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

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.