3 terrible center field options Yankees must avoid this offseason

2. Juan Lagares

Gotta say, it feels very bad to be inspired by a fellow writer’s rampant speculation, and to write an entire article about it. Here were are, on section two. It’s still happening!

All jokes aside, this SNY fella was obviously working under the assumption the spendthrift Yankees would have to cut budget again this offseason despite ducking under the luxury tax. Sounds insane when you write it out, doesn’t it? Alas, it’s possible.

Even so … Juan La-f******-gares?

Juan Lagares is the Andrelton Simmons of Freddy Galvises, a defensive wizard whose bat could barely justify his regular role with the 2013-2015 Mets, two brutal teams and one that caught fire at the deadline (he only had 25 at-bats throughout the postseason that year, and actually hit .348, so egg on my face, lol what).

Now? He’s the guy who makes you toss your glove in frustration when you give up a single or a dinger to him. He’s the man who caused many Yankee fans to strike their couch cushions this summer when he somehow went 2-for-4 with a homer off Lucas Luetge in a 5-3 loss to the Angels. You remember it, right? That’s the game where Dylan Bundy — bad — puked on the mound and left early, giving the Yankees 7.1 innings to hit the bullpen. They did not. Then went 0-for-4 with RISP while the Angels went 0-for-10 and won. Ooh, baby. Take me back. More baseball please.

All of this is to say that the 2022 Yankees should absolutely not be pursuing the most frustratingly inept member of the frustratingly inept 2021 Angels unless they want to stick themselves firmly in the second division/cause opposing pitchers to question their very nature every time they allow an opposite-field dinger.

Lagares is another potential 25th man who solves very little. And he’s not even close to the worst option mentioned.