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It’s February 10th and a weird number of free agents left on the market ranging from pretty good to All-Star caliber. This is apparently the new normal for the offseason. The Yankees seem to be set for spring training, but there’s always room for improvement. Here’s a look at seven free agents the Bombers could still sign:
Infielders
I’m as sick of talking about Manny Machado as the next person, but the fact remains that he still hasn’t signed a contract. Even if you’re anti-Machado, I think we can all agree that his sheer presence would improve both the infield and the lineup. At this point, it’s looking like he could be in danger of missing some of spring training. It’s not too late for the Yankees to swoop in here.
If the Bombers would prefer the cheaper option, they could reunite with Adeiny Hechavarria. Why add a light-hitting shortstop after the team already inked Troy Tulowitzki and D.J. LeMahieu? It might be better not to put all their eggs in the “Tulo is healthy and can still play baseball” basket.
The Yankees appear to be content with letting Luke Voit and Greg Bird battle it out for the first base spot, but it wouldn’t hurt to add Derek Dietrich to the competition. Unlike utility infielder LeMahieu, Dietrich actually has some experience at first base.
Outfielder
According to Ken Rosenthal, neither Bryce Harper or Machado want to sign first. Whoever signs second becomes a hot commodity and will likely land a larger contract. The Yankees might have plenty of outfielders, but they could squeeze Harper in somewhere.
Starting pitcher
Today I learned that Dallas Keuchel is still available. Maybe he should have taken the Astros’ $17.9 million qualifying offer after all. The rotation is currently full, but it wouldn’t hurt to sub Keuchel in for CC Sabathia. If last year taught us anything, it’s that you really can’t ever have enough starting pitchers. Injuries are bound to happen, and this is one way that the Bombers could still improve their rotation.
Relievers
A couple of days ago, Brock floated the idea of the Yankees reuniting with Adam Warren. Though he may be hesitant to re-join the team that has traded him away twice now, the Yankees know what they’re getting with him, he’s a solid reliever, and he could serve as the long man in the ‘pen.
The team could choose to go in another direction entirely, and sign Craig Kimbrel. Just imagine a bullpen consisting of Chad Green, Dellin Betances, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Aroldis Chapman, and Kimbrel. There really wouldn’t even be room for any bad relievers. As an added bonus, it would block the Red Sox from retaining him and their bullpen depth chart looks pretty bleak without him. That might even be worth getting used to his weird stance on the mound.