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

With the New York Yankees on track to slip under the luxury tax next year, fans shouldn’t expect the team to hand out any nine-figure deals this winter, but there are a few guys available in the team’s price range who could still provide significant upgrades.

Yankees fans will likely have to endure another winter of frugality given how close principal owner Hal Steinbrenner is to achieving his goal of getting under the luxury tax.

The next collective bargaining agreement is expected to raise the ceiling north of $200 million. If New York makes it under for just one season, they will not longer have to pay a 50% tax on all their free agent signings. While it may make for a less-interesting hot stove league, it is a completely defensible business decision by Steinbrenner.

That said, it’s really unlikely the Yankees go another winter where they abstain from free agency completely. They have some money coming off the books and could unload even more with a Brett Gardner or Brian McCann trade.

Aroldis Chapman seems destined to be New York’s big fish this winter. The Cuban Missile reportedly enjoyed his time in the Bronx, and there is a clear need for additional late-inning help. That will probably be the biggest check Steinbrenner signs, but there are some other smaller names available who could end up having a large impact in 2017.

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.