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Looking for potential solutions at first base

It’s no secret that the Yankees are hurting at the first base position, both literally and figuratively. Mark Teixeira is out with a knee ailment, and it’s serious enough that the minimum diagnosis is three weeks. But past injuries like his wrist injury have hampered him even when he’s returned from the disabled list; who’s to say that the knee problem won’t linger even after Teixeira starts playing again? Just as concerning, Teixeira was quite ineffective when on the field this season, slashing .180/.271/.263 on the way to a measly .201 TAv. His defensive metrics have slipped as well, so the Mark Teixeira of this season doesn’t contribute in any of the three ways that a position player can contribute between the white lines — batting, baserunning, and fielding. That combination of ineptitude equals a 2016 WARP total of -1.4, which is understandably the worst mark in all of baseball this season. In other words, it wouldn’t be foolish to look past Teixeira’s potential return from the DL and consider first base a problem that needs a solution for the entire season. And with every passing day, it becomes clearer and clearer that the Yankees don’t have the personnel on the MLB roster to provide an adequate fix.

So who might be some potential acquisitions to remedy the Yanks’ cold corner dilemma? Well, it probably makes sense to concentrate on players who will be reasonably priced on the trade market and don’t have long-term contractual obligations attached to them. Because the Yankees still aren’t sure if they’re a legitimate contending team or not, it doesn’t make sense to unload valuable assets for a first baseman that may not matter in the grand scheme of the playoff picture. However, waiting until the trade deadline to buy more time to see if this is a playoff team or not is also foolish, because the Yankees’ first base position is such a gaping hole that waiting to evaluate if this season is a lost cause could end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Yankees should look to make a move for a first baseman as soon as possible. However, Greg Bird still exists, and he’s still the future at the position. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to acquire a first baseman with years of control beyond this season, as that would imply either a higher acquisition price or an undesirable obligation in the future, when Bird should be ready to return by next season.

 

Five logical trade targets:

Logan Morrison — Morrison has been the definition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde this season. As late as May 15, Morrison was hitting .119/.221/.143, a line that would make even Mark Teixeira laugh (then hurt his lat or pectoral, probably). However, since that date, Morrison has been white-hot, slashing .397/.466/.705. Or, if you’re not really into statistics, that’s called pulverizing anything in sight. Trading for Morrison would definitely be a boom-or-bust acquisition. He’s probably available because the Rays currently sit in last place in the AL East, and also because of the existence of the next guy on the list.

Steve Pearce — Pearce could be a real find, and possibly the most desirable and logical acquisition out of anyone on this list. He’s quietly having an elite offensive season in 2016, with a slash line of .316/.399/.534. More importantly, though, all of the underlying peripherals indicate that it’s not fluky whatsoever. Pearce is sporting elite walk and strikeout rates of 11.8% and 14.4% respectively. He’s doing all of his damage on a .327 BABIP and a 17.8 HR/FB%, neither of which seem outlandish. By looking to acquire him now, it’s possible that the Yankees acquire him just before he cools down. Or it’s possible that they jump in and get him for an affordable price before other teams even realize he’s available, thus avoiding what could’ve been a minor bidding war for Pearce’s services.

Danny Valencia — Valencia has a legitimate argument with Pearce for ‘acquisition that makes the most sense for the Yankees’. He followed up a breakout .296/.331/.506 season last year with an even better .343/.387/.580 line so far this season in pitcher-friendly Oakland. He has played mostly third base throughout his career, including in 2016. However, he does have experience at first base, albeit limited. Also, he’s posted negative FRAA marks in each of the last three seasons at the hot corner. The metrics indicate that he’s bad enough of a fielder that it wouldn’t be diminishing his value too much to move him across the diamond, but he’s good enough of a fielder that he could start at third if Teixeira comes back swingin’ and the Yankees decide that they’re going to move on from Chase Headley as the starting third baseman. As a bonus, Valencia comes with one additional year of team control via arbitration, but Oakland will definitely be moving him for the right offer.

Brandon Moss — After a down season in 2015, Moss is back to his usual production this year, posting a TAv of .300. He makes a lot of sense for the Yankees, but that’s the exact reason that he isn’t the ideal candidate to be moved in the first place. After all, he also makes a lot of sense for any contending team, one of which he happens to be a part of at the moment. Why would a contending team like the Cardinals move a piece from their MLB roster, especially one that has been producing? That’s the real question here; but with the return and resurgence of Matt Adams, Moss has mostly been limited to pinch-hitting duties recently, and that might enable Moss to be able to be pried away.

Scott Van Slyke — This is another player on a team with playoff aspirations. Van Slyke also happens to be one of the most underrated players in baseball. In 651 PAs over the course of the last three seasons, Van Slyke has accumulated 4.3 WARP. Between 2014 and 2015, in fewer than 500 PAs (OK, fine, it was 499 PAs), Van Slyke put up a combined 3.7 WARP. However, unlike with Danny Valencia, moving Van Slyke to first base full-time would significantly reduce his value. The defensive metrics, from FRAA to UZR, all rate him as an excellent defender in the corner outfield spots. He can also pose as a competent center fielder in a pinch, and moving him to first base renders most of his defensive value moot. Ideally, this versatility would add value to the Yankees’ roster construction; however, the Yankees have little to no problems with outfield depth, and they’d likely utilize him almost exclusively at first base, where his above-average offensive production falls much closer to run-of-the-mill. Van Slyke represents the most awkward fit out of these five players listed. On one hand, he comes with two additional years of team control after this season, which might make his acquisition price prohibitive to the New York front office. However, he could slot in as the first baseman this year and move to right field to replace Beltran in 2017 when Greg Bird is healthy. Also, the Dodgers might be more willing to move him than ever before, considering that he just returned from injury, and both Trayce Thompson and Enrique Hernandez proved to be capable lefty-mashing outfielders in his stead.

 

Five out-of-the-box solutions:

Wil Myers — At first glance, the fact that Myers has three years of team control after this season seems to imply that he’s definitely not a fit for a trade. The Padres don’t want to get rid of him, while the price is probably too prohibitive for the Yankees. However, if the Padres are really going to hold a fire sale, with Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Matt Kemp, Melvin Upton, and John Jay all possibly on the move, then they are going for a full rebuild. Myers’ three remaining seasons may not actually match up with the timeline of the rest of their future, and it might make more sense to move him for a first baseman that might have five to six years of team control remaining. This is where Greg Bird comes in, as it would take at least Bird, plus potentially more, in order to convince San Diego to give up Myers. However, Myers is still only 25 years old, and he would replace Bird as the Bombers’ first baseman of the future. Myers is quietly having a spectacular season; depending on which WAR metric you prefer, Myers is on pace for roughly a 4.5-5.5 win season in 2016, and it’s easy to get the sense that he still hasn’t hit his enormous ceiling projected on him while in the minors by scouts.

Joey Votto — If the Reds do decide to end up moving their superstar and face of the franchise, and if Votto decides to waive his full no-trade protections, the Yankees should be thinking pretty darn hard about acquiring him. He is one of those rare talents that is worth giving up a Greg Bird without bashing an eye. There are a few major caveats and red flags, however. He will turn 33 later this year and is signed through 2023 at significant salaries. He also has had some nagging injuries in the not-so-distant past. On the other hand, he almost singlehandedly transforms an offense, and his offensive skill set is once-in-a-lifetime. This is a man that just came off of a walk rate over 20% and an OBP of .459. He sports a career BABIP of .354 despite not being particularly fast, and that’s because he’s always at the top of the league leaders in line drive percentage, and he also owns a spray chart that’s about as unshiftable as a player can get. There also isn’t enough time to talk about his many other quirks in the batter’s box, such as the fact that he went an entire season without ever hitting an infield pop-up, or that he literally never pulls the ball foul into the stands. And remember that the basis of his skill set, plate discipline, is the one skill that typically gets better with age, so his aging should be more graceful than most. If the Reds ever made him available, there would be quite a long list of both pros and cons regarding his potential acquisition.

Freddie Freeman — This is another player that may or may not be available, depending on what you hear and what you believe. All of the public comments from both Freeman and the team indicate that he’s not going anywhere, but there have been too many rumors and whispers for the Braves not to have discussed him with other teams. The price to acquire him is probably going to make you laugh, then cry, then throw up, then probably cry again, but Freeman is also a transcendent talent. The package would probably have to start with Bird, Luis Severino, and either one or both of James Kaprielian and Jorge Mateo, and that would be just to get the conversation started. However, Freeman is the type of player that jumps the Yankees right into the playoff discussion for this season, not to mention the fact that he’s signed through 2021.

Prince Fielder — If you considered the others to be a longshot, this is probably Leicester City. Fielder has only appeared in three games at first base this season, and he hasn’t really been a first baseman since his season-ending neck surgery. Oh right, his season-ending neck surgery. That wasn’t exactly minor. And don’t forget that he’s signed through 2020 at huge salaries. If that isn’t enough, don’t forget that he is currently sporting a .190/.261/.288 line and was just benched from the Rangers’ starting lineup. Still, though, it isn’t quite as bad as I just made it sound. First of all, Detroit is already kicking in a significant amount of salary. Also, Fielder is surprisingly young; somehow he just turned 32 last month, so he isn’t signed through nearly the ages that guys like Votto, Alex Rodriguez, and Albert Pujols are. Thirdly, he fits into the Yankees’ plans more than it might seem upon first glance. All he has to do is fake it at first base for the rest of the season. Then, he can move into the DH position next year and allow Greg Bird to reclaim first base. Fourthly (if that’s a word?), there’s a chance he ages pretty decently. After all, he doesn’t exactly play the most demanding position. His job is already just to get off of the bench and hit, then sit back down. Fifthly (now I’m definitely making up words), despite his offensive woes this year, he’s coming off of a great 2015, and he backs that up with a similarly excellent career track record. He possesses the most lethal combination of offensive skills in baseball — power without huge swing-and-miss tendencies, and those are two things that the Yankees would welcome with open arms. Lastly, because of the negatives mentioned at the beginning, New York could likely acquire Fielder for cheap. In fact, the Yankees could probably acquire him without surrendering any of their top 10 prospects.

Gary Sanchez – Hey, this isn’t as outlandish as the other four options…

 

Photo: Brad Rempel / USA Today Sports

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