The New York Yankees looked for a left field alternative virtually all offseason.
Third base, however, didn’t appear to be much of a priority for them.
Despite Josh Donaldson returning just a 1.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) output in 132 games last season and the fact he is declining as a hitter and already 37 years old, the Yankees not only didn’t look for someone else to replace him, but also appear set to enter the 2023 campaign with him at the hot corner.
That’s a mistake, because they have much better options on the roster, such as DJ LeMahieu.
They are rolling with Donaldson anyway.
In fact, manager Aaron Boone announced his plans for the infield.
“Gleyber Torres is envisioned as the #Yankees‘ starting second baseman, Aaron Boone said. DJ LeMahieu is once again the rover, with Anthony Rizzo at 1B and Josh Donaldson at 3B,” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted.
Gleyber Torres is envisioned as the #Yankees' starting second baseman, Aaron Boone said. DJ LeMahieu is once again the rover, with Anthony Rizzo at 1B and Josh Donaldson at 3B.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 15, 2023
It’s all logical except for the situation at third base.
LeMahieu is a superior hitter and the same kind of stellar fielder as Donaldson, but the Yankees prefer to have him in a super-utility infield role.
Torres and Rizzo make sense at second and first base, respectively.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Oswald Peraza, and Anthony Volpe will fight for the starting shortstop gig, while Oswaldo Cabrera will likely challenge Aaron Hicks for playing time in left field.
The Yanks don’t have a bad offense by any means if we include Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader.
However, it’s definitely not as good as the top of their rotation.
Another potent bat, either now or at the deadline, would definitely help.
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