Should the Yankees make a run at Nori Aoki?

With Carlos Beltran seemingly back from injury, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner locks for starting jobs and Chris Young having stayed on a one-year deal, it appears the Yankees outfield is set for 2014. But should they still add another piece before spring training?

I think so, and a candidate for that piece should definitely be formal Royals outfielder Norichika Aoki. Fans might remember him as a constant presence in the Royals' lineup during the recent playoff run, but he's been good for several years now, going back to his first two seasons with the Brewers.

So why should the Yankees go after him? A lot of reasons, but mostly because he would...

1. Make Them Elite When it Comes to Stealing Bases: Granted, Aoki was only successful on 17/25 stolen base attempts last season, but considering the Yankees' weak offense, it's likely he'd get a lot more chances if he played for New York. So, assuming he'll improve if that happens, the Yankees have the opportunity to create a dominant running game if they choose to sign him. Ellsbury was successful on 39/44 chances and Gardner on 21/26 in 2014, so they're already proven at the art. Add on Didi Gregorius, who also looks like he could run if asked to, and the Yankees have a nice quartet of productive legs.

2. Give the Yankees a reliable right fielder: It was nice and all when Young was homering in every at-bat last September, but is that really what the Yankees should expect from him now? He hit just .205/.283/.346 with the Mets before that sudden success, and since Beltran's not one to stay healthy all year, shouldn't the Yankees make a Plan B? Aoki's a good defender and, judging by his recent .285/.349/.360 line, a better hitter than the other two right-field options, so he seems like a logical choice if that's indeed the path they choose.

3. Not be an Oriole: Rant Sports' Vinny Lanni wrote Sunday why the Orioles should pursue Aoki, arguing he would help take some of the load off after Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis' departures. Though some will disagree, the Yankees are still very much alive when it comes to next season's AL East, so why take the chance of letting a somewhat fallen opponent build back up? Aoki is projected to only cost about $7-8 million a year for two to three years, so inking him couldn't hurt anything that much if it failed. Doing so would still better the Yankees, but nonetheless, it would more importantly worsen the Orioles.

To put it simply, Aoki would be a quick fix to many of the Yankees problems. Seriously, isn't it nice to imagine a lineup in which Alex Rodriguez isn't starting and Beltran's a DH? I know that may be a waste of money, but I think we can agree the Yankees have already done plenty of that (see Mark Teixeira's contract and injuries and CC Sabathia's contract and injuries for examples) in the past. No need to punish themselves for it when they can still win something.

Yankees' Offense Gets Shutout Again in Finale Loss to Royals

Shane Greene surrendered no earned runs in five innings and the bullpen followed him by getting the last twelve outs, but since the offense continued to not do anything the Yankees embarrassingly lost to the Royals today, 2-0, in the rubber game at Yankee Stadium.

Because this contest happened on Derek Jeter day, logically, it was expected the Yanks would put up a solid fight, the least they could do to honor the legend's career.

Nonetheless, for the second time in three days their bats couldn't cross home, a fact only made worse by their recurring defensive struggles.

To start off the day of frustration, the aforementioned Greene side-armed a Nori Aoki grounder into right field with two on and two out in the top of the second, bringing Josh Willingham home to give Kansas City an early lead.

Then in the third, following a drop of a routine flyball by Carlos Beltran and a steal, KC circled the bases again to double their advantage, scoring when Eric Hosmer blooped one into shallow right field to drive in Alex Gordon.

On that play, interestingly, Gordon actually stumbled while rounding third, but since Brian McCann failed to realize his doing so the star third basemen did get in easily, a misfortune that summed up the Yankees' day pretty well.

Pineda Throws Gem, But Offensive Problems Doom Yankees in Opening Loss to Royals

Michael Pineda gave up no earned runs in 7 innings and the Dellin Betances/David Robertson duo followed him with a pair of scoreless at-bats, but since the offense simply didn't show up again the Yankees uglily lost to the Royals tonight, 1-0, in the series opener in the Bronx. 

For the Yanks, in spite of the fact that yesterday's game ended with a walk-off homer, the contest was the second consecutive one in which they didn't give Pineda any support, something especially frustrating considering the way Kansas City scored in the top of the third.

Facing Pineda with one out and nobody on in that frame, Alcides Escobar hit a hard grounder right at Chase Headley, a play the latter usually makes in his sleep.

Nonetheless, for some reason Headley let the ball skip over his glove, an error that put Escobar at second to eventually set up a go-ahead single by Nori Aoki.

In other words, the guy who was the hero yesterday suddenly became the villain this evening, a misfortune that definitely helped out Royals' Starter James Shields, who impressively shutout the Yanks for 8 1/3 innings before Wade Davis closed things out in the ninth.