The opening spring training game for the New York Yankees is just one month away. The Yankees are well set for the season, but there is one place that could use some bolstering up, that being infield backups, particularly at shortstop and at second base.
With the loss over the offseason of shortstop Didi Gregorius to the Phillies, the Yankees are feeling somewhat comfortable with Gleyber Torres as their regular defense at short. The Yankees have Silver Slugger D.J. LeMehieu cemented into first base. They are very comfortable with the “hitting machine” in defense at second base.
The Yankees earlier in the postseason aggressively sought out Indians star shortstop lefty Francisco Lindor, putting together a trade package they hoped the Indians would accept, but that was not to be.
After that failure, the Yankees decided that Gleyber Torres could handle the position adequately, even if not comfortable with the decision. The Yankees have great backup players for most positions.
At first base, they have either Luke Voit or Mike Ford. At third, they have Gold Glove-like Gio Urshela and Miguel Andujar. In left field, they have Stanton and Tauchman, in center they have Gardner, recently acquired Zack Granite and Aaron Hicks when he returns.
At right, Aaron judge has his position nailed down as a Silver Slugger and as a 2019 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year player. His back up can either be Mike Tauchman or Cameron Maybin, who wants to come back with the Yankees although a deal has not been reached. Unfortunately for the Yankees that leaves short and 2nd base without a major league-type backup.
Had they been able to acquire Francisco Lindor, that would have solved the problem as he is a powerful hitter who is a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award-winning shortstop. Unfortunately, the trade package the Yankees offered was not accepted by the Cleveland Indians.
The Yankees could use and probably will use Tyler Wade as a back up at short and may use Wendell Rijo, who they signed back in November as a backup for D.J. LaMahieu, but there are better options out there with available free agents. The first one that comes to mind Washington Nationals free agent Brian Dozier, a 32-year-old second baseman with power and good defense in his position as well as at short. He would be a relatively inexpensive utility player that should be considered. Dozier with the Nationals last year batted .238 with 50 RBI’s in 135 games. He is not that great of a contact hitter but hits for power-hitting 20 home runs last year. In 2018 he hit five home runs in just 47 games.
Other options are available for the New York Yankees”
Other options include 33-year-old Jordy Mercer formally with the Tigers. Mercer, with the Tigers in 2019, hit nine home runs in 74 games. He batted .270Â while providing excellent defense at shortstop. Mercer was an experienced shortstop player for the Pittsburgh Pirates for seven years before his stint with the Tigers.
Projections show that he will perform in 2020 with an 80% chance of playing as well or better than 2019. Another option is Addison Russell, a 25-year-old former Chicago Cub. Russell is younger than either Dozier or Mercer.   Russell, while with the Cubs, was an All-Star in 2016, and in 2019, he hit .237 and hit nine homers in 82 games. Russell is attractive as he is both a shortstop and a second baseman.
A lesser choice would be Deven Marino, the Florida Marlin, minor league player. Tyler Wade would be a better option for the Yankees. None of these options provide a left-hand hitter other than Tyler Wade.  Wade has only hit three home runs for the Yankees in his 3-year career. However, Wade vastly improved his batting average in his 2019 campaign, raising it to .245. The Yankees have one month before spring training to strengthen their position in the center of the infield.