3 former Yankees players who would solve team's problems right now

Thairo Estrada

I know what you're thinking. "You want to add to the infield logjam?!" No. I want a competent bench. And while Thairo Estrada has proven himself to be an above-average starter on the water-treading San Francisco Giants, think of how much better the Yankees' bench unit would be every single day with one of Estrada/Peraza involved, while Gleyber Torres DHs and DJ LeMahieu covers third.

Remember the 1998 Yankees? Their bench included Darryl Strawberry, Tim Raines and Chili Davis. No egos. We used to be a country. A proper country. Now, when a Yankees regular exits the game, that game is over. Sometimes, it's over before the regulars even come out. Bleak times.

The 27-year-old Estrada, who now has surprisingly hefty facial hair, is tough as nails. We already knew that, though, considering he fought through the minors and persevered after being shot, and waited six months to remove the bullet.

He's now hitting .346 on the year in San Fran with a .922 OPS. Sweet. Definitely sounds like someone you DFA in order to get your hands on Rougned Odor, which is what the 2021 Yankees did.

In 2021, Estrada played, second, short, third, left and right for the Giants. While he wouldn't be an ideal left fielder for the 2023 Yankees, he could at least cover the position in a pinch -- and, no matter where he's placed, he's likely to be a more effective hitter than Willie Calhoun/Franchy Cordero/the rest of this mess. It would be a joy to have him around. For a team that despises cutting bait on homegrown talent, it's wild how much more willing they were to get rid of Estrada than Miguel Andújar.