Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Looking Ahead To 2014: The Designated Hitter

The Travis Hafner Era In New York Is Over

The Yankees have fallen in love with giving guys with no position but a ton of power the designated hitter position since signing Raul Ibanez for the 2012 season. The Yankees tried to catch lightning in a bottle again in 2013 when they signed Travis Hafner which was obviously a failure after multiple shoulder issues had him missing time as well as a power outage at the plate. The Yankees will surely let Travis Hafner walk after this season but will the Yankees give another aging power hitting veteran without a position the shot at the DH spot hoping for a third times the charm effect? Here is the complete list of 2014 free agents but I will hit the high spots and realistic options for the Yankees in this years free agency period.


Kendrys Morales (30 years old)
Delmon Young (28 years old)
Michael Young (37 years old)
Travis Hafner (37 years old)
Lance Berkman (37 years old)
Luke Scott (36 years old)
Mike Morse (32 years old)

Delmon Young is the youngest player on the list here and I am advocating for an all out effort to not only get better but get younger too but that does not start with Young. While he is younger, no pun intended, he is basically a DH only type. Sure he can play in the outfield, a place where we have plenty of options if you include Melky Mesa and Zoilo Almonte, but nobody would want him to unless they were really desperate. Travis Hafner is another that fits the "DH only" mold that the Yankees really need to start getting away from and so does Lance Berkman who has not had a healthy season in what feels like forever. Kendrys Morales is probably the most intriguing option here because he can play the infield, he has played the outfield, and is a switch hitter which the Yankees love. He can hit for power, for a good average, and has proven that he can stay healthy in the past two seasons which was the biggest concern for him. Kendrys Morales adds added flexibility, versatility, and power to the team and adds a switch hitter to the lineup that balances it out and brings us closer to the glory years of giving opposing managers late innings match up nightmares and #TooManyDamnHomeRuns.

If I am the GM I give Kendrys Morales a two year deal worth $12,000,000 that gives him a slight raise over 2013 and gives him the security of a two year deal.

2 comments:

  1. A couple of things. First, I'd be pretty shocked if Morales signed for 2 years, 12 million dollars. For him to put up those numbers in Seattle, he probably will be much better anywhere else.

    Also, a minor detail but Melky Mesa has been released already so he's not an option for 2014.

    Finally, I agree that the Yankees should go hard after Morales. The only thing is on the Yankees he is a DH and little more, maybe a defensive replacement at first and in the outfield.

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  2. I expect Mesa to come back on another minor league deal but I guess I didn't articulate that very well, my apologies old friend.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)