Should The Yankees Be Interested In John Mayberry Jr?

May 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman John Mayberry Jr. (15) hits a two run home run during the seventh inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 9-0. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

With the draft coming up Thursday, more teams are going to be focused on that rather than trades. After that, prepare to hear about some wheelin’ and dealin’. You do hear rumors leading up to the draft about players who could be available. According to the Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo, John Mayberry Jr. of the Phildelphia Phillies could be available. Should the Yankees be interested?

Well. why would they be? First of all, he can play first base, something the Yankees don’t have other than Mark Teixeira. Kelly Johnson is not a first baseman and Brendan Ryan is the best defensive infielder on the team and using him at first base just doesn’t make any sense. Mayberry can also play outfield in a pinch which the Yankees don’t really need at this point.

Mayberry also crushes left-handed pitching. Mayberry has a .321/.441/.643 line with two homers and nine RBI against lefties this year. For his career, he’s a .277 hitter against left-handed pitching. In a division where you face Jon Lester, David Price and Mark Buehrle, that could be a real nice weapon to have against those kind of pitchers.

The Yankees have a full 40-man roster, but CC Sabathia could easily go on the 60-day DL to open a spot. As far as the 25-man-roster goes, Johnson would be a prime candidate to be sent packing.

The Yankees may not have or don’t want to trade their best prospects to upgrade the roster. They may make a subtle change or two to help upgrade. Mayberry could be a guy to add.

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