Signing Jung-Ho Kang is a Necessity for New York

With the shortstop market drying up quicker then the rolls at your Thanksgiving party on Thursday the New York Yankees may be on the outside looking in this hot stove season. That is unless the team heeds my warnings and my suggestions and signs Jung-Ho Kang at all costs.

Let's face it the shortstop free agent market sucks this season with the best option being a guy that hit under .200 last season in Stephen Drew. Looking ahead, and granted a lot can change between now and then, the free agent market sucks next season for shortstops as well making a pillow contract or one year deal a band-aid rather than a solution to New York's problems. To compound the problem the Yankees best shortstop prospects are all in the lower levels of the farm system and, at best, two years away if not more. Signing a youthful 27 year old like Kang to a three or four year deal may be in the Yankees best interests now and for the future.

Kang is not going to bring New York a Canyon of Heroes parade, I get that, but he will play more than adequate defense and give the team a boost offensively over Drew and incumbent Brendan Ryan. The KBO, or Korean Baseball Organization, is more of a AAAA system them a major league system but the Yankees don't necessarily need Kang to slash the career .298/.382/.503 he did in Korea and the team doesn't need him to hit the 137 home runs in seven full seasons he did with the Nexen and the Woori the Yankees just need him to be a slick defender and a solid #7, #8 or #9 hitter in the lineup. Check and check.

Kang will not bring the team a World Series alone and will not solve all the Yankees problem but he will not cost as much as Hanley Ramirez did and he will not gut the farm system like Troy Tulowitzki would. Where do I sign?