 10-15 homers in a limited role? I don't know. Dye will be 36 next year and is looking for more than $2 mil.
Jonny Gomes
Points for him are instantly deducted for spelling his name that way. Gomes had his first solid season since 2005 last year by hitting .267 with 20 homers and a .541 slugging %. In his career, Gomes is a .274 career hitter vs. lefties with a .517 slugging %, unfortunately, like Damon and Dye, he is an absolutely terrible fielder. His 2009 UZR/150 was -23.4, meaning that he should basically never be placed in the field. He can kill lefties, but he can't step foot on the field without costing his team runs. Like Baldelli though, he easily would fit into the Yankees price range and will only be 29 next year.
Reed Johnson
Johnson is a name that has been linked to the Yankees all off season, but like Bengie Molina and the Mets showed us, that doesn't mean anything. Johnson will be 33 next year and has a strong career BA of .282, but had a down year in 2009 hitting .255. With that said, his career BA vs. lefties is a very strong .313 and an OB% of .378. Oddly, Johnson is a poor defender in center (with a career UZR/150 of -14.8) and right (with a career UZR/150 of -7.9), but in left he is a very strong defender with a career UZR/150 of 23.3 in 434 games. He would be getting the majority of his playing time there, although if he is signed, he may see some time in center and right as well.
Xavier Nady
Nady, has had an interesting past two years. Two years ago, he had his best season ever at age 29 hitting .305 with 25 homers and 97 RBI, but then in 2009, he played in only seven games and required Tommy John surgery (the second of his career!). Nady is a career .308 hitter against lefties, but coming off of a second Tommy John surgery, who knows if he will be able to even swing a bat, let alone pick it up. With Scott Boras as his agent, he is looking for more than the $2 mil the Yankees have to offer, but there has been little interest thus far for his services and considering Rick Ankiel barely got $3 mil and he actually played more than 7 games last year, I don't know how much Nady can realistically expect. His career overall UZR/150 is -4.5 but in left it is 1.8, so he is slightly above average, although it really wouldn't go noticed. On the other hand, this is defensively a pretty bad group so average defense would be welcomed!
Marcus Thames
Thames, who will be 33 next year, made his debut as a 25 year old in 2002 as...... you guessed it, a New York Yankee! His first professional at bat came in Yankee pinstripes against Randy Johnson and he managed to hit a home run. That would be a sign of things to come as has posted a career SLG % of .516 against lefties. Other than that though, he is pretty useless. His .306 career OB% is terrible and his -12.2 UZR/150 in left is not good either. On the other hand, how important will those things be when 85% of his at bats are against lefties and he can be replaced late in games by Gardner and/or Jamie Hoffman?
So, when it comes down to it, who do you guys think is the best option? Johnny Damon obviously makes the most sense if he is willing to play for $5 mil, but the odds of that are low and although nobody ever reveals what they are thinking, Brian Cash Money has repeatedly said he is looking for a RIGHT HANDED hitting outfielder and has said he is not looking for any more lefty bats. Of the other 6, Dye will provide the most power, Johnson provides the most reliability, but if everyone stays healthy, Baldelli may be the best fit. Gomes, Thames and Dye are too poor defensively for me to pick them out of this group. Nady is a complete question mark considering his injuries, especially at his potential price. So for me it comes down to Reed Johnson and Rocco Baldelli (if Damon can't be signed). As mentioned before, you know what you will get from Johnson. He can only field left field well and hits lefties very well, although his power is not the greatest and he isn't the youngest guy in the game anymore. Baldelli on the other hand can play everywhere needed and play them all well. He can hit for power, hit for average, steal bases, hit lefties well while also hitting righties; problem is, there is a very strong chance that he can play in 10 games. Both of these guys will cost about $1 mil, maybe more for Johnson, maybe less for Baldelli, but neither will break the bank. It all comes down to whether or not you think the risk is worth it. Baldelli is the better player, but Johnson will stay on the field. I may be a little biased due to the fact that I have always been a big Baldelli fan, but my pick would be Baldelli. If he stays healthy, this would be a bargain contract. If not, he won't cost much and as we saw last year in Hinske and Hairston, bench players can be filled easily throughout the year.
So what do you guys think? Do you want a big name like Dye? Should we even keep talking to Damon? Does the fact that Gomes and Thames kill lefties make up for their lackluster defense? Is Johnson the best possibility because he can hit lefties and stay healthy or should we take the risk with Baldelli? If possible, should the Yankees try to sign two of these guys, considering both Gardner and Granderson may need a platoon partner? Or, should we just let Gardner play everyday with Jamie Hoffman giving him a break every now and again? Let me know what you guys think! The last blog written set a record for our site with 7 comments, lets see if we can pass that! Let me know which pick you guys think is best!
By the way, I'm sure you've read the reports that the Yankees have "contacted" Jim Edmonds, nothing more than a Spring Training invite will happen so lets please just ignore that. Please.
Update:
Just some quick updates for you guys. Brian Cashman has said that the Yankees are not interested in Jermaine Dye or Jim Edmonds at all, so scratch them off your wish lists.
Also, Heyman said they Yankees offered Damon a one year deal around $5 mil and he has only a few days to accept or the Yankees will move on. Brian Cashman denies this, but that doesn't mean it isnt true. Through a text message, Damon said he should have a team within a week, so lets see what happens.
Update #2
Nady signed with the Cubs, so scratch him off the list. As for Damon, the A's were interested in they were not able to sign Ben Sheets, but they did, so scratch off another suitor for Damon. His options are dwindling
