When fans get into Hot Stove discussions, they’re generally centered around big name, future Hall of Famers who are available for the right price. Juan Soto last winter. Shohei Ohtani the winter before.
This offseason features some very good players to be sure, but none on that level and more importantly, none that seem to be good fits with the Yankees for one reason or another.
For starters, Austin Wells, Ryan McMahon, Jazz Chisolm Jr., Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton are going to be in the lineup regularly – and that’s a good thing. Wells at his worst is a three-win player, Rice clearly can mash, McMahon is a tick below average hitter but a much better than average defender at third base (important when lefties are going to start more than one third of your games) and Jazz can unquestionably ball.
And of course, Judge is otherworldly.
That said, no one expects 150 games out of Stanton, and everyone but Judge from above is a left-handed batter, and not an outfielder. That means the Yankees could use a power right-handed bat from a player who can play the outfield.
The best five right-handed hitters on the free agent market right now are Pete Alonso, Eugenio Suarez, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, and Gleyber Torres – none of whom play a position of need. (Assuming we agree Bichette’s days as a shortstop are over, and Alonso would significantly cut into Rice’s PA with Wells and Stanton getting most of the reps at catcher and DH.)
I present to you, dear reader of MBP, Austin Hays and Rob Refsnyder.
(Insert scout from “Moneyball” voice: “Who?!?”)
On the surface, Hays’ 1.2 fWAR in 103 games last season and Refsnyder’s 1.0 in 70 games is somewhere between solid and unspectacular. But that’s not what we’re looking at today…
They both have a strength that can help fill holes in the Yankees’ roster: Specifically, they smash left-handed pitching, and they can play the outfield.
To be clear, neither is going to win a Gold Glove as an outfielder but neither will hurt you out there either. But damn, they hurt lefties…
Hays last season posted an astounding .400/.559 OBP/SLG for a 155 wRC+ against southpaws. For his career, he’s sitting on a 124 wRC+ against lefties, versus 97 against right-handed pitching.
Refsnyder – who never got a fair shake in the Bronx his first time around – posted a just as impressive .399/.560 OBP/SLG line against lefties for a 159 wRC+. Over his career, he’s sitting on a 129 wRC+ versus lefties as opposed to 76 against righties.
If you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned Jasson Dominguez’ name yet, it’s because he’s a far worse defensive outfielder than both Hays and Refsnyder and his career 55 wRC+ versus lefties is untenable.
No, neither Hays nor Refsnyder would light up the back pages of the tabloids or give a bump to Hal’s luxury boxes. But both have a skillset that would address an area of need for the Yankees and would likely make them a better team. They’re possibly good, under the radar signings waiting to happen.
Did I miss something? Let me know – leave a comment below, or yell at me on the MBP page on Blue Sky.
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