Yankees Wouldn’t Lose Too Much In Trading An Outfielder Due To High Depth

One of the few things the Yankees have for them going into spring training is that they have many outfielders to choose from in determining who will start for Opening Day. They have so many that it wouldn’t be too much of a loss if they chose to trade one of them for an infield position that still needs to be filled. Even though there comes a good and bad with each, it is still workable. Lets start with the current big leaguers and work our way down the system:

BIG LEAGUERS:

Carlos Beltran: Beltran battled with an on and off elbow injury this past season, but it looks like that has all been settled, and will be healthy entering spring training. Although he is a borderline Hall of Famer, it is a concern as to whether he will able to put up big numbers as a 38-year-old. Having $30 million left on his contract, it doesn’t seem like a good decision to try and trade him now.

Jacoby Ellsbury: The center fielder didn’t do too bad in his Yankees debut, and put up solid numbers to be able to contribute. Due to signing a hefty seven-year contract worth $153 million, the downside is that his contract is too large to be able to trade him. However, it is probably the Yankees best interest to keep him around, as they expect many great things to come from him over the years.

Brett Gardner: Gardner shocked everyone this past season, as he had arguably the best season of his career thus far. There is still concern about how he is a streaky player, and whether he will be able to have another great year this upcoming season. Since he signed for a reasonable extension, he should definitely remain a Yankee.

Chris Young: One of the few moves the Yankees have made this off-season is re-signing Young. While he had a terrific September, there is some concern if he will have one good month this season, and then fly off the radar the rest of the season. However, his speed could definitely be beneficial for the team, and he can stay a Yankee for now.

40-MAN ROSTER:

Jose Pirela: One of the names that have been swarming around the Yankees farm system is Pirela. There has been much talk about him potentially becoming the starting second basemen, but his hitting is questionable to whether he will be able to keep up in the big leagues. In terms of trading him, he isn’t worth that much and since the Yankees are trying to not have a spending problem this year, they should keep him around just in case he surprises everyone.

Tyler Austin: The power hitter could definitely contribute to the lack of offense. However, his wrist injury is unknown to whether that will play a factor in the upcoming season. The Yankees should definitely keep him on the roster because of him being able to drive in runs for the club.

ON THE BORDER:

Aaron Judge: A positive is that Judge was classified as one of the top offensive prospect throughout the minor league system. The only problem is that he has had fewer than 500 at-bats in the minor leagues, so it is a biased assumption for whether he is considered a good hitter or not. He shouldn’t be traded, as he could potentially be the next Robinson Cano in the middle of the order.

Slade Heathcott: Heathcott has impressed so many people that his talent is never questioned. His health issues has really taken a toll on his career, and it has cheated him out of participating in a lot more games than he should have been. It seems like the Yankees will keep him on the fence, and it will all come down to who is left in terms of him being traded or not.