The Buhner.com Blog

When last we left off, I was rambling about the unresolved pitching issues the Yankees had to address in the offseason, and the numerous ways they could approach it. With so few pitchers carrying over from last season to this season and the fickle nature of relief pitching and Joe Torre’s use of it in general, there’s a lot of different possibilities.

When it comes to the position players, however, there’s a little more wiggle room, since the initial structure is already in place from last season.

The 2007 New York Yankees offensively could legitimately start nine players from their 2006 roster and be secure. With Melky Cabrera going from a scared 20 year old to a viable starting outfielder with a .360 OBP last year and Gary Sheffield shuffling off to Detroit to go be moody and plot evil revenge, the Yankees have four potential starting outfielders on the roster, all of whom play decent enough defense where they wouldn’t cause a pitcher to cringe looking back at a fly ball in their direction. Assuming the odd man out of that rotation becomes the starting designated hitter, that forces Jason Giambi into a role as a starting first baseman, something I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all but the Yankees might bite their bottom lip on. Younger Giambi was actually a pretty decent first baseman defensively, but due to injuries and age (and perhaps some rust) Giambi was a step down defensively, causing the Yankees to turn to Andy Phillips for 49 starts there while experimenting with the notion that Gary Sheffield might be a better option there instead of Giambi (yeah, not so much.) Simply stated, if keeping Jason Giambi off the field defensively is causing you to give starts to Miguel Cairo at first (nine times), then management has lost confidence in you.

So with the idea of a good fielding first baseman in the back of their minds, the Yanks are left to address a few other needs, namely a backup catcher and some depth on the bench - another outfielder, a good fielding utility infielder, and maybe another righthanded bat on the bench to counteract a lefthanded heavy regular lineup. Really, these are all things that can be picked up on the cheap either from your minor league system, from minor league contracts with invites to camp, or (if you have the money to burn) maybe a one (or even two) year deal to make sitting on the bench in New York more persuasive than potentially starting for a 60 win club.

As it stands, the Yankee bench stands at one player - Andy Phillips. Phillips is an ideal bench player - he can play a few different infield positions, has a little pop in his bat, and doesn’t seem to piss off people who stand near him. He’s also a righthanded hitter, which fits into the Yankees need. However, Phillips was given an opportunity to play at the major league level last season, getting 263 plate appearances and 50 starts in the field. He responded by putting up a .240/.281/.394 line, including an unusual .195/.233/.244 line against lefthanded pitching - the pitchers he’d potentially see in a platoon situation. While previous seasons have had Phillips tear it up in AAA and made Yankee fans question why there was a need to sign players from the outside when there was someone decent in their minor league system already under contract, last season might have been Phillips’ last chance. He’s not eligible for arbitration so he’ll more than likely go to camp with the club, but he’s no guarantee to make the squad and could see himself off the 40 man roster unless he does something unusual to get him on Torre’s good side.

The Yanks came into last season with Kelly Stinnett as their backup catcher, and watched him do little to inspire confidence if Jorge Posada went down, so when the Phillies DFAed Sal Fasano, the Yanks jumped all over that and cut ties with Stinnett. Fasano, while reportedly a decent clubhouse guy, didn’t show anything during his short stint with the Yanks and was let to test the waters of free agency. While some might question trading a live body to get Fasano, it wasn’t exactly Adam Stern for Javy Lopez. The Yankees minor league system doesn’t exactly offer more options - Wil Nieves was the #1 catcher in Columbus last season, but he turned 29 in September and doesn’t exactly scream out “everyday major league starter”. The Yanks will likely invite whomever wants to sign a minor league contract to Spring Training and whomever auditions the best gets the backup job. While in other cases this might not be the best approach, without having a young catcher ready to learn at the major league level in an apprentice role, this isn’t a bad way to go. The Yanks don’t have any real restrictions to a backup (unlike a team like the Red Sox, who have to carry a catcher that can catch a knuckleball pitcher as they learned last year) so they can either turn to a good game caller, a catcher with a good arm, or a catcher who can also be turned to as a bat off the bench. The “see what sticks” method is how the Yanks uncovered Mike Stanley, so it’s worth a shot.

It should be noted that the Yankees apparently went after Gregg Zaun before he ended up re-signing with the Blue Jays. Zaun, who hit well last season and managed to muscle away starting time from free agent signee Bengie Molina (currently available) goes into a better position with the Jays as their starter, where he would have been backing up in New York. Zaun was apparently the second choice for the Jays, as former Texas catcher Rod Barajas reportedly backed out of a deal with the Jays, causing Toronto to look back towards Zaun. Both Molina and Barajas were starters for most of last season so neither will likely be looking to go into a backup role. Other options include a few ex-Yanks (Todd Greene, Chris Widger) and players that used to be starters (Mike Lieberthal, Sandy Alomar), but nothing really interesting.

So who mans the middle infield? The two main options that the Yanks turned to last season, Miguel Cairo and Nick Green, are both free agents. Cairo was on his second run with the Yanks after spending 2005 in Queens, and didn’t make as much of an impression the second time around (.239/.280/.320 in 2006, .292/.346/.417 in 2004). Cairo has decent speed, but his bat and a lack of flexibility defensively (Cairo’s mainly a second baseman only now) doesn’t show much that makes him worth more than a minor league deal and a NRI. Green too is a no-stick guy who didn’t look comfortable away from second base and was sitting in Columbus off the 40 man roster when he elected to go minor league FA and take his chances with another organization.

Tony Graffanino would be an ideal pickup for the Yanks - local boy (Amityville) with a good eye and a decent bat (.751 and .791 OPS the last two seasons) who could feasibly play second, short and third (although admittedly he too is mainly a second baseman who can be called on to play short and third). Graffanino is going to spark interest though (reportedly the Padres are discussing their starting second base job with him) but I wouldn’t think his asking price would be that high - not that the Yankees couldn’t afford it anyway. The only thing that would deter Graff from signing with the Yanks (if the Yanks went after him) was the lure of starting - something that isn’t going to happen in the Bronx without an injury.

Jerry Hairston has a good eye and good speed, and can play second very well. He doesn’t fit into the utility role that well though, although it wouldn’t hurt the Yanks to talk to him.

Mark Loretta is a good hitter and can play short without embarrassing himself, but he (like Graffanino, perhaps even more so) is going to be targeted for a starting second base position somewhere.

Rich Aurilla had a great season for Cincinnati and could be counted on in a multi-tiered role, serving as right-handed bench hitter and as a backup for all four infield positions, but he’s reportedly close to signing with San Francisco - the Giants are reportedly waiting to see if he’s offered arbitration to sign him to a multi-year deal. If the Reds do offer arbitration, the Giants would have to forfeit potentially their first round pick to the Reds as Aurilla is a Type A free agent. If the Reds don’t offer arbitration (they might not, they’ve already committed $14 million to his replacement) then the Giants won’t have to give up their first rounder to sign him. (Something that they’ve had no problem with in the past, see Tucker, Michael).

Craig Counsell, a guy who seems to best fit the utility role for the fielding, will get $6 million over two years from the Brewers who too are using him in a backup role - just to give you an idea of the market.

David Bell should be on the radar. Bell has a stigma around him since being signed to a 4 year, $17 million deal with the Phillies after posting a decent but not outstanding season with San Francisco. Bell fought injuries during his entire time with the Phillies and suffered though a .195/.296/.293 first season with the club, but rebounded for probably his best year in his career the following year, with a .291/.363/.458 line serving as the Phillies full time third baseman. Bell was doomed from the start in Phillie fans eyes though, first being Scott Rolen’s replacement to the overpayment in his deal to the injuries, and he was eventually dealt to the Brewers near the deadline last year. The Brewers don’t need Bell now (Bell was a replacement for the injured Corey Koskie) and little seems to have been written about him. He’s a capable second and third baseman and not a horrible hitter, and deserves a look if he’s healthy.

The utility role is going to have to be one that’s played by ear. Anyone of quality is going to be drawn to possible starting opportunities with smaller market teams, and those of lower quality aren’t in demand for a reason.

The final piece of the bench/lineup is twofold. Depending on how they choose to spread the roster, the Yanks might be able to get both a first baseman to keep Giambi off the field AND an additional right handed bat off the bench, or they may have to combine the two into one. If they do plan on bringing in a new player to play regularly and keep Giambi off the field, it then eats into the time of Melky Cabrera, who would feasibly rotate around the outfield as the current starting Yankees take a day off by sliding into the DH role. Two things are going to be keystones for the targeted player; they either have to be skilled defensively at first base (replacing Giambi in the infield with a mediocre first baseman is just going to piss off Giambi and not add much to the team) or be a strong enough bat to arguably keep Cabrera on the bench.

The strong bench bat (especially if it’s not going to regularly start) is hard to read - the Yanks will likely see how the market plays out and judge it from there. If the players they like start coming off the board, they may push harder, but there’s no immediate rush. Plus, figure the position isn’t exactly a strong sell. Halfway decent players will look towards smaller market teams for starting roles before looking to a Yankees bench which can be ignored at times under Torre’s watch.

However, if you’re looking for an everyday player, consider Aubrey Huff. Huff’s main strike against him from the Yankees perspective is that he’s lefthanded. While at first that might seem odd (Yankee Stadium loves some lefthanders), the Yankee lineup is full of lefthanded bats and Huff wouldn’t help stop opposing managers from setting up their lefties to face the lefthanded heavy Yankee lineup. Huff can technically play the corners (left and right field to go with third and first base), but he’s not really good at.. well, any of them. Although he’s not as poorly viewed as Giambi is as a first baseman, he falls into the “piss off Giambi” role. He wouldn’t be a bad option if he’s affordable enough, but he likely won’t be and some team will give him decent money to play for them. That being said, if he does drop and sign a more “affordable” deal to be a full time something somewhere else, he could end up being one of the bargains of the offseason. It all depends on his mindset though; if Huff ends up signing a longterm deal (more than two years) it’s a lack of confidence. Huff’s last two seasons have been mediocre (at least compared to his past) and he probably should end up signing a short term deal to show he can be that excellent hitter he’s been in the past, then parlay that into a huge mistake deal from someone desperate for that big bat. So far, the Orioles are rumored to be interested (to platoon with Kevin Millar), and that kind of shows you where his value is right now.

I’ll duck as I say this, but I’d love for the Yanks to talk with Darin Erstad. Erstad isn’t going to hit like Giambi (or even outhit Melky Cabrera) but he’s a great defensive player and one of those rah-rah guys in the clubhouse that might be able to inspire a team that those most of last year looked like it had its collective thumb up its ass. He’s be a great player to put a flier on and have him play some games at first and the outfield without hurting the team too bad. Say what you will about Erstad’s hitting over the last few years - the guy who was in this role for the Yanks last year was Bubba Crosby, and Erstad could kick Crosby’s ass in a hitting contest any day of the week. However, he’s not an everyday player - at least not for the Yankees.

I had targeted Sean Casey for many of the same reasons I mentioned about Erstad; Casey’s a good clubhouse (and community) guy who when he’s on can hit the daylights out of the ball. I’m not sure about his fielding (b-r implies good range, while Prospectus considers him below average), but the point is moot anyway as Casey re-signed with Detroit for a quick $4 million, 1 year deal. It’s likely just an insurance policy as Detroit would probably want to get Chris Shelton in a full time role there, but he’s off the market anyway.

Craig Wilson is still apparently on the Yankees radar, which is good and surprising. Generally when a player like Wilson comes in mid-season and doesn’t explode offensively, he’s not even an afterthought as a free agent. Wilson’s right-handed (check) and has a solid bat (check) but doesn’t upgrade the first base fielding that much (he too is viewed as a little below average).  However he’s a low-risk option who has good upside, can play the corner outfield positions if needed, and could even act as a third string catcher (with 20 career starts behind the plate).  Plus, that career .296/.395/.543 line against lefthanders is delicious.

There’s going to be a ton of players out there too who may have played outfield in the past but due to health or age issues would be more willing to settle into a first base role.  You have to see how willing they’d be to accept the role (right Sheff?) and whether or not it’d be worth the investment.  Of those, none really stand out as good enough contributors to justify the risk in putting them at first.  Players like Luis Gonzalez and Cliff Floyd might end up being low-risk steals for some team (more Floyd than Gonzalez) but don’t really fit into the Yankee plans.

As for other names mentioned for first base, Shea Hillenbrand is decent but brings nothing special to the table.  After the controversy around him in Toronto that got him DFAd then shipped to San Francisco, he’s not worth an investment - especially if Wilson is interested in re-signing.  Phil Nevin is similar to Wilson except older.  The #1 overall selection of the 1992 amateur draft is a solid enough first baseman who could catch if threatened but hasn’t put together a good season in two years and will be 36 next year, so expectations can’t be high.  Kevin Millar would have been a good option (although his righthandedness is deceptive - Millar actually hits righties a little better) but he seems content to re-sign with the Orioles.  Eduardo Perez mashes lefties, and would be worth a look - a decent investment for a one year deal, say around a million.  Matt LeCroy hasn’t been mentioned but probably should be.  While not a catcher anymore (he had a dreadful game behind the plate against Houston this past season that saw him get pulled mid-game) he fits into the emergency 3rd catcher role fine and he too kills the lefthanded pitching.  Fielding any position doesn’t seem to be his strongpoint though, as Minnesota (whom he’s played for most of his career) seems to feel that DH suited him just fine.  Perez is probably the second best option next to Wilson, with Nevin worth a look if those fall through and LeCroy worth a NRI and potential riches if he makes the team and hits incentives.

Finally (yes, finally - like you’ve made it this far) there are two names that are more on the wishful thinking list than anything, mainly because they don’t necessarily “make sense” and don’t really fit into the roster.  First, there’s Dmitri Young.  Young can hit - there’s no question about that - it’s just a question of whether he’s healthy and in the right state of mind.  Young dealt with some issues this past season, between battling with alcoholism and dealing with charges of assault and was unconditionally released in September in a move the Tigers stated was because of performance (Young hit .292/.331/.504 after coming back from dual rehabs - alcohol and baseball - but his numbers declined after a strong July and he hit just .268/.307/.437 in August on a team that as a whole would hit .274/.329/.449 that season).  However, it later came out in a story in the Detroit News that Young was considered a “clubhouse cancer” and that the organization was happy to see him gone.  He’s a character issue, but has a lot of offensive upside.  However he’s not that strong against lefthanded pitching (he’s a switch hitter, but seems to be better on the left side) he probably doesn’t fit in.

The second is Mike Piazza.  Yeah, I know - where would he play?  Signing Piazza would essentually make him a full time DH and keep Giambi in the field because not only is Piazza a piss-poor catcher at this point in his career (not that he was a gold glover in his prime) but as the failed experiment in Queens proved, Piazza isn’t going to play first either.  Signing Piazza (who can still hit - no question) would mean putting Giambi full time at first, a move that the Yankees aren’t likely to do.  But you know that Piazza wouldn’t mind getting back into the New York spotlight.

So what will the Yanks do?  Hard to say, but it looks like they’re staying conservative for the mostpart (outside of the bid on Kei Igawa - too much?  Meh, worth a shot, especially depending on what they might be able to sign him for) and focusing more on fine-tuning than making a splash.  It’s refreshing, and maybe the Yanks can develop some chemistry and bond that roto team that they’ve fielded for the last few years.  Good on paper doesn’t always mean good through the season.