Where Should New York Yankees Turn to Replace Derek Jeter at Shortstop in 2015?
September 29, 2014 · Ben Carsley · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Derek Jeter‘s career is over, and for the first time in 20 years, the New York Yankees must think about replacing their captain.
The void Jeter will leave in the locker room and off the field cannot be filled. He meant something special to the city of New York and to the game of baseball, and the legacy he leaves behind is one that can’t be duplicated or replaced.
His on-field production, however, is a different story. Jeter ceased being a productive major leaguer after the 2012 season, and even his staunchest defenders must admit that he should have moved off shortstop long ago.
Fortunately, the Yankees will face no shortage of options when it comes to finding a new shortstop for 2014. While they started to wean Jeter off the position in 2014 with players like Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan, they lack a viable internal option for shortstop next season.
That means they’ll need to turn to the free-agent market or the trade market to secure their future at shortstop. And if you look at the players who could potentially be acquired, that future starts to look fairly bright.
Let’s take a look at the various free-agent shortstops and trade possibilities available to the Yankees as they look to bolster their lineup and find a new anchor for their infield defense.
All contract figures are courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
Lower-Tier Free-Agent Solutions
When it comes to the free-agent market, the Yankees will find a more robust collection of potential shortstop solutions than have been available in recent years.
Depending on how you feel about Stephen Drew, there are five legitimate starting free-agent options among shortstops, all with varying strengths and weaknesses and each likely requiring a different financial commitment.
On the low end of the spectrum is Drew himself, who’s likely going to need to settle for a one-year contract after his abysmal 2014 season. Drew hit just .162/.237/.299 in 300 plate appearances this season but is only one year removed from hitting .253/.333/.443 in Boston.
Drew’s 2013 slash line may not be inspiring, but according to FanGraphs it made him an above-average offensive shortstop with a Weighted Runs Created plus (wRC+) mark of 109 (100 is average). Add in Drew’s above-average defense, and any sort of offensive rebound should let him serve as a cheap, respectable solution.
If New York wants to put more of a premium on offense than defense, it could turn to Asdrubal Cabrera. The middle infielder hit .241/.307/.387 this season, hitting 14 homers and swiping 10 bases with the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals.
Cabrera has mostly played second base since his trade to the Nats, and he’s nowhere near the defender Drew is at shortstop. His days of hitting for a decent average are likely behind him too, but he can still run and hit for power, and he’s unlikely to require a significant commitment.
Bounce-Back Free-Agent Solutions
If the Yankees have an appetite for risk, they could look to former Red Sox rival Jed Lowrie. Lowrie had a dismal year for the Oakland A’s, hitting just .249/.321/.355, but he’s only a year removed from hitting .290/.344/.446.
Lowrie will be 31 for most of next season, and while he’s been injury-prone throughout his career, he offers a nice blend of decent defense and offensive upside. He’s not a star, but he’s a near lock to give the Yankees more than they received from shortstop in 2014.
The second bounce-back candidate on the free-agent market is also the second-most desirable free-agent shortstop overall: J.J. Hardy. Hardy had one of his least productive offensive seasons in 2014 for the Baltimore Orioles, hitting .268/.309/.372. His ISO is down at .104, which is the lowest mark of his 10-year career.
Still, Hardy hit at least 22 homers every season from 2011 to 2013, and he’ll be just 32 for most of the 2015 season. Still a very strong defender, Hardy would bolster the Yankees’ infield defense while also adding some down-the-order pop in a ballpark that’s conducive to hitting home runs.
Upper-Tier Free-Agent Solution
Of course the Yankees have never been shy about making big splashes in free agency, and if it’s star power they want, they could turn to Hanley Ramirez. The 30-year-old hit .283/.369/.448 with 13 homers and 14 steals in 512 PA for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013.
Ramirez is injury-prone, isn’t a great defender at shortstop and would likely require a massive contract to sign in New York. The Yankees could also find themselves in a bidding war with the Dodgers for Ramirez’s services, and the Dodgers are the one team with even more financial power than the Yanks.
But Ramirez would bring a potent right-handed bat to a lineup that’s lefty-heavy and would provide New York with one of baseball’s most electric lineups when all of its players are healthy. He’d be the ultimate high-risk, high-reward signing.
Short-Term Trade Solutions
If the Yankees are unwilling to meet the asking price of any of the free-agent shortstops, they could turn to the trade market for affordable short-term solutions instead. The Yankees have several bad contracts on the books already and may crave the financial flexibility that comes with players only under contract for one or two seasons.
Jimmy Rollins has just one year left on his deal at $11 million for 2015, and while it may seem strange to think that he could end his career with a team other than the Philadelphia Phillies, a split may be best for all sides. The Phillies don’t figure to be terribly competitive next season, and Rollins is likely nearing the end of his career.
The 35-year-old Rollins hit .243/.323/.394 in 2014, but he still managed to club 17 homers, steal 28 bases and play above-average defense. As long as he’s relied upon as a complementary piece rather than a cornerstone, he can still be a helpful player.
Rollins has professed a desire to stay with the Phillies in the past, according to CBSSports.com’s Dayn Perry, and as a player with “10-5 rights,” he can’t be traded without his permission. Still, it would make sense for the Yankees to check on Rollins’ availability, especially if the Phillies don’t ask for the world in return.
Thirty-three-year-old Alexei Ramirez presents another alluring option for the Yankees. Signed through 2015 with an affordable club option for 2016, Ramirez would provide some stability at the shortstop position. And despite his age, he has been a consistent performer over the last several years.
In 2014, Ramirez hit .273/.305/.408 with 15 homers, 21 steals and strong defense. The Chicago White Sox might not put him on the market at all if they think they can compete in 2015, but it would certainly behoove the Yankees to gauge any interest on the Sox’s part.
Long-Term Trade Solutions
Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that the Yankees may not have the type of young talent required to wrestle a proven long-term solution at shortstop away from another team.
They certainly have enough valuable players to exchange for young shortstops who’ve yet to cement themselves in the majors, however, and there are at least two interesting names who figure to be on the market.
In Washington, the Nats already looked to deal Danny Espinosa at the trade deadline, according to The Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo, and he’d make some sense for the Yankees. The 27-year-old last hit well in the majors in 2012, but he’s a gifted defender with natural power, and he is under team control through the 2017 season.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, the emergence of Chris Owings has made Didi Gregorius somewhat expendable. The 24-year-old hit just .226/.290/.363 in 299 MLB plate appearances in 2014, but he thrived in Triple-A and is generally viewed as a good defender. His ceiling is modest, but he’s under team control until 2019.
Let’s assume for a moment that somehow the Yankees do have enough pieces to acquire a significant, established presence at shortstop on the trade market. If that’s the case, a trio of interesting options emerges.
Elvis Andrus hit just .263/.314/.333 in 685 PA in 2014, hitting two homers and swiping 27 bases. His offensive struggles have now spanned two full seasons, and while his defense remains very good, the Texas Rangers were likely hoping for more when they gave Andrus an eight-year, $118 million extension before the 2013 season.
The Rangers badly need to rebuild their pitching staff, and they have Andrus, Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar all slated to battle for time in the middle infield next season, with Luis Sardinas not far behind. Thanks to Profar’s recent injury setback, noted by Stefan Stevenson of the Star-Telegram, it’s unlikely Texas will look to deal Andrus, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Andrus is a bit expensive, as John Harper of the New York Daily News points out, but he’s still just 26, has shown offensive promise in the past and is a capable defender. His addition would secure the shortstop position in New York through the 2022 season.
Another young, team-controlled shortstop who could entice the Yankees is the Chicago Cubs‘ Starlin Castro. Still just 24, Castro hit .292/.339/.438 in 569 PA in 2014, hitting 14 homers and swiping four bases. He’s an erratic defender at shortstop, but there’s no reason to move him off the position in the near future.
Castro has an incredibly team-friendly contract that runs through the 2019 season with a club option for 2020. He’s exactly the type of young player a team like the Cubs should be building around, and he may very well be a part of their long-term plans.
However, the Cubs have a bevy of infield talent coming up through the minors. Javier Baez already moved off shortstop to second base to accommodate Castro, and Addison Russell could be ready for the majors in 2015. With Kris Bryant the likely long-term solution at third base and Arismendy Alcantara already in center field, the Cubs are running out of spots for their talented youngsters.
That’s a good problem to have, of course, and given that statistically a few of the Cubs’ big-name prospects are unlikely to pan out, Chicago may very well hold on to Castro. But if he’s available, the Yankees could acquire a young, cost-controlled, potent offensive shortstop for the next six years.
The price to acquire Castro would likely be quite high, and the fit might not be right. As Harper writes, the Cubs would likely want a talented young pitcher in return for Castro, and the Yankees don’t have one to offer, save for Dellin Betances.
Finally, there remains one name at shortstop who stands above the rest, a player truly deserving of taking up the mantle Jeter left behind. Troy Tulowitzki is unlikely to be dealt from the Colorado Rockies for many reasons, but the possibility of acquiring him is an intriguing one nonetheless.
Tulowitzki hit .340/.432/.603 in 375 PA this season and was well on his way to competing for an MVP award before injuries cut short his campaign. That’s a common refrain for Tulowitzki, who’s seen more than 500 PA just once in the past three years, but when he’s healthy, “Tulo” is the best shortstop in baseball.
His contract is exorbitant, lasting through at least 2020 with an option year for 2021. He’ll be 30 for the entire 2015 season, which means he could be exiting his prime. The Rockies would likely need to be blown away to move him, and the Yankees may very well lack the chips to do so.
But signing Tulowitzki—a man who idolizes Jeter and wears the No. 2 in honor of him—would let the Yankees pass the mantle from a Hall of Fame shortstop to another who could be Cooperstown-bound at the end of his playing days.
It’s probably just a fantasy, but there would be no better way for the Yankees to move past grieving for Jeter than by acquiring his heir apparent from the Rockies.
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