Yankees: 3 outfielders NYY can still sign after Kyle Schwarber landed with Nats

2. Albert Almora Jr.

What about the other Cubs OF, Yankees fans?

TIRED: The Yankees need someone valuable to back up Aaron Judge.

WIRED: The Yankees need someone valuable to back up Aaron Hicks.

When Judge goes down and New Yorkers are subjected to an overload of Mike Tauchman, things get unpredictable. In 2019, Tauchman was a revelation, earning sarcastic Mike Trout comparisons while approximating his skill set at 70%, posting a 128 wRC+ that season while being a +4.2 on defense. Really good baseball player! In ’20, though, he couldn’t make contact with fastballs down the middle, succumbing to early-career Greg Bird Disease.

But when Hicks goes down, it’s always been a knee-jerk decision: Turn to Brett Gardner, soak in the predictability. Gardy’s not under contract at the moment, though, nor is he a true center fielder anymore.

What about a young defensive standout in Albert Almora Jr., whose bat has never come along, featuring descending wRC+ of 89, 64 and 35 the past three years?

AA Jr. was a no-doubt non-tender this offseason for a money-saving team, but his glove is still impressive and he’s a former projectable top prospect. If he can be obtained for a fifth-outfielder role for $2 or $3 million, why not?

He’s an upgrade over Socrates Brito, right?!