Yankees: 6 infield trade targets for the offseason’s final month

5. Sean Rodriguez, Pirates

You’ve heard of the Three Musketeers, right? Well, this is something sort of like that.

The 32-year-old Rodriguez is entering his 11th season in the big leagues, and during much of that time, he’s been a role player. One of baseball’s consummate utilitymen, Rodriguez spotted all eight positions across the diamond despite appearing in just 54 games with the Braves and Pirates in 2017.

Coming off his best season in 2016, in which he batted .270/.349/.510 with a career-high 18 homers for the Pirates, Rodriguez earned himself a two-year deal with Atlanta.

But tragically, Rodriguez, as well as his wife and sons, suffered multiple injuries in a horrific car crash last spring. His season, if not his career, seemed in jeopardy.

Heroically, Rodriguez quickly worked his way back to full health and took the field for the Braves midway through the 2017 campaign. He was dealt back to Pittsburgh on August 5 where he finished out the season.

But if the Pirates are selling, Rodriguez and his $5.5M salary should be one of the first ones dealt. A low-level prospect or two should be enough to get something done.

At the very least, Rodriguez would give the Yankees another proven bench piece alongside Torreyes, Austin Romine and Jacoby Ellsbury. He’s on a one-year contract so the team can easily move on if he isn’t performing.

After the events of last spring, it’s no wonder Rodriguez wasn’t himself in ’17. Given a fully healthy offseason, he should be in better shape this time around, both physically and mentally. While he might not hit at an All-Star level as he did two years ago, Rodriguez, when he’s right, is one of the game’s better bench bats.