Yankees Rumors: NY Done Adding Position Players

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman expects Matt Holliday to be the only major position player acquisition the team makes this offseason.

The 2017 New York Yankees lineup could be more or less in place at this point. With the team swapping Matt Holliday in for the departed Brian McCann as their primary designated hitter, there are no clear holes left to fill, unless the team creates one themselves by trading away another veteran.

On the final day of the 2016 Winter Meetings, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told Pete Caldera of the Bergen County Record, “It’s unlikely for us to make any changes on the position player side unless we traded Gardy.”

New York has been exploring the possibility of trading the remaining pricey veterans on their roster, including left fielder Brett Gardner, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, and third baseman Chase Headley, but have yet to find a deal that works for them.

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Ellsbury has always been an extreme long shot to move because of the boatload of money still owed to him, and the Yankees have no clear backup plan if they move Headley, so unless they line something up with Justin Turner or Luis Valbuena, there’s no sense in moving him.

The club has a number of alternatives to Gardner ready to go, with Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, Rob Refsnyder, Jake Cave and Mason Williams all big league ready(ish) options.

The front office seemed to have no qualms about trading McCann and handing catching duties to the inexperience trio of Gary Sanchez, Austin Romine, and Kyle Higashioka, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t be willing to take the same approach in left.

Next: Will Holliday or Austin Be Yankees Backup Plan at 1B?

While trades and signings are fun, it is nice to see New York sticking to the plan of handing over key roles in next year’s offense to the Baby Bombers. As things currently stand, unknown commodities like Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez look like they’ll be given a shot every day, with exciting young players like Frazier, Williams, and Tyler Austin in the mix as well.