Yankees should consider making a play for Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer of the Twins just cleared waivers. Considering the persistent struggles of Greg Bird, Mauer’s ability to get on base and the veteran leadership he would bring, the Yankees should see if he’d consider waiving his no-trade clause.

The Greg Bird apologists have been awfully quiet as of late. Perhaps that has something to do with his .215/.304/.709 slash line in 205 at-bats. Although the Yankees first baseman does have nine home runs and 27 RBIs since returning in late May from an extended DL stint, his last 30 injury-free games have the markings of a below average hitter written all over them:

• .231/.304/.380 with nine runs scored, four homers, 19 RBI and 30 strikeouts in 108 at-bats.
• 1-for-21 (.048) with five strikeouts in his last five games.

Now I’m not here to argue whether or not Greg Bird is the long-term answer for the Yanks at first base — that’ll hopefully be addressed during the offseason by the people that can actually put change into motion.

Rather, I’m concerned that the Yankees, a team that is nine games out of first place in the AL East — and just four games up for the first Wild Card spot, aren’t getting enough production out of the man currently occupying the first base bag.

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Yes, White Sox center fielder Adam Engel robbed Bird of a home run on Monday, but them’s the breaks.

Then on Tuesday against a left-handed starter, manager Aaron Boone decided to sit Bird and his horrendous .237 OPS thus far in August for Luke Voit — a career minor leaguer that is basically Garrett Cooper 2.0. Remember him?

My biggest complaint with Bird is that he has now accumulated more plate appearances (237) and played in more games (60) than in any one season but has still shown zero consistency whatsoever.

Going into the Postseason, hoping Bird duplicates what he did in last year’s ALDS is great, but one — the Yankees need to get there. And two, there’s no proof that Bird will be ready when called upon.

Now sure, Neil Walker went on a two-week tear towards the end of July when he slashed .327/.377/.435 in 46 at-bats, but we know what happens when Walker plays too much — he comes back down to Earth, which is evident over his last seven contests: .130 BA with a .261 OPS in 23 at-bats.

The Yankees need real stability at the first base position. A guy that gets on base, is a great defender, provides veteran leadership and just so happens to bat lefty. That player is Joe Mauer.

A free agent at season’s end, Mauer is still owed a little more than $10 million the rest of the way. Making matters more convoluted is that Mauer has a full no-trade clause. However, Mauer has already cleared waivers and is now at least eligible to be traded should he accept a deal — so it would be up to the Twinkies to sweeten the pot.

With the Twins recently trading Eduardo Escobar to Arizona, Brian Dozier to LA, Ryan Pressley to Houston and of course, Lance Lynn to the Yanks, Minnesota has begun another rebuild.

Although the 15-year veteran Mauer has yet to be asked about potentially waiving his no-trade provision, he expressed much displeasure to the Star Tribune – watching his teammates being traded away for prospects.

Mauer, the lifelong Twin and Minnesota resident, isn’t the same player he was during his 2009 MVP campaign. But he still does a lot of things a club like the Yankees could use in a stretch run.

On the year, Mauer is slashing .271/.351/.360 with 17 doubles, three homers, 34 RBIs and only 51 strikeouts in 317 at-bats. An early-season concussion seems to have zapped him of the little power he had left (11 HR in 2016). However, Mauer is still plenty capable of hitting .287/.361/.356 against southpaws in 87 at-bats.

Having never won a single playoff game in 10 tries, perhaps at the age of 35, Mauer, the six-time All-Star would like one final chance at Postseason glory.

A change of scenery could do him wonders and allow the Yankees to add a veteran infield presence which is exactly what they need: a great defensive first baseman able to get on base against left-handed pitching while also giving them more time to evaluate Greg Bird for the long haul.