The New York Yankees have a big hole to fill at shortstop this season, and may be looking to trade for a solution, rather than lavish big bucks on free agent Hanley Ramirez. According to reports, there may be some interest on the Yankees' end in trading for Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, who is set to begin an eight-year, $120 million extension.
The Rangers have a logjam in their infield. Top prospect Jurickson Profar is expected to be in their opening day lineup while Rougned Odor showed promise during the 2013 campaign. Last season Andrus hit .263 with two home runs with 27 stolen bases. His slash line read .263/.314/.333, and he declined defensively, per Fangraphs.com.
Despite those weak power numbers, they'd be an upgrade over incumbent shortstop Brendan Ryan. Scoring runs was an issue for the Yankees in 2013 though, and with similar hitters like Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury in the lineup already, Andrus' light hitting may not bring much to the table.
If the Yanks are focusing on a trade, here are three other options they might want to investigate.
Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs
Castro is two years younger than Andrus, has a better bat, and improved defensively per Fangraphs. In fact, he posted a higher defensive rating than Andrus did. In most organizations Castro would be nearly untouchable, but the Cubs have multiple high-upside prospects behind him, namely Addison Russell, whom they acquired from the Oakland A's in exchange for SP Jeff Samardzija.
It's unclear if the Yankees have enough on either the MLB or minor league level to obtain Castro, but there aren't many young, MLB-ready options that match his potential.
Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
If they want to spend big bucks, the Yanks can go after the Rockies oft-injured, part-time superstar. When Tulowitzki plays, he is without question one of the best players in the sport. In 2013 he was a front-runner for the NL MVP award; he slashed .340/.432/.603, and socked 21 home runs in just 91 games.
There's the problem though-91 games. Tulo is entering his age 30 season and has played in 264 of a possible 486 games. He has only played in 150 or more games twice, and played in less than 100 games twice in the past three years.
The Yankees would have to surrender major prospects for him based on his production, gamble on this extensive injury history, and also pay him through his inevitable decline as he ages. Tulo is also on the books for the next seven seasons, and owed $20 million per for the first five years.
He could solve the Yankees' power problems, but he also could leave them playing the light-hitting Ryan for long periods of time.
Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies
Rollins is owed $11 million this year, an obscene number for a declining 35-year-old player. He fits the Yankees mold though; Rollins is a respected clubhouse leader, still has respectable pop (17 home runs) and speed (28 stolen bases), and would be a big defensive upgrade over what Jeter provided in his final season.
The Phillies are going nowhere fast, and might even eat a nice chunk of Rollins' money for better prospects in return. They were shopping all of their veterans at last season's trade deadline, and while Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee were linked most to the Bronx Bombers, Rollins could be the wisest buy.
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