4 veteran free agents Yankees should sign to build deeper bench

Travis Jankowski, OF

You'd be forgiven if you weren't paying attention to Jankowski this season, a 2022 Mets castoff who's found comfort deep in the heart of Texas.

The left-handed hitting outfielder (how about that?) has spent his time posting 1.4 bWAR (much of that defensive), while batting .266 with a 90 OPS+ in 278 plate appearances. Despite that success, it's still unlikely the 32-year-old Jankowski earns a multi-year pact this offseason. If the Yankees are interested in a speedy fourth outfielder who's been coming into his own as he matures, they'll probably just have to beat Texas' one-year offer, which should land somewhere in the Anderson Range.

Look. It'd be great if the Yankees could roll the dice and find their own Jankowski, but none of the 15 options they tried in 2023 worked for more than a week. Adding a pesky contact bat who rarely whiffs (just 40 this season after being "overexposed") would be another bold shift from these Yankees, but bring in a former champion like Moustakas and an irritant who's excellent defensively, and you're starting to get closer to competence.