Yankees: 3 free agent lefty bats NYY need to sign for 2021

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The New York Yankees need to populate their righty-heavy lineup with lefty power threats in 2021, and these three guys fit the bill.

Guys, guys, two things can be true! The Yankees lineup was extremely good in 2020, and will be good if presented in 2021 as-is.

It was also built incorrectly.

Time and again, we’ve watched elite right-handed relief work buzzsaw through the Yankees’ elite batting order in the postseason. Let’s face it: We’re in need of an infusion of patience, as well as a different look from the other side of the plate. And we don’t have much room to work with.

No matter what happens for the remainder of the offseason, the depth the Yankees import for 2021 should be primarily left-handed, and should have a greater realm of offensive capability than Mike Tauchman or Tyler Wade, who barely helped at all in 2020.

Allow us to put these names on the table. In a mostly right-handed class, they could certainly fit.

Tommy La Stella #3 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

3. Tommy La Stella

Tommy La Stella is a perfect fit with the Yankees in 2021

Lefty, pesky, named “La Stella” … yeah, this guy belongs on the next great Yankees team. The second the team comes to an extension agreement with DJ LeMahieu, adding Tommy La Stella to beef up the infield depth should be the very next move.

He can go anywhere. Plug and play. Like Whit Merrifield, but actually available. And he’s a lefty.

Following an All-Star 2019 season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (how often does a guy like La Stella get recognized in such fashion?!), he bounced from the LAA to Oakland and OBP’d .370 with a .281 average. He’s a second baseman, third baseman, classic pinch-hitter and potential outfield option in case of emergency.

Frankly, he’s got the type of face and vibe you can’t image declining to fulfill any task or requirement.

With his first real chance to contribute with regularity in the postseason this year, La Stella hit .273 and .313 during the A’s two round-long run. If needed, though, he’d clearly be happy regressing to fill-in status, and he’d be eminently more valuable in the Bronx than the number of retreads we were forced to watch man the infield in 2020. Sorry, Jordy Mercer. Injuries happen, and when they do, the Yankees will need insurance like La Stella.

Michael Brantley #23 of the Houston Astros (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

2. Michael Brantley

We know, we know, but the Yankees really should target Michael Brantley.

Coming off a failed 2019 season (sorry, Aaron Boone, but when we flame out on a walk-off home run to our new-age rival, you can call that a failure), the Yankees addressed their rotation void by plundering a top free agent from the Houston Astros, weakening the team they continue to meet in the ALCS.

So after a bizarre 2020, why not do it again?

Michael Brantley would be entering a crowded outfield picture if the Yankees signed him for 2021, but consider him a far upgraded version of Tauchman and Brett Gardner. His role might not be entirely clear on Opening Day, but I can guarantee you he’d find his way into the lineup more often than not. After all, DJ LeMahieu sat on Opening Day 2019 in favor of Troy Tulowitzki, a sentence that feels straight out of decades-old history books.

All Brantley does is put bat on ball, work counts, and punish the short porch (if given the chance!). It’s hard to construct a more perfect veteran fit for this Yankees roster in a lab than Dr. Smooth — and that’s really what he is. A born-to-hit, ready-made player who’s available for money alone. As soon as the World Series ends, the Yankees should try to be the first in the room making their pitch.

Wherever he goes, he will prosper. So why not here?

Didi Gregorius #18 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

1. Didi Gregorius

Be honest. You skipped ahead here for the Yankees-Didi talk, didn’t you?

Though we probably learned less than we intended to from New York’s 60-game season, we have a bit more unsettling data on Gleyber Torres at short than we probably wanted. Unfortunately, his iffy defense is likely the thing standing most clearly in the way of a LeMahieu pact.

The Yankees didn’t have enough of a lefty presence in 2019, either, when Gregorius was technically on the team. Outside of his ALDS Game 2 grand slam, though, he didn’t look quite right in his farewell season, and often bristled at the media in an uncharacteristic display of discomfort.

Given a chance at a “prove it” deal in Philly, he was unable to provide a full 162-game sample thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, but Gregorius did look an awful lot like his old self, hitting .284 with 10 home runs in just 215 at-bats. You want to replicate the magic of 2017? Well, this guy was as big a part of it as anyone.

Unlikely to obtain a monster contract in this mid-COVID environment, Gregorius would no doubt fit like a puzzle piece as the Yankees attempt to reclaim their mojo. At the very least, we should ignore offseason assessments that feature Andrelton Simmons, Freddy Galvis, or other shortstop options that threaten to shake up the entire infield and ruin any familiarity.

If any defensive-minded player is going to bump Gleyber off his throne, it had better be Didi, which would largely feel like business as usual.

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 12: General Manager of the New York Yankees Brian Cashman is seen in the dugout prior to the game against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium on August 12, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

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