Yankees sign Carlos Beltran: Reacting to the three-year deal

The Yankees reaction to Robinson Cano signing with the Mariners? Sign more outfielders!

The Yankees have reportedly signed outfielder Carlos Beltran to a three-year, $45 million deal. This comes just days after they seemed reluctant to offer him anything more than a two-year deal. Beltran is coming off of a 2013 season with the Cardinals where he hit .296/.339/.491 with 24 homeruns. Beltran will be 39 by the time this contract ends--so much for getting younger guys.

This gives the Yankees an overabundance of outfielders, making it likely that Brett Gardner now has a trade target on his head. On the plus side, Beltran is certainly an upgrade in power over Gardner.

(Side note: I have a hard time stomaching the fact that the Yankees would throw in a third year to Beltran, which they didn't want to give him in the first place, yet remain adamant in their offer to Cano. The Yankees didn't desperately need to sign another outfielder; that money could have all been offered to Cano to at least bring his offer to 8/200).

The Yankees still have major holes to fill, with two spots up for grabs in the rotation (thanks to today's signing of Hiroki Kuroda), and questions marks as to who will play second and third. Kelly Johnson can play one of those, but do the Yankees really want him to be their every day player? More importantly, can the Yankees trade Gardner for anyone of value to fill any of the remaining spots?