The departure of Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks recovering from Tommy John surgery has left the Yankees with a weak spot in the batting order. The lack of lefty bats could be problematic for the Bombers, even with the return of Giancarlo Stanton (production-speaking) in a full-capacity.
The retention of Brett Gardner on a one-year, $12.5 million deal will supplement the deficiency a bit, but he’s not expected to be an every-day starter once Hicks his fully recovered. This could lead to the Yankees pursuing a lefty bat in free agency.
“Our lineup is very right-handed,’’ vice president and assistant GM Michael Fishman said after the Winter Meetings concluded. “Ultimately, we are trying to find the best players. If it can balance the lineup, even better. It’s good to balance the lineup with another lefty.’’
Aside from Gardner, who the Yankees will utilize in the absence of Hicks, Mike Ford is one of the only semi-reliable lefty hitters that can add some diversity to the lineup.
Here’s a look at the projected Yankees lineup in 2020:
- DJ LeMahieu (R)
- Aaron Judge (R)
- Gleyber Torres (R)
- Giancarlo Santon (R)
- Gary Sanchez (R)
- Brett Gardner (L)
- Luke Voit (R)
- Gio Urshela (R)
- Miguel Andujar (DH)
The Yankees also have Mike Tauchman available as a lefty hitter, but he will be second in line behind Gardner to earn any playing time. With the amount of time Judge, Stanton, and Hicks spent on the bench due to injury in 2019, we can expect to see a healthy dosage of Tauchman throughout the 2020 season.
Both Tauchman and Ford, who will act as reserves, displayed decent numbers last season, with the first baseman hitting .259 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs in 50 games, while the outfielder logged a .277 BA with 13 homers and 47 RBIs over 87 games. His sample size was more substantial than Ford’s, and he produced better numbers, making him a great option to earn DH reps if Andujar isn’t ready to contribute early in 2020.
We cannot forget Greg Bird, who’s one of the only lefty hitters on the free-agent market. Alternatively, the Yankees could take fliers on switch-hitter Justin Smoak or Mitch Moreland. I believe the Yankees will stand pat, though, as adding another mediocre hitter just for the sake of bing lefty doesn’t make much sense.