When the New York Yankees rejected the qualifying offer of Didi Gregorius and subsequently let him walk in free agency, they also allowed one of their only lefty bats to depart. Featuring only Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Mike Ford, and Mike Tauchman as lefty hitters, three of which are reserve options and the other recovering from Tommy Johns surgery, the Bombers need to supplement the lack of diversity in the batting order.
Chasing a reliable free agent might make the most sense. Two options on the market are Justin Smoak and Mitch Moreland, both of whom would slide in as reserve options as well. Realistically, the Yanks have a plethora of talent at every position and high priced players they are inclined to start. Unfortunately, they all happen to be right-handed hitters, which isn’t a bad thing by any means, but it gives opposing teams a better opportunity to match pitchers up against them.
Here are the latest New York Yankees rumors of the day:
J.A. Happ: The Yankees are actively shopping Happ, who posted an abysmal 4.91 ERA in 2019. Cleaning his $17 million off the salary cap would give the team more room to fit Gerrit Cole’s bloated contract ($36 million per season). As the projected No. 5 starter, he’s easily expendable, as the Yankees have several options that can fill the void if need be.
Josh Hader: The Yankees have been engaged with the Brewers regarding Hader for a few days now, but nothing has seemed to progress. They will undoubtedly be asking for an excellent return that would include top youth talent, something the Yanks are necessarily eager to give up. However, at 25-years-old, Hader has posted a 2.52 ERA over 116 games in the last two seasons. Averaging 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings, he’s a formidable talent that would compensate significantly for the loss of Dellin Betances (expected). The Brewers have control over Hader for four more years, so the price on his head will be significant.
Justin Smoak: Just two years ago, Smoak made an All-Star appearance, hitting .270 with 38 homers over 158 games. He’s a capable slugging switch hitter that could serve a real purpose for the Yankees, especially regarding the diversification of the batting order. He has hit double-digit homers in eight of his last nine seasons, which would indicate that he fits the Yankees model perfectly. Smoak also plays first base, which could be useful if Cashman is keen on providing Luke Voit with a bit of competition.
Romine was a great backup for a long time, but he wanted a chance to possibly start. Will get the opportunity in Detroit. I know Maldonado is the hot name but the Yankees love Kyle Higashioka, who is an top-tier pitch framer, has upside as a hitter and is out of options