Re-signing DJ LeMahieu proves to be the early offseason focus for the New York Yankees. While he is a top priority, his contract should not be the only one they extend to a position player ahead of 2021.
Their lineup continues to lack balance, being extremely right-handed. That trend may continue as left-handed hitting Brett Gardner is a free agent. Although Clint Frazier has earned an opportunity to play left field everyday, his presence in place of Gardner leaves the Yankees with zero left-handed hitters and one switch hitter among the presumptive regular lineup.
With the way manager Aaron Boone like to utilize his roster and build in rest days for players, having a viable fourth outfielder is wise. Re-signing Gardner is still an option. His defense, longevity with the franchise, and .874 OPS down the stretch in 2020 make a case for that. Additionally, Mike Tauchman is still on the roster, and he will not be arbitration eligible until 2022. Tauchman still comes with concerns, having never played 100 games in a season and it being unclear if his impressive 2019 season was an outlier or a sign of what is to come.
After Wednesday’s non-tender deadline, the Yankees have options available if they decide neither player will suffice in the outfield. Several left-handed bats with different skill sets are now available for the team to pursue. Bringing in one of would help solidify the outfield rotation and add a more balance to the lineup.
A Familiar Target
One of the bigger names to get cut at the non-tender deadline was Kyle Schwarber. A reunion for Schwarber and the Chicago Cubs is still possible, but the soon-to-be-28-year-old has long been a Yankees’ target. He has been on their radar since 2016, and they engaged the Cubs in trade talks for him in 2019.
Schwarber was one of several high-profile names to struggle offensively in 2020, slashing .188/.308/.393, but he did hit 11 home runs. His left-handed swing produces long, majestic shots, totaling 121 career homers, and that will play in Yankee Stadium.
He epitomizes the modern MLB player. His home runs come with a low batting average, a 28% strikeout rate, but a 12.9% walk rate. Overall, his career 113 OPS+ illustrates that he has been productive.
Another bonus with Schwarber is his postseason experience. While he is most famous for returning from a torn ACL to contribute to the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series, his overall postseason numbers are excellent, slashing .288/.405/.576. This is significant as the Yankees have seen their lineups struggle in October after highly productive regular seasons.
The knock on Schwarber is his defense. The former catcher-turned outfielder profiles more as a designated hitter. He has one season in which he posted a positive DRS, but his career mark sits at -12.
A Former All-Star
LeMahieu and Tauchman are two cases of success for the Yankees bringing over a player from the Colorado Rockies. David Dahl is a former top-50 prospect who made the NL All-Star team in 2019. Nothing went right at the plate for Dahl, 26, in 2020 as hit put up worse numbers than Schwarber at .183/.222/.287 with zero home runs.
However, one year prior, he slashed .302/.385/.524 with 15 home runs in 100 games. Seeing those numbers in a large sample attract interest although he still strikes out more and walks less than desired.
Dahl is in a similar situation to Tauchman where he has one superb year, but has yet to prove he can consistency replicate those numbers over a full season. 2019 is the only season where Dahl has played over 77 games. The caveat is that Dahl has shown consistency in his power, slugging .500 or better in every season he played before 2020.
Defense is also an issue for Dahl. His cumulative DRS is -17 for his career, and he has never posted a season with positive defensive production at any outfield position. That is concerning, but keep in mind that when Tauchman came over from the Rockies, his career DRS was -3, and then he posted +18 for 2019. Don’t count on turnaround as drastic as that, but it’s possible a change of venue could benefit Dahl.
A Well-Rounded Player
Another left-handed bat left unemployed after the non-tender deadline is former Minnesota Twin, Eddie Rosario. The 29-year old has received MVP votes in back-to-back seasons. It is true that Schwarber hits the ball harder and Dahl has a better career slash line than Rosario. Additionally, Gardner and Tauchman have had better defensive seasons than him. Regardless, he still does all of those things well, making him one of the more complete options that the Yankees can pursue.
He tripled 15 times as a rookie, but then that power translated into home run power. He hit 13 in the abbreviated season, as well as 32, 24, and 27 in the three seasons prior. His OPS+ has also been 115 or higher in three of the previous four seasons, with a .281/.317/.493 slash line in that time frame.
He has shown the Yankees what he is capable of in the postseason. He homered off of Luis Severino in the 2017 AL Wild Card game, and he hit .308 with a double and a home runs in the 2019 ALDS when the Yankees swept the Twins.
On the surface, his plate discipline looks to be an issue. A career 19% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate are not great, but they are trending in the right direction. His strikeout percentage has fallen below 15% in each of the last two seasons, and his walk rate was a career high 8.2% in 2020.
Defensively, he has a career 4 DRS, and he profiles best in left field where he has 9 DRS. There may be options available that possess better specific tools than Rosario, but he brings a complete package that can make a difference offensively and defensively.
The Yankees need to address the lack of lefty-right balance in their lineup. If Gardner does not return and the team does not turn to Tauchman, the non-tender deadline has given them more options to evaluate, all of which have something different to offer.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
