Report: Yanks Now Planning To Call Up Murphy And Sizemore (UPDATED)

Hey, so you know that post I wrote earlier this morning about what it meant for the Yankees to call up John Ryan Murphy and Russ Canzler?  Yeah forget all that.  Via Sweeny Murti and confirmed by Dan Barbarisi, the plan has changed to replace Canzler with Scott Sizemore.

Sizemore is hitting .344/.436/.500 in 39 Triple-A PA with 4 XBH, 5 RBI, and 16 Ks.  He's played 5 games at third base for the RailRiders, 2 at second, and been the DH for 3.  Originally expected by some (read: me) to be the Opening Day utility infielder, Sizemore ended up falling out of the competition due to some lingering leg stiffness and lack of ST reps.  He has an opt-out clause in his MiL deal that kicks in on May 1st, so it does make sense for the Yankees to see what they've got in him before then.

Not sure how this will change Joe's plans for the infield for the rest of the week.  I have to assume Kelly Johnson stays at first base now, Sizemore and Solarte will play second and third, and Jeter and Anna will handle short.  Murphy would have given them some more third base insurance, so I kinda would have preferred Canzler, but whatever.  It's hard to pick nits when we're talking about Quad-A guys.

** UPDATE 11:52 AM- Confirmed by the team.  Murphy and Sizemore up, Cervelli to the 60-day DL. **

Ryan's Back Injury Complicates The Infield Situation

The Yankees have their first official injury problem of 2014 after yesterday's MRI on Brendan Ryan revealed a pinched nerve in his upper back.  This comes after he had already been out of action for over a week with a sore lower back/oblique, and the early reports make it sound like he's not going to be ready for Opening Day.  He's taking pills to help the pain and could get a cortisone injection next week, but there's no timetable for his return to baseball activities let alone games.

For such a small part of the infield puzzle, Ryan and his back issues could cause major problems in the infield if they don't heal properly and dog him throughout the season.  None of the other utility infielder types are in the same realm as him when it comes to defense, especially not Eduardo Nunez, and that's the biggest thing the Yankees need at short with Derek Jeter starting.  Dean Anna hasn't looked great defensively, Scott Sizemore hasn't been able to play much and couldn't handle shortstop if he was, and ST superstar Yangervis Solarte is a completely unknown commodity as a Major Leaguer.

The most important thing right now is that Ryan takes the time he needs to get healthy, and with any luck he won't miss too much game time once the regular season starts.  The longer he stays out though, the more pressure it puts on that next tier of guys, the more pressure it puts on Jeter, and the more pressure it puts on Joe to manage Jeter's workload.

Report: Yanks Monitoring Rickie Weeks (And Others)

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Just because the Yankees are "done" signing Major League-level players doesn't mean they're not still in the market for some more infield help.  In a story for The Post on Tuesday, George King mentioned a few names that the Yankees are following this spring, most notably Rickie Weeks of the Brewers and Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, and the possibility of using their catching depth as part of a trade package to obtain one, the other, or another infielder.

Position Players Report Date Prepper 2014: The Infield

(Teix in the cage.  Courtesy of Andrew Marchand)

Pitchers and catchers are in camp and working out, and some of their position player teammates are already on site starting their spring work but not the full complement.  Wednesday is the official report date for the rest of the position players who were invited to Spring Training, so in keeping with the theme from last week's "Report Date Prepper" series, let's delve deeper into the 2 remaining roster groups that will be arriving and participating in team workout activities in the next 48ish hours.  We'll start with the infield today.

P.S.- if you missed any of last week's posts, here they are.  Starters, Relievers, Catchers.

Emilio Bonifacio? Meh

Between Super Bowl parties and giving my hands and wrists a rest after Prospect Week, it was relatively quiet around AB4AR this weekend.  Yankeeland responded by staying similarly quiet, but there was one bit of news that most everyone touched on on Saturday.  The KC Royals DFA'd utility man Emilio Bonifacio and a good chunk of the Yankosphere reacted like this:



Alright, maybe it wasn't that enthusiastic, but really?  Is that how bad the Yankee infield situation is?  Bad enough that we're going to try to talk ourselves into Emilio Bonifacio being a viable option?  I guess he's no worse than the Nunezes or Annas of the world, but how much better is he going to be?  Dude's a below-average hitter with next to no power, an average at best defensive player, and he comes with a $3.5 million price tag for this season.  Do the Yankees need infield help that badly that it's worth paying that money and trading a player to get him?  I don't think so.  I guess it couldn't hurt to bring him to camp and let him compete for a job, but that's about as far as I'd be willing to go in terms of evaluating the guy.

Sorting Through The Collection Of Platoon Candidates At Third Base

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Conventional wisdom had the Yankees using the announcement of the A-Rod suspension decision as the springboard towards finding another established third baseman to replace him.  A decent chunk of that conventional wisdom had Mark Reynolds' name as the one most likely to be signed next as part of a L/R platoon.  Turns out none of that wisdom was correct, at least not according to what we've heard over the last 2 days.  Ken Rosenthal reported on Sunday that the Yanks were not going to add any more third base candidates on Major League deals this offseason, and assistant GM Billy Eppler and Joe Girardi both echoed that report in so many words yesterday in separate interviews.

The plan, according to Eppler and Joe, is to head to camp with what they've got and sort out who they think the best guys for the job are there.  Eppler didn't completely close the door on the idea of bringing in another warm body, saying "“Our eyes are always going to stay open.  We’ll look left, we’ll look right, we’ll look under rocks and see if something can work itself out and make sense."  He also didn't make it sound like adding another guy was a high priority, which is somewhat surprising given the limited upside of many of the current internal candidates.

Can Scott Sizemore Actually Help The Yankees?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When the Scott Sizemore signing was announced yesterday, I was a little quick to condemn it as an organizational depth move and nothing more.  We are talking about a guy who's played in just 2 games and had only 6 plate appearances since the end of the 2011 season, and while ACL injuries aren't quite as devastating to baseball players as they are to basketball or football players, 2 of them in a row to the same knee isn't exactly a recipe for MLB success.

The more I let the idea of Sizemore marinate in my subconscious while watching the football games yesterday, the more I started to feel like I rushed to judgment on the guy.  Now that I've checked his numbers, I'm starting to feel like he may have something to offer the Yankees after all.

A-Rod Backup Options Not Getting Any Better

On the heels of yesterday's A-Rod suspension decision, and on the heels of the disconcerting news earlier in the week about the current backup plan at third base, the Yankees still don't appear to be making a greater effort to find a suitable replacement for the position.

Mark Feinsand reported yesterday that the Yankees only offered Mark Reynolds a MiL deal, something he won't take because some other team out there will give him a Major League one.  Apparently Reynolds' work late in the 2013 season wasn't enough to convince the Yanks to take a 1-year gamble on him, even though he's unquestionably a better everyday right-handed option than Eduardo Nunez.

One player who will accept a MiL deal is Scott Sizemore, and according to Ken Davidoff he's close to signing one with the Yankees.  Sizemore, 29, has hit .238/.328/.381 in 598 career Major League PA and has missed all but 2 games of the past 2 seasons with torn ACLs.  He's nothing more than an organizational depth signing, and based on his injury problems he's more likely to wind up back on the DL than contributing as part of the 25-man roster.

The Yankees now know they won't have A-Rod for the entire 2014 season.  Based on these latest reports, they don't seem to be in any kind of a hurry to find an upgrade for him and I really don't understand that logic.

The First Hint Of A Backup Plan At Third Base, And It's Not Good

I feel like I write this phrase every second or third day about one position or another, but the Yankees have been very slow to address their third base situation this offseason.  The slow play in this instance is perfectly understandable, as they're still waiting for the arbitrator's decision on Alex Rodriguez's suspension appeal.  Once that decision comes down and the Yankees know how long he's going to be out, they can move forward with a contingency plan.

There has been little indication so far that there is a clear contingency plan in place.  The trade talks about the Chase Headleys of the world have died down, the free agent market is very thin, and the one guy who makes the most sense (Mark Reynolds) doesn't appear to be high on the team's wish list.  According to Wally Matthews of ESPN NY, the backup plan for A-Rod could already be on the roster:

"According to baseball sources I have spoken with, who have knowledge of the club's thinking, the plan right now is to get by with Kelly Johnson and Eduardo Nunez at third if A-Rod is shelved by the arbitrator."

Yeesh.  That's not encouraging at all if these unnamed sources are reliable.  Johnson is fine as a bench player/platoon infielder but Nunez is a complete disaster in the field and not much better at the plate.  Planning to address the biggest postional roster hole with a platoon that includes a negative WAR player would not be a smart move and would weaken an already shaky projected infield.  Here's hoping this is just the plan for "right now" and not for the remainder of the offseason.  There are better options out there than Nunez.

Yankees Continue To Stockpile Middle Infield Depth

I highly doubt he's a serious candidate to replace Robbie Cano or Jeter up the middle, but the Yankees added another warm body to their growing collection of middle infielders yesterday with a MiL signing.

Via Joel Sherman, the Yanks signed 26-year-old utility guy Yamaico Navarro to a Minor League deal with an invite to Spring Training.  Navarro is a righty bat with experience at second, short, and third base.  He's another all-field/no-hit kind of player, with a .206/.258/.267 career tripleslash and a 26.1% K rate in 199 Major League plate appearances.  It's worth noting that he did hit .267/.354/.418 for the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate this past season.

I'll say this.  If the Yankees aren't planning on cutting Nix and/or Nunez soon, they should at least look into the possibility of setting up some kind of reality show to follow all these middle infielders around during ST.  Call it "Up The Middle: The Battle for the 4th Spot on the Infield Depth Chart" and put it on YES after Francesa during February and March.  I'd definitely watch that.

Yankees Acquire Dean Anna From San Diego

(Courtesy of Val Valdez Photography)

It's not in the same universe as trading for Chase Headley, but the Yankees and Padres hooked up for a small trade yesterday that does bring a little more infield depth to the Yankee roster.  The Yanks acquired MiL infielder Dean Anna from San Diego in exchange for High-A pitcher Ben Paullus.

Anna is a 26-year-old, lefty-swinging utility infielder who has most of his experience at second base and shortstop.  He had been in the SD system since 2008 and worked a slow and methodical climb up the ladder until he reached Triple-A last season.  In 582 PA there, Anna hit .331/.410/.482 (.400 wOBA) with 9 HR, 38 2B, 90 R scored, and solid BB and K rates (10.5% and 11.2% respectively).

He's never been much of a power guy and will likely be even less of one at the Major League level, but Anna does appear to be a step up from Corban Joseph, the player whose spot he essentially took on the 40-man roster.  He can play more positions defensively, and the fact that shortstop is one of them suggests he's got a better arm than CoJo.  While I wouldn't anticipate Anna seriously factoring into any 25-man roster competitions, he's a nice utility piece to have on hand in case of injuries.

Report: Yanks "Close" To Re-Signing Brendan Ryan

(Used courtesy of the fine folks at Pinstripe Alley)

I mentioned this earlier in the Freese post, but the other "big" infield story that popped up yesterday involved Brendan Ryan and the high level of interest both he and the Yankees are reported to have in each other.  Ryan became the everyday shortstop after he was acquired late in the season, and hit .220/.258/.305 (.252 wOBA) in 62 plate appearances while reminding everybody what a good defensive shortstop looks like.  That performance appears to have been enough to convince the Yankee brass he's worth another go because Joel Sherman reported last night that the 2 sides are "close" to a new deal.  It's not even in the same area code as a Tanaka or McCann signing would be, but bringing Ryan back would be a smart strategic decision on multiple fronts.

What Can Reid Brignac Do For You?

In their now never-ending quest to upgrade their infield depth, however so slightly, the Yankees acquired Reid Brignac from Colorado on Friday for $75,000.  This was the second time they went back to the Rockies well in a few weeks after acquiring Chris Nelson.

As for what he can do, the honest answer is not much.  At least not offensively.  Brignac is a career .228/.270/.321 lefty hitter with a BB rate under 5% and a K rate just less than 25%.  He was only slightly exceeding those career lines in 53 PA for the Rockies, so the Yankees didn't purchase him for his offense.  What he can do is play shortstop better than anybody the Yanks have right now, and he's also useful at second or third base.  If Eduardo Nunez is going to miss another week or so, and signs point to that happening, he could be a SS platoon option with Jayson Nix.

Brignac is basically a slight upgrade over Alberto Gonzalez, and if the Yankees can slightly upgrade at a position of need for such a minimal cost then they should do it.  Gonzalez was DFA'd to clear a roster spot, and Brignac was scheduled to be the starting shortstop this afternoon, so the Yankees seem ready to put him to work and see what they can get out of him for the next few weeks.

Yanks Trade For A Little More Infield Depth

In their efforts to patch up the leaky infield situation, the Yankees made another small trade yesterday, adding Alberto Gonzalez from the Cubs for another PTBNL or cash.  You might remember Gonzalez from his days in the Yankee system from 2007-2008 and not much has changed since then.  He's still a good field/bad hit right-handed utility type who can play all four infield positions if needed.

Gonzalez won't be added to the 40-man roster.  Instead he'll be assigned to Triple-A SWB where he'll serve that utility bench role for the RailRiders and be available for call up if the injury problems continue.  Not a major move by any stretch of the imagination, but with Youkilis and Nunez still hurt, Jayson Nix still being Jayson Nix, and Chris Nelson not providing much in his playing time since being acquired, more depth isn't a bad thing.

Yanks Acquire IF Chris Nelson From Colorado

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

This story came out yesterday, but in case you missed it and AB4AR is your number one source of Yankee news, here's the deal.  The Yankees acquired utility infielder Chris Nelson from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for either cash or a PTBNL yesterday.  Nelson, 28, is a former top prospect who had been on the Yankees' radar before.  The present situation in the infield made another righty utility guy a necessity, and that's what Nelson will be brought in to be for at least the next couple weeks.

Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA broke down Nelson's game in great detail on Monday, but the long and short of it is Nelson is an OK hitter at best (.279/.322/.416 career slash in 664 PA) and a below-average fielder at best.  As is the standard with most former Rockies, Nelson has a pretty big home/road split and defensive metrics have never rated him positively as a shortstop, second, or third baseman.  It is that positional versatility and right-handedness that made this trade happen more than anything Nelson has actually done.  With Youkilis on the DL and Nix and Nunez not doing much, the Yankees are painfully thin on the infield right now and even thinner at right-handed bench bats.  They called up Corban Joseph initially to replace Youkilis, but his lack of skill at third forced the Yanks to look elsewhere.

As far as roster moves go, Francisco Cervelli was put on the 60-day DL to open up a 40-man roster spot, and it would make sense for CoJo to get sent back down to SWB so he can continue to play every day and get ABs.  It's not a flashy move, or one that will return too many dividends.  It's simply the Yanks putting a bandage on their infield wound for the time being.