If the Yankees had to replace Derek Jeter, their already difficult quest to assemble a championship-caliber team would be all the more treacherous.
But they have to find a successor for a player whose .617 OPS ranked 142nd out of 146 qualifiers and a guy whose every defensive metric was near the bottom.
This is not about replacing legacy, aura or intangibles. The Yankees were not good enough on offense in 2014 and, for much of the season, on defense either. Shortstop was a problem on both sides of the ball. No one likes saying that because Jeter is a historically great player. But that greatness was not part of 2014.
This isn’t like replacing Mariano Rivera on two levels: Rivera had a superb finale; however, closers are far easier to find than shortstops. The Yankees’ mistake was not stretching their budget last offseason to sign Jhonny Peralta, whom they envisioned playing third in 2014 and shortstop thereafter. But while still doing the $189 million dance, the Yankees let Peralta go to St. Louis, where he had a sensational year.
That leaves the Yankees in the market for a shortstop. It isn’t like being in the unicorn market, but it is hard to locate a good one. In fact, there is no ideal candidate.
You have your group that is too expensive with declining health and/or performance to trade for: Troy Tulowitzki, Elvis Andrus and Jose Reyes.
You have your group of free agents who are unlikely to stick at short much longer: Hanley Ramirez, Jed Lowrie and Asdrubal Cabrera. You might be able to say the same about Korean star Jung-Ho Kang, who is expected to be posted this offseason, but might project more to third base than short here.
You have the group of players you would love to have, but the price will be too problematic: J.J. Hardy is a gamer with a high baseball IQ. But his back became a problem this year, his power diminished and watching him heave the ball across the infield reminds you of Spike Owen and David Eckstein. It gets there, but you wonder how much longer that will be true. Plus, as a free agent likely to be tied to a qualifying offer, Hardy’s cost will likely be prohibitive.
I am a big Starlin Castro fan and I think you would get more out of him if you surrounded him with steady veterans. But the Cubs — even with prospects Javier Baez and Addison Russell near ready — appear unwilling to move him now or would want a ransom the Yankees don’t have or can’t pay in return.
So whom does that leave? Five thoughts:
1. Stephen Drew
He was terrible this year. To sign him, you would have to believe his agent, Scott Boras, will reverse his history and take a quick deal for, say, one year at $3 million so Drew can re-establish himself. You would have to believe his lack of spring training the last three years (ankle, concussion, holding out against the ramifications of the qualifying offer) destroyed his offensive game this year.
Can he be a .700-OPS shortstop with 15 homers? Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long thought so. Boston third-base coach Brian Butterfield, an infield guru, said Drew should have won the Gold Glove in 2013 because he excels at the difficult combo of aggressively attacking grounders while not being careless with the ball.
2. Didi Gregorius
The Diamondbacks’ better young stock is Chris Owings. But Arizona knows that and apparently wants to build with him. The consensus is Gregorius will be a state-of-the-art defender with room to grow offensively — his lefty swing might even produce power at Yankee Stadium. Does offering Ian Clarkin and Adam Warren get it done?
The other club in a similar situation is Seattle. Does it believe in Chris Taylor enough to make available Brad Miller, who has yet to hit to projections, but might run into a bunch of homers as a lefty with some heft at the Stadium? The problem is the Yanks do not have the ready-now bats the Mariners crave in return.
3. Jose Iglesias
He missed this season with stress fractures in his shins. The prognosis is good for his return. Do the Tigers believe enough in Eugenio Suarez, who helped replace Iglesias this year, and/or Hernan Perez, who was good at Triple-A, to make the defensive genius of Iglesias available?
4. Jimmy Rollins
Yes, age is a Yankees problem. Rollins turns 36 in November. But it is a one-year commitment. He has $11 million left on his contract. He did hit 17 homers with 28 steals and a .717 OPS while remaining a strong defender and — really — has there ever been a player you can be more sure can handle New York? Even in rebuild mode, the Phils have had trouble emotionally divorcing from their icons. They could not expect a huge haul back considering Rollins’ age, salary and decline. But it is time to get something rather than nothing: Does David Phelps plus Ramon Flores or Danny Burawa get it done?
5. Alexei Ramirez
Three years younger than Rollins, Ramirez just had a season (15 homers, 21 steals, .713 OPS) quite similar to that of Rollins. He also is making $11 million next year — with an $11 million 2016 option (or $1 million buyout). He is extremely durable (exactly 158 games played in each of the last four years, and 156 the season before that). The White Sox like J.R. Murphy. Can he front a trade for Ramirez?