Top Five Best Fits for the Yankees on the Free Agent Market

Steve Pearce

The perennially under-appreciated Steve Pearce has had to settle for a one year contract each of the last three offseasons despite being one of the AL East’s better sluggers in that time frame. Since 2014, Pearce has compiled a .267/.347/.493 slash line and been worth 7.7 wins above replacement in just 279 games according to Baseball-Reference.

September elbow surgery to repair a strained flexor mass in his right elbow should prevent Pearce from cashing again this offseason despite another fine season in which he hit .288/.374/.492 with 13 home runs in 302 plate appearances for Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

Pearce’s flexibility allows him to serve as a backup plan to many of the team’s youngsters. He could be an alternative to Judge in right, Bird at first, Tyler Austin at DH, Clint Frazier in left, and even Starlin Castro at second base. He’s used to a bench/super-utility role, so ego shouldn’t be a problem, nor should adjusting to moving around the field.

Despite being an extremely valuable player when healthy, Pearce played for just $4.75 million on a one year pact in 2016. The Yankees could safely double that an be well-assured of a strong return on their investment. Even better, lock the 33-year-old up on a two year deal. I’d give him two years and $16-18 million in a heartbeat, and there’s definitely an argument to be made that New York should bid higher than that if need be.

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Pearce is probably the position player who best fits the Yankees needs this offseason. He would provide them with some much needed power, has the versatility to be valuable in a bench role, and most importantly, should come very cheaply.