Three Under-the-Radar Free Agent Upgrades for the Yankees

Sean Rodriguez

31-year-old utilityman Sean Rodriguez has quietly had a career year with the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, hitting .264/.345/.518 (126 OPS+) with an impressive 18 home runs in just 320 plate appearances. While some regression should be expected, Rodriguez is a very useful bench player who could probably be a passable starting infielder also.

The nine year veteran has an uninspiring career .233/.302/.390 (91 OPS+) batting line for the Angels, Rays, and Pirates, but his newfound power is intriguing if he can keep it up. He did show similar pop for Tampa Bay in 2014, hitting 12 homers and slugged .443 in 259 plate appearances, so it’s not completely unprecedented.

Rodriguez has also drastically improved his plate discipline, walking in 10% of his plate appearances, up from just 2.1% the previous year and 6.9% for his career.

Pittsburgh has used Rodriguez at every position but pitcher and catcher this season. He doesn’t have the range to play shortstop or center field regularly, but he’s competent at first, second, third, and the outfield corners.

So how would the Yankees use Rodriguez? Having a super-utility guy like Rodriguez would make it much easier to continue to carry three catchers without expanded rosters, making it viable for New York to rotate Gary Sanchez and Brian McCann between catcher and DH while still carrying a true backup backstop.

He would also provide a nice safety net against Chase Headley‘s decline and Starlin Castro‘s frequent slumps. Rodriguez signed for one year $2.5 million last winter. This time around, something like two years $10 million should get it done.

Adam Lind

While Lind has been a disappointment for the Seattle Mariners overall, he his numbers have rebounded somewhat in the second half. After hitting .232/.261/.438 (85 OPS+) in 245 PA during the first-half, he’s managed a more palatable .238/.314/.427 (101 OPS+) line in 159 PA since the All-Star break. Still not great, but progress.

The 33-year-old Lind has negative value in the field and on the bases at this point, so he really needs to be hitting for him to be worth a roster spot. After this sub-par showing it isn’t even clear that Lind will land a big league deal this winter when the seven year extension he inked way back in 2010 finally expires.

There’s not much downside to bringing Lind in on a one year deal for a few million, however, and the reward could be a solid middle-of-the-order bat to share time with Greg Bird, Tyler Austin, and Brian McCann in the first base/DH rotation.

Before his down-year, Lind was worth seven wins above replacement according to Baseball-Reference’s metric over the previous three seasons, and was a creditable starting regular in all three.

When he’s at his best, Lind’s calling card is his approach at the plate. He has an uncharacteristically low .282 OBP this season, his lowest since his first full season in the big leagues back in 2007.

The last three years, he’s posted OBPs of .357, .381, and .360 along with plus power. In addition, he’s a solid bet to provide the team with 20 homers, having reached that mark in six out of the last eight seasons.

Greg Holland

It is no secret that what the 2017 New York Yankees really need is starting pitching help, but they are not alone in that among aspiring contenders, which has even the most mediocre starters to receive hugely inflated deals. If general manager Brian Cashman is going to hunt for rotation help this winter, it should probably be on the trade market.

There are plenty of quality relievers available in this free agent class, on the other hand. The Yankees seem like a good bet to bring in at least one of Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, and Mark Melancon, the three elite names available. They don’t necessarily have to stop there, however.

The team probably won’t hand out two huge contracts to relievers this winter, but if they could attempt to buy-low on former Kansas City Royals closer Greg Holland in an attempt to recreate their three-headed bullpen monster from earlier this season.

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Holland, who turns 31 in November, underwent TJ surgery following the 2015 season and was subsequently non-tendered by the Royals. His disappointing 3.83 ERA in 44.2 IP that year seemed to be a result of trying to pitch through a partially-torn UCL.

The previous two seasons Holland was perhaps the most dominant relief pitchers in the game, pitching to a combined 1.32 ERA and making the All-Star squad both years while receiving both AL Cy Young and MVP votes.

By Opening Day, Holland will be 19 months removed from surgery, so assuming he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, it’s reasonable to think he could be at something resembling full strength. Obviously there is some risk in betting on a reliever who hasn’t performed at a high level in two years, but the gamble could have a huge payoff, especially if New York pairs him with Chapman and Dellin Betances in the late-innings.

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A one year $10 million pillow contract with a player option would probably get Holland’s attention, even if Yankee Stadium isn’t the most attractive park to rebuild value in. They have the financial might to outbid their competitors if they like what they see in his rehab.