YGY Free Agent Profile: Could Ryan Ludwick Be A 4th Outfield Option?

By Ricky Keeler | Nov 6, 2014

With the Yankees looking to fill holes at the starting pitcher and shortstop positions, not much attention is likely going to be put into the outfield this winter. New York has the trio of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Carlos Beltran in place for their starting outfield to open 2015. That being said, the Yankees could still use a fourth outfield bat to come off the bench and to give Beltran some days off in the field. There is a player on the market that has had better seasons than the past two years that could be one of those low risk, high reward kind of players for any organization.

More from Yankees News

The player I am talking about is former Reds’ outfielder Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick, a UNLV alum and a second round pick of the A’s in the 1999 MLB Draft, had his $9 million option declined by the Reds. Instead, Cincinnati bought him out for $4 million and now he is a free agent.

To get another person’s thoughts on Ludwick’s three years with the Reds, I spoke with Jesse Borek, one of the editors of Blog Red Machine. Here is what he had to say:

"“Ryan Ludwick came to the Queen City with a lot of hype and did not exactly deliver. A former All-Star while with the Cardinals, many figured that getting him out of the purgatory that is Petco Park in San Diego and air-dropping him into hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park would improve his once gaudy statistics. What Ludwick has left is really up in the air. He is no longer an everyday player, but can still play left field well enough that he is not a deficiency.”"

His 2014 season was nothing to write home about for the Reds. In 115 games, he hit .244 with nine home runs and 45 RBI’s. His 45 RBI’s were sixth on the team and was fifth on the Reds in OPS (.683). THe struggles for the 36-year-old last year came in the second half of the season. After hitting .270 before the All-Star Break, he hit .198 (26 hits in 131 at-bats) with three home runs and 19 RBI’s.

Ludwick’s best seasons are behind him, but the All-Star with the Cardinals in 2008 is not too far removed from a great 2012 campaign with Cincinnati. During that season, he hit .275 with 26 HR’s (2^nd best of his career: 37 in 2008) and 80 RBI’s (2^nd to 113 in 2008). That caused the Reds to give him a two-year, $15 million deal.

One of the aspects that could make Ludwick valuable to a club is his defense. In 11 years in the major league, he has made a grand total of 12 errors. He has not made more than one error in any season since 2008. Mostly, he is a corner outfielder, playing his last three years with the Reds in left field.

Jesse also gave his thoughts on how Ludwick could possibly fit in with the Yankees:

"“For what it’s worth, I think he’d be a great fit for the Yankees. Could DH a majority of the time. Totally understand the Reds not wanting to re-sign him at that price, but he can definitely still hit.”"

Ryan Ludwick is going to be a player that probably is not going to make much money on the open market, but he is a player that can make an impact either as a pinch-hitter or a fourth outfielder. You have to wonder if a change in scenery could do good things for him after a rough couple of seasons due to injuries and inconsistent play.

The outfield won’t be a primary need for New York, but Ludwick could be an outfielder that general manager Brian Cashman might take a flyer on, even though he’s not the player that had that great season in 2008 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Home/Yankees News