Assessing the Yankees’ options in left field

The Yankees have been one among baseball’s busier groups this winter, bringing again Aaron Judge on a franchise-record nine-year, $360M deal, whereas additionally including Carlos Rodon and Tommy Kahnle and bringing again first-baseman Anthony Rizzo on a two-year pact. There’s no assure extra strikes are on the best way for New York, however it appears if there may be one transfer to make it’ll are available in left area.

Ten gamers noticed time in left for the Yankees in 2022. Of the gamers who made greater than 10 appearances there, Joey Gallo, Andrew Benintendi, and Miguel Andujar have new groups, Tim Locastro and Marwin Gonzalez are free brokers, whereas Aaron Hicks stays on the roster. Whereas there have been studies of the Yankees making an attempt to maneuver Hicks this winter, he stays on the group and at this level figures to have some function to play in 2023. Given his presence, it is sensible to check out the interior candidates to man left in 2023, earlier than looking at what choices the Yankees have externally in the event that they do go down that route.

Inside Choices

• Aaron Hicks: The 33-year-old had a disappointing marketing campaign in 2022, slashing .216/.330/.313 with eight dwelling runs in 130 video games. That was good for a 90 wRC+ (10 proportion factors beneath league common) and was the second straight yr Hicks has been below-average offensively. He was a stable contributor from 2017-20 however has seen his energy numbers drop off considerably lately. Hicks did profit from a transfer from heart to left and was price 8 Defensive Runs Saved in 413 innings there in 2022. He has three years and $30.5M (together with a buyout on a $12.5M group choice in 2026). Ought to the Yankees choose towards bringing a left-fielder in, Hicks appears to be the most certainly participant to be manning the place on opening day.
• Oswaldo Cabrera: Cabrera acted as one thing of a spark plug for the Yankees after receiving his first huge league call-up in August this yr. Down the stretch, Cabrera performed in 44 video games, slashing .247/.312/.429 with six dwelling runs whereas showing in each place bar center-field and catcher. Regardless of having performed simply 34 outfield innings within the minors, Cabrera spent the majority of his huge league time within the nook spots, impressing to the tune of 9 Defensive Runs Saved in 278 2/3 innings. Whereas Cabrera actually put a robust case ahead to be an on a regular basis outfielder going ahead, he might have extra worth to the Yankees as utility-type given his means to play nearly any place.
• Giancarlo Stanton: The veteran spent probably the most time on the grass in a season since 2018, logging 312 2/3 innings after being restricted to the DH spot virtually solely lately. The majority of that got here in proper area, the place Stanton was price -4 Defensive Runs Saved. It’s unlikely to be a greater image in left, and whereas Stanton stays a robust offensive risk, it appears extra doubtless that the Yankees will preserve him within the DH spot as a rule and use him within the outfield solely often.
• Estevan Florial: The 25-year-old has been caught within the higher minors for some time now, tallying simply 63 big-league plate appearances within the final three seasons. Throughout that point he’s hit .185/.302/.278 with a single dwelling run. The previous top-100 prospect hit .283/.368/.481 with 15 dwelling runs and 39 stolen bases at Triple-A final yr. He’s out of choices now, so the Yankees must expose him to waivers in the event that they wish to take him off the large league roster. There’s an opportunity the Yankees preserve him round as an outfield choice on the bench, however they haven’t seen sufficient lately to present him an prolonged look within the majors and it’s unlikely they’d try this now.

Free Brokers

• David Peralta/Trey Mancini/Andrew McCutchen: The free agent marketplace for left-fielders has been largely cleared out, but when the Yankees have been to go down that path this trio of hitters would doubtless be the most effective remaining choices. With maybe the exception of Mancini, they may doubtless have these gamers on one-year offers. Peralta’s left-handedness may make him extra interesting in Yankee Stadium, however in the end all three have limitations that make it unlikely the Yankees would go down this route. On the finish of the day, if the Yankees are to improve left area it’d certainly be for somebody that vastly improves their present choices. The commerce market actually has these choices, however it doesn’t seem that free company does anymore.

Commerce Market

• Bryan Reynolds: The switch-hitting Pirates star has been linked to the Yankees in current weeks since requesting a commerce out of Pittsburgh. There’s no assure the Pirates commerce Reynolds, and it seems they’re asking for a big haul (headlined by a high pitching prospect) in return. The highest of the Yankees’ farm system is heavy in place gamers, which can make a match tough however Reynolds would match their wants. He’s underneath management for 3 extra seasons and can earn $6.75M in 2023. That’s a extremely inexpensive fee for a participant who’s amassed 12.5 fWAR in 4 seasons. It’d be an enormous swing for the Yankees to exit and commerce for Reynolds, and so they’d have to surrender quite a lot of prospect worth, however it’d actually put them in a robust place over the following few seasons.
• Max Kepler: Kepler is underneath management for one more season at $9.5M (together with a buyout on a $10M 2024 group choice). He skilled a down yr on the plate final season, hitting simply 9 dwelling runs and slashing .227/.318/.348. He’s a left-handed pull hitter, so there’s an opportunity {that a} mixture of Yankee Stadium’s quick porch and the restrictions on defensive positioning can increase his offensive numbers, however quite a lot of his worth is in his glove. Whereas he has been taking part in proper area in Minnesota, he’s been price 19 Defensive Runs Saved there over the previous two seasons. The fee to amass him could be lower than Reynolds, however the manufacturing would doubtless be much less too. Whereas Kepler makes some sense, the Yankees might ponder whether it’s price carrying each Hicks and Kepler on the identical roster.
• Arizona’s Outfielders: Even after dealing Daulton Varsho to Toronto, the Diamondbacks are nonetheless stocked with outfielders, particularly given they acquired one – Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – in that commerce. Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, and Jake McCarthy are all younger outfielders that challenge as the way forward for Arizona’s outfield. They’ve been talked about in trades and positively may enchantment to New York, however maybe they could possibly be motivated to flip Gurriel to New York. He slashed .291/.343/.400 with 5 dwelling runs for Toronto final season and is underneath management for yet another season at $5.8M. The Snakes are constructing a robust younger roster, and whereas Gurriel is a stable participant, his one yr of remaining group management most likely doesn’t align with Arizona returning to competition.

In the end, there are a couple of totally different choices for the Yankees to go down. As poor as Hicks was in 2022, he was nonetheless price 1.5 fWAR and if the Yankees can’t commerce him and don’t wish to go after a transparent improve like Reynolds, it does make some sense to at the very least begin the season with him in left. That approach they’ll see if he can rebound on the plate, and look to make a transfer relying on how that goes on the commerce deadline mid-season.