Yankees Should Stay Far Away from These Three Free Agents

Mark Trumbo

Yahoo’s Jeff Passan recently called the market for Trumbo “bustling” when reporting that the slugger is expected to reject a $17.2 million qualifying offer from the Baltimore Orioles. After leading the American League in home runs it isn’t surprising that many clubs would be interested in Trumbo. Power is always in high demand and Trumbo has a strong track record of providing it.

If you look past that one skill, however, things are pretty ugly. It’s important to remember that the Orioles acquired Trumbo basically for nothing last offseason. Prior to this year, Trumbo had managed to accumulate a grand total of 0.5 WAR over his previous two seasons, meaning he was roughly replacement level despite clubbing a combined 36 homers.

Even during his big breakout campaign this season, Baseball-Reference estimates Trumbo was worth just 1.6 wins above replacement. When you consider that an average regular contributes two wins annually to his team, Trumbo’s limitations are apparent.

If Trumbo’s power isn’t at its absolute peak, he has little left to offer. He’s always been a horrible defender wherever you play him. Even as a designated hitter, his poor baserunning and subpar on-base skill sap his overall value.

MLBTR expects a four year $60 million contract for Trumbo this winter, even with a qualifying offer attached. There are plenty of better veteran hitters available who could be had on modest one or two year deals and wouldn’t require the Yankees to surrender a draft pick to sign. Carlos Beltran, Steve Pearce, and Luis Valbuena all jump to mind. And if New York is going to drop that kind of cash on an aging slugger, why not go all in on Edwin Encarnacion?