Yankees should look for a short-term replacement at shortstop

The Yankees suffered a hiccup in their offseason plans; Didi Gregorius sustained a right elbow injury in the ALDS. It was soon determined that Gregorius tore his right ulnar collateral ligament, thus requiring Tommy John surgery.

Sir Didi’s surgery went as expected but the recovery is long, leaving Gregorius unable to play for the Yankees until around June of next season — at the earliest.

This also leaves the Yanks without their unofficial captain, as the club is now in need of someone to pick up the 89 runs, 86 RBI and 27 HR — as well as a stellar glove Gregorius offered. Although there are many roads to take in attempting to find a solution, the first is to look internally.

The Yankees bench, as of now, has two infielders awaiting a shot to start some games: Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes.

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Torreyes, a fan favorite, has never played more than 108 games in a season, however, in 2017, Toe wasn’t half bad. Hitting .292, Torreyes showed he could put the bat on the ball, but that was about it. Torreyes walked only 11 times in those 108 contests and hit just three home runs.

Although he does have decent speed and an average to an above-average glove, Torreyes’ ability to hold down the fort at shortstop is questionable at best,

The other bench option would be Tyler Wade, who has just 66 MLB games under his belt. The lack of experience is due in part to Wade’s appearance thus far as a Triple-A player.

Both times Wade exceeded in the minors, leading to a call-up to the Major League squad, his productivity succumbed to the competition. Wade saw at least an 85 point drop in his batting average after the promotion.

Although Wade’s speed and fielding ability are both superior to Torreyes, Toe has proven to be the better hitter. Unfortunately, both of these players are below the standards of the World Series hopeful Yankees — unless either were to see a vast improvement to their game this spring.

That’s where free agency comes in. And of course, what would this conversation be without Manny Machado?

Machado is coming off one of, if not, the best seasons of his career: 37 HR, 107 RBI and a .297/.367/.538 slash line. With that uber-impressive line, how could you vote against signing Machado?

For one, Machado has somewhat of a chip on his shoulder and this past postseason demonstrated just that. Nevertheless, the guy can hit.

The only downside in going this route is that Machado is too good to be a just a replacement; meaning, someone is going to lose their starting job. The Yankees could surrender the DH role to someone in the infield. However, that would leave Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton to start every day in the outfield.

Machado will likely demand a long-term contract of more than $200 million, which by no means is a waste, even after Gregorius’ return. But there are other infielders in free agency worth noting.

Jose Iglesias is a name most associated with an excellent glove. The Cuban-native has a career .270 batting average and hit .269 last year, showing his consistency.

Iglesias also doesn’t strikeout much, just 10 percent of his plate appearances last season, which would be a nice change of pace for the free-swinging Bombers. Not to mention, Iglesias might not expect a luxurious contract like Machado, making him a low-risk, high-reward target for the Yanks.

D.J. LeMahieu is another free agent I’ve shortlisted here as a potential leave-replacement for Gregorius. LeMahieu hit over .300, three seasons in a row (2015-2017), including a batting title in 2015 and similarly to Iglesias, doesn’t strikeout often.

Although he’s a second baseman by trade, the Yankees could work their infield to have Gleyber Torres shift over to short, opening second for LeMahieu.

Again, a far cheaper option rather than Machado, LeMahieu’s 2018 salary of $8.5 million instigates that he may cost a bit more than that figure, but nothing crazy.

Both Iglesias and LeMahieu have most likely hit the peak of their careers, aged 29 and 30, respectively. The hope would be to fill an infield void left by injury as well as supply rotational support in the lineup as need be.

The more experienced way to go would be signing 11-year veteran, Jed Lowrie. A 34-year-old infielder, Lowrie hit a career-high 23 home runs last season while driving in 99 runs.

A simple fit into the equation, Lowrie could start at short until Gregorius is healthy, then fill in at second, third or short for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, where his success against left-handers might come in handy in situational spots. His age would also indicate a shorter contract, nor will he demand too high a salary.

The rest of the free agent market features a few names I believe could be a sustainable temporary replacement at shortstop.

A career .294 hitter against lefties, Jordy Mercer hits home runs at a higher rate against left-handers than righties. But Mercer should not be a first target replacement. Mercer, 32, made more money than both Iglesias and Lowrie this past season.

Likewise, Freddy Galvis made nearly $7 million last season while underperforming his counterparts, Iglesias and Lowrie.

Galvis reached double-digit home runs the past three seasons and has utility ability –able to play second, third, short and even some outfield. A substantial introduction but his résumé lacks after that. He strikes out a ton (147 SO last season). Galvis is not a bad option if all else fails option.

Speaking of, if all else fails, Daniel Descalso is also a free agent. The 32-year-old, World Series champion is efficient, featuring a career slash line of .240/.324/.370. His .353 OBP was over 100 points better than his batting average, due in most part to his career-high 64 walks and 13 home runs.

Plus, Descalso has played over 300 innings at each infield position, as well as left field. He’d also be the cheapest option, paid just $2 million last season and closer to the end of his career, rather than the beginning.

Manny Machado is the best player available, no doubt about that. But the catch is his steep price, even if he is well worth it.

Next. Miguel Andujar robbed of AL Rookie of the Year Award. dark

If the Yankees were to part ways with the Machado chase, and instead look for a guy that could fill in for Didi, consequently taking a “sporadic” role, the other names I’ve mentioned are still impressive.

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