Yankees Should Pass On Elvis Andrus To Pursue Alexei Ramirez

At some point this off-season, the New York Yankees will have to make a decision on who they want to be their shortstop in 2015. There are free agent options such as Stephen Drew, who might be a short-term solution while the team awaits a more enticing option.

On the other hand, they could look to the trade market which features names such as Troy Tulowitzki, Elvis Andrus, and Alexei Ramirez. Tulowitzki will undoubtedly cost the most in terms of prospects, which could lead them to look deeper into the Andrus and Ramirez options. 

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Andrus, 26, is still young and his best years may be ahead of him, but he hasn’t produced in the past two seasons which is troubling. 2012 was easily his best year as a big leaguer. He hit .286/.349/.378 with 85 runs scored, 62 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and 180 hits while earning himself an All-Star Game appearance for the second time in his career. In 2013, Andrus hit a decent .271, but his OPS dropped to a mere .659.

Unfortunately, 2014 wouldn’t prove to be any better. He hit just .263/.314/.333 with 72 runs scored and 41 RBI. Though he did steal 27 bases, he was also caught a league-leading 15 times. Another downside to Andrus is that 2015 marks the first year of an 8-year, $124 million extension. There is no doubt that acquiring him would mean dedicating a lot of money and years to a player who very well could be declining.

However, Alexei Ramirez is much more appealing. A .277 career hitter, he hit .273/.305/.408 with 15 home runs and 74 RBI. His solid season earned him a Silver Slugger Award. He’s also a solid shortstop. His fielding percentage and range factor per game are both well above league average, which would be an improvement over Derek Jeter.

If the Yankees are to pursue Ramirez, they will have to act quickly as the Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly in hot pursuit.