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Rickie Weeks, Alberto Callaspo, and Mark Reynolds headline the best of the rest free agent position player options for the Yankees
You've seen our free agent target posts throughout the month of November, but to bring it all to an end, I'll be summing up the best of the rest on the market. These guys are all long shots, but it's at least worth exploring and discussing, right? RIGHT?? Today we're starting with the position players.
SS Clint Barmes - 116 PA, .245/.328/.294, 7.8 BB%, 15.5 K%, 79 wRC+, 0.3 WAR
If the Yankees want to scrape the bottom of the barrel, Clint Barmes is it. He'd be the backup plan to the backup plan's backup plan, but if they want a defense-first shortstop, they're going to ignore Jed Lowrie and Asdrubal Cabrera. A reunion with Stephen Drew seems to make the most sense, however, I don't see them getting into a bidding war for him, or really anyone, and if they can't pull off a trade for either Jimmy Rollins or Alexei Ramirez, Barmes could be the next, next, next best option as he's highly rated in the field. It would end up being an odd platoon between him and Brendan Ryan–Barmes against lefties, Ryan against righties and late-inning replacements–but if he bounces back, Barmes could offer more power from the right side without being a liability in the field. It would be ugly, but it would be something, at least for a few months.
2B/3B Alberto Callaspo - 451 PA, .223/.290/.290, 8.9 BB% 11.1 K%, 68 wRC+, -1.1 WAR
Callaspo was an intriguing player on the trade market a few years ago, but in 2014 he was a disaster. He's never been a great hitter, but he's always been quietly valuable, so at this point, any hope of a multi-year deal has likely disappeared. He's capable of playing two positions the Yankees might end up needing filled, though the metrics don't like him at second base. Even as a pure third baseman, he would allow Martin Prado to stay at second base and could offer an alternative to Alex Rodriguez as the starting third baseman if they don't bring back Chase Headley. Either way, it will be a gamble, but if he bounces back he'll likely be worth whatever modest price tag he'll come attached with.
2B Mark Ellis -202 PA, .180/.253/.213, 6.9 BB% 18.8 K%, 31 wRC+, -0.4 WAR
The Yankees had a chance to sign Mark Ellis last year and decided against. Even though they went with Brian Roberts, it's looking like that was still a good decision. At the age of 37, it's clear that his career is winding down, but he's still somewhat of a bounce back candidate, considering he can't really be any worse than he was in 2014. If the Yankees don't find a third baseman, they will move Martin Prado to the hot corner, but if they decide that Rob Refsnyder is not ready to take on the major league job just yet, Ellis could be a one-year, or half-year, stopgap. Ellis is strong in the field, so he'd add that extra value that the Yankees would be looking for.
SS Rafael Furcal -Played nine games in 2014
At this point in his career, Furcal is kind of just a warm body. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, the shortstop has played just nine games between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. If they feel that Refsnyder isn't ready for a full-time position, the Yankees could bring in Furcal as this year's Brian Roberts. Throw him $2 million with some incentives and if he's terrible, or Refsnyder goes on another tear, he's easily cuttable.
1B/3B Mark Reynolds - 433 PA, .196/.287/.394, 22 HR, 10.9 BB% 28.2 K%, 87 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
The Yankees don't often re-sign players after letting them leave in free agency, but maybe they should when it comes to Mark Reynolds. We know that all he's going to bring is home run power, but as a right-handed corner-infielder, that might be exactly what this team needs. The Yankees would like a backup first baseman and another third baseman and he's likely destined to be healthier than either Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira, so he could end up being very useful over a full season.
2B Rickie Weeks - 286 PA, .274/.357/.452, 8 HR, 8.7 BB%, 25.5 K%, 127 wRC+, 1.2 WAR
If there's one player the Yankees pick up off the scrapheap, Rickie Weeks would be the one that makes the most sense. His strong offensive season will likely give him a legitimate 2015 salary, but after two down years in which he was worth just 0.5 WAR total, he's not really in line for a long-term deal, at least not yet. Weeks could represent a one-year stopgap, depending on what the Yankees decide to do with Refsnyder, and in the meantime the 32-year-old second baseman can regain some goodwill for the free agent market next year. He'd essentially be a more expensive, and hopefully more effective, Brian Roberts. The only hangup is his incredibly bad defense that could make this a no-go for the Yankees.