Bomber Bites With Jumping Joe–Replacing Derek Jeter the Easiest Task For Yankees This Off-Season

The Yankees have a lot of work to do this off-season.  The glaring need is to improve their lineup, which struggled to score runs all season.  They need to address their closer situation after Dellin Betances had a record setting-year setting up for David Robertson, who excelled in his first season at the position.  They will need to shore up their starting staff which was wrecked by injuries in 2014.  However, one of the easiest moves for the Yankees will be replacing Derek Jeter at shortstop.

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Remember, the Yankees will not be replacing Jeter’s career or his legacy or what he meant to so many Yankee fans over the years.  They will be replacing a .256 mediocre-to-bad defensive shortstop.  They are replacing a player who hasn’t had a total WAR over 2.2 in five years.  They are replacing a player with nearly zero power and little remaining speed.  The Yankees need to replace Jeter, the 40-year-old shortstop, not Jeter the first ballot Hall of Famer.

Mandatory Credit: Chad R. MacDonald.

Last season, the Yankees were faced with a similar conundrum.  Another Yankee legend, the All-Time Saves Leader and greatest closer who ever lived, Mariano Rivera retired.  The Yankees needed a new closer and promoted set-up man, Robertson, to the position.  While Robertson did not make people forget about Rivera, he did do a terrific job in his first season in the role, compiling 39 saves for the second place Bombers.

"“In a sense it’s not going to be a huge deal because Derek wasn’t pushed out or not re-signed, he retired,’’ the manager said. “I watched what David Robertson went through and I feel like when he didn’t get the job done, there wasn’t any backlash. Sometimes it’s different when a person is traded or a team doesn’t re-sign him, but when a guy retires, I think it’s a much different feel.’’ (h/t George A. King III, The New York Post)"

In addition to the fallback option of Brendan Ryan, who is under contract for 2015, there are several intriguing free agent shortstops and a few interesting trade candidates.  On the free agent market this winter will be Stephen Drew, who likely would have been the front runner if he would have hit even a small amount during his two months in New York, J.J. Hardy, and Hanley Ramirez.  On the trade market there are All-Stars like Troy Tulowitzki, Elvis Andrus and Starlin Castro as well as younger prospects like Chris Owings, Didi Gregorius, and Addison Russell.  But whatever decision the Yankees make, should be an improvement over Jeter for next season both defensively and offensively.  As for improvement in the eyes of the fans and in the clubhouse?  Well, that’s a different story.