If the Yankees Need a Backup Third Baseman…

The New York Yankees and their GM Brian Cashman seem adamant that the infield is set and the roster is basically done. Starlin Castro will not only be the team’s second baseman but will also be the team’s backup shortstop and backup third baseman as well. Usually when you work for a small company you have to wear a lot of hats but the New York Yankees are small from a small company or organization so it leaves you to wonder if there is a backup third baseman in the plans before spring training. If there is one in the plans I know a few that are still available for signing, and for cheap too.

I’ve asked for Juan Uribe before because I think he would be a marvelous fit and I’ve suggested Ian Desmond, although I am personally against it, while Cashman has already shot down my idea of having Robert Refsnyder learn the position. What about career utility infielder Clint Barmes? Barmes is 37-years old and been around the block with the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres during his 13 season MLB career and has spent time playing first base, second base, third base, shortstop, right field and center field. While his bat is lacking which is evident by his career .245/.294/.379 triple slash his defense and versatility are still selling points for the veteran.

Casey McGehee is another option for the Yankees and is already considered a former member of the organization. McGehee broke out in a big way in 2014 with the Miami Marlins and has enjoyed a consistent seven year career with the Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Marlins, Yankees and San Francisco Giants. McGehee has seemingly been zapped of all his power at this point in his career but he has experience at third base, first base and right field and could be a useful piece on the Yankees bench.

Those are just two of many options for the Yankees if they want a true backup third baseman than can play elsewhere. Will the Yankees sign another player? Who knows, we’ll just have to stay tuned. 

ICYMI: Potential September Additions at First Base?

With the news that Mark Teixeira will miss the rest of the 2015 season with a fractured right leg I thought it would be good to take another look at this post before today's double header. Enjoy.

http://www.thegreedypinstripes.com/2015/09/potential-september-additions-at-first.html

The New York Yankees have been dealing with the deep bone bruise to Mark Teixeira for the better part of a month now and have no end in sight unfortunately. The Yankees have lost their, at the time of the injury, leading RBI man and leading home run hitter in the middle of their lineup along with a perennial Gold Glove Award contending first baseman in the infield. New York held onto their top first base prospect Greg Bird at the trading deadline and have been using him daily at the position but could the team be thinking of adding a right-handed platoon partner?

Just because the August 31st trading deadline has come and passed it doesn't mean that trades cannot go down for the remainder of the season. Players can still be passed through waivers and traded for the remainder of the season but any player traded during the month of September or October would be ineligible for postseason play. That wouldn't be a big issue for New York if they believe that Teixeira will be back before the end of the 2015 regular season so a potential trade may at least be in the works for a right-handed bat at first base.

Two names that are especially interesting are Houston Astros first baseman Chris Carter and Miami Marlins first baseman/third baseman Casey McGehee. Both of these players have already cleared waivers and could not stop trades to the Big Apple while both have right-handed bats that could platoon with Bird at first but both candidates are far from perfect or ideal.

Carter is batting .182 at the time of this post going live but he his saving grace has been the fact that he has hit 18 home runs and drove in 52 RBI. Carter strikes out a lot and his splits against right-handed pitching and left-handed pitching are almost identical, they are terrible. Carter is an all or nothing option at the plate and may not be any better than what the Yankees currently have in Bird.

McGehee has been bounced around this season between the Minor Leagues and the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants before being designated for assignment by the club. McGehee has not benefited from the change of scenery in Miami and adds absolutely nothing in the power department. If there is one saving grace for McGehee it's that his batting average is 67 points higher against left-handed pitching than against right-handed pitching making him an ideal platoon candidate.

The thing you have to keep in mind is acquiring both of these players is going to cost something either in terms of players, cash or both. Both players would also have to be added to the 40 man roster presumably costing the Yankees another player. Rosters are expanded right now so the loss would be minimal at this point but when I look at the Yankees 40 man roster I don't see an obvious candidate to go and that may keep GM Brian Cashman from a trade this month.

Potential September Additions at First Base?

The New York Yankees have been dealing with the deep bone bruise to Mark Teixeira for the better part of a month now and have no end in sight unfortunately. The Yankees have lost their, at the time of the injury, leading RBI man and leading home run hitter in the middle of their lineup along with a perennial Gold Glove Award contending first baseman in the infield. New York held onto their top first base prospect Greg Bird at the trading deadline and have been using him daily at the position but could the team be thinking of adding a right-handed platoon partner?

Just because the August 31st trading deadline has come and passed it doesn't mean that trades cannot go down for the remainder of the season. Players can still be passed through waivers and traded for the remainder of the season but any player traded during the month of September or October would be ineligible for postseason play. That wouldn't be a big issue for New York if they believe that Teixeira will be back before the end of the 2015 regular season so a potential trade may at least be in the works for a right-handed bat at first base.

Two names that are especially interesting are Houston Astros first baseman Chris Carter and Miami Marlins first baseman/third baseman Casey McGehee. Both of these players have already cleared waivers and could not stop trades to the Big Apple while both have right-handed bats that could platoon with Bird at first but both candidates are far from perfect or ideal.

Carter is batting .182 at the time of this post going live but he his saving grace has been the fact that he has hit 18 home runs and drove in 52 RBI. Carter strikes out a lot and his splits against right-handed pitching and left-handed pitching are almost identical, they are terrible. Carter is an all or nothing option at the plate and may not be any better than what the Yankees currently have in Bird.

McGehee has been bounced around this season between the Minor Leagues and the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants before being designated for assignment by the club. McGehee has not benefited from the change of scenery in Miami and adds absolutely nothing in the power department. If there is one saving grace for McGehee it's that his batting average is 67 points higher against left-handed pitching than against right-handed pitching making him an ideal platoon candidate.

The thing you have to keep in mind is acquiring both of these players is going to cost something either in terms of players, cash or both. Both players would also have to be added to the 40 man roster presumably costing the Yankees another player. Rosters are expanded right now so the loss would be minimal at this point but when I look at the Yankees 40 man roster I don't see an obvious candidate to go and that may keep GM Brian Cashman from a trade this month.

2015 Yankees: The Case For Casey McGehee

The New York Yankees have a need at both third and first base heading into 2015 and while Chase Headley seems like the ideal candidate to fill both roles it would be a good idea for Brian Cashman and company to have a backup plan, enter the Marlins Casey McGehee. Headley is going to be well sought after and that may cause the bidding for a viable third baseman in a weak third base market to get out of hand. New York should not fall into the trap and overpay for Headley if McGehee is still on the market and I will tell you why.

First the back story as I am sure not many remember the 2012 trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that saw Chad Qualls join the Pirates and McGehee join the Yankees for the postseason push. New York was fed up with the struggling Qualls and Pittsburgh was at it's wits end with McGehee so the two teams simply traded our problem for their problem and both hoped for a change of scenery that would help the player. Neither player bounced back as McGehee finished with a .151 batting average in 22 games with a home run and 6 RBI as a Yankee while Qualls continued to give up runs and blow games.

McGehee went to Japan for the 2013 season and spent time with current Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka as a teammate on the Rakuten Golden Eagles. McGehee led the Nippon Professional Baseball League with a .292 average with 28 home runs and 93 RBi while winning the Japanese equivalent of the World Series. McGehee followed that campaign up with a .282 average and four home runs with 76 RBI in 159 games with the Miami Marlins in 2014. McGehee only made $1.1 million with Miami this season while making a run at the NL batting title for much of the season and garnering the nickname "Hits McGehee."

McGehee will be entering his age 33 season and adds a clutch right handed bat to the Yankees lineup. While McGehee is not going to win a Gold Glove Award anytime soon he isn't a 40 year old third baseman with two bad hips or Brendan Ryan at first base either. Chase Headley should be Plan A for the Yankees but McGehee wouldn't be a bad Plan B for the Bronx Bombers in 2015.

Casey McGehee Signs With Japanese Team

There's at least one player from the 2012 Yankees, who I'm not interested in re-signing, that won't be back next year.

Via Sankei in Japan, NBCSports is reporting that Casey McGehee has signed a 1 year deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Casey finished 5th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, after hitting .301/.360/.499, but things went downhill from there. He had a line of .151/.220/.264 in 22 games for the Yankees in 2012, after having been acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It didn't seem like the Yankees were interested in bringing back McGehee, but seeing their signing of Ichiro, along with their interest in Ibanez, I wouldn't have been surprised to see the 30 year old back in the Bronx in 2013.

McGehee Elects Free Agency

Well, Casey McGehee avoided being non-tendered by the Yankees by choosing to be a free agent already. Casey was removed from the 40-man roster, and was allowed to accept or decline a minor league assignment. He's declined the assignment, thus becoming a free agent.

I can't imagine many Yankees fans sitting there, reading this news, and say "aw, shucks".

Yankees Arbitration Eligible Players

The Yankees go into the long winter with a very uncertain roster and an even more uncertain future heading into 2013. The first flashes of clarity came down when the Yankees picked up options on Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, and David Aardsma and now we are close to having even more clarity. The Yankees have a total of seven arbitration eligible players next season and how much they earn will have a big impact on what the Yankees do in 2013 and beyond.

Phil Hughes heads up the list after making $3.2 million last season for the Yankees in the starting rotation. Hughes has had some inconsistency to say the least in his big league career so I wouldn't expect him to make much over $5 million a season.

Casey McGehee came over in a mid season trade after making $2.5 million last season for the Pirates and the Yankees. His value severely dropped and so did his playing time so I cannot fathom a way that he makes over $3 million next season.

Brett Gardner had a total of 31 at bats for the Yankees in 2012 after making $2.8 million for sitting on the disabled list most of the season. After missing most of the season I cannot see him making any more then what he is currently making.

Boone Logan threw a career high in innings pitched, games, and K/9 while making $1.9 million for the Yankees in 2012. I could see Boone's salary almost double next season after this being his fourth arbitration eligible season.

David Robertson has been the shut down set up man that we have been lacking since Mariano Rivera was John Wetteland's setup man in 1996. Robertson made $1.6 million in 2012 and if Robertson had not missed a month with an injury he could be sitting at around $3.5 million but I would probably see it settle more around $3 million for 2013.

Joba Chamberlain had the exact definition of a roller coaster up and down season in 2012. He went into the season where he made $1.67 million and rehabbed a dislocated ankle and his Tommy John surgery to have a nice month or two, including the post season. I still do not expect him to get a raise but if he made under $2 million next season I think it would still be a steal.

Jayson Nix was a steal at the league minimum for the Yankees bench in 2012. Nix's value is his ability to play multiple infield positions and the fact that he is not a slouch with the bat never hurts either. If we could keep him and give him more of Eric Chavez's role from 2012 then he would be a steal for $1 million or less.

Casey McGehee Will Not Be On ALDS Roster

We heard reports come down the wire that the last playoff roster spot would come down to Casey McGehee and Andruw Jones. As many of you know this really hurts my brain to read that Girardi reported that Casey McGehee would not be added to the roster which, by default, seems like Andruw Jones will be on the roster. Casey McGehee should get the call over Andruw Jones anyway just based on stats, the way they play the game, etc but it is also worth noting that in an absolute emergency Casey has catching experience... Andruw Jones has Dunkin' Donuts experience.

For all the optimists out there though Jayson Nix was seen taking batting practice in a simulated game off of Adam Warren and David Aardsma. If he is healthy and close enough I think, and pray, he may get the spot over both of them. One can only hope...

Obligatory David Adams/Corban Joseph Post

We found out today that the Yankees will be without Jayson Nix for the next 10-14 days with a strained hip flexor. That leaves us in quite a predicament because now our only healthy middle infielder on the roster currently is Eduardo Nunez. Now while he has more then held his own with the bat and on the base paths the defense has been questionable and shaky. The Yankees have both Corban Joseph and David Adams on the 40 man roster and both are coming off of overall healthy and bounce back seasons. If the Yankees can justify losing a guy, Steve Pearce, to call up a guy simply to run the bases in Brett Gardner then how can they not call up either Joseph, Adams, or both for defense? This would do nothing but help their game and their confidence to be on a big league bench during a pennant race and would help us if we need a middle infield replacement late in a game, if we go into extra innings, if we have another injury, etc. Unless of course we believe that Casey McGehee, Eric Chavez, etc can handle it in a pinch, which for the record I do not.

Blue Jays @ Yankees 8/28/12

Casey McGehee was sent down to Low A Charleston to make room for Steve Pearce because he will be eligible to be called up back up on 9/3 because Charleston is not going to the playoffs and the Thunder and Empire State Yankees probably are.

Yankees win 2-1

#untuck

The Yankees will play the second game of their three game set against the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at Yankees Stadium. On the mound for the Yankees will be Phil Hughes on an extra day's rest so maybe he will be sharp with that curveball. Opposing him will be the Blue Jays Ricky Romero. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on YES.

Lineups

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Steve Pearce DH
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Ichiro Suzuki LF

Go Yankees!!

Yankees @ Blue Jays 8/12/12

UPDATE:

With the Yankees down 7-0 in the 5th the sweep looks unlikely

Casey McGehee puts the Yankees on the board while continuing his extra base hit barrage 7-1 Jays

Derek Jeter home run makes it 10-2 Jays

Robinson Cano 2 run home run makes it 10-4 Jays

Jayson Nix rbi double makes it 10-5 Jays

Derek Jeter rbi double makes it 10-6

Nick Swisher rbi single makes it 10-7

Yankees comeback comes up short as Jays win 10-7

The Yankees wrap up their three game set in Toronto against the Blue Jays this afternoon in the rubber match of the series looking for a series sweep. This is the 10th consecutive game we have played in 10 days which is part of a 20 games in 20 days stretch. We're at the halfway point so it is all downhill from here. We can make this road trip look a whole lot better with a sweep this afternoon in Toronto. On the mound for the Yankees will be Phil Hughes and he will be facing off against former Astro's and Phillies lefty J.A. Happ. The game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on YES.

Lineups

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano DH
Andruw Jones LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Casey McGehee 3B
Russell Martin C
Jayson Nix 2B

Go Yankees!!

Yankees @ Blue Jays 8/11/12

Jayson Nix RBI single puts the Yanks up 1-0
Casey McGehee hits his first Yankees home run to go up 4-0
Derek Jeter's 150th hit of the season puts the Yankees up 5-1
Yankees win 5-2

Remember When All I Could Do Was Win?

The Yankees and the Blue Jays will go at it again this afternoon in Rogers Centre in Toronto Canada. On the mound, looking for ANY kind of consistency, will be the Yankees Ivan Nova. He has an ERA north of 8 since the All Star break and will look to rebound against a Jose Bautista-less Blue Jays lineup. Opposing Mr. Nova will be former Yankee Aaron Laffey for the Jays. The game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on YES and MLB Network as the Saturday Matinee.

Lineups

Derek Jeter DH
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Jayson Nix SS
Casey McGehee 3B
Chris Stewart C

Go Yankees!!

Yankees Trade For Casey McGehee

Preliminary reports say the Yankees have shipped Chad Qualls to the Pirates for 3B Casey McGehee. The Pirates or even more surprisingly going to be adding cash in the deal to the Yankees.

From Bryan...

Casey is nothing to get excited about, as he currently has a triple-slash of .230/.297/.377 for the Pirates. If this were at least 2010 I'd be ecstatic, but at this point he'll be depth only.

But there is one thing to be excited about... the Yankees dealt Chad Qualls for McGehee. In Chad's 7.1 innings with the Yankees he's put up an ERA of 6.14 and a WHIP of 1.773. And with Joba returning soon anyway, chances are Qualls would have been released.