The NY Yankees have an anticipated season ahead now that Derek Jeter is retiring and in 2015 the team will need a new shortstop, with possibilities like Hanley Ramirez, a Troy Tulowitzki or Starlin Castro trade, Asdrubal Cabrera, Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan among many others heading into 2015.
Jeter announced the news this week on Facebook and now what many Yankee fans realized was on the horizon is now reality, as New York needs a replacement for their captain at shortstop. According to ESPN.com, Jeter has decided to hang up his cleats after being the top hitter in Yankees history by hits and he also is the number one ranked player in games played, at bats and stolen bases and now he will be out of the league after this season and that means the Yankees need to find another player to take over.
The team can go a number of routes when it comes to replacing Jeter and that includes in a trade, as the Yankees can go after Troy Tulowitzki, Elvis Andrus or Starlin Castro in a trade, while other names like Stephen Drew, Elvis Andrus and Hanley Ramirez are options. The Texas Rangers had been shopping Andrus over last offseason and that could be an option for the team, while Ramirez is set to be a free agent and that could be a perfect match for the team. Yunel Escobar also could be an option, as he has options over the next two seasons at $5 million and that is not a high salary for the team to deal with.
Jeter played in just 17 games last season and the Yankees were ready to find a replacement, but now it is needed even more. Brendan Ryan is a nice backup option, as he is getting into his mid 30s and his price will be low, while an in-house option is Eduardo Nunez, but he has not been sharp enough over the past couple years to be there everyday, although he did play in 69 games at short last season with Jeter hurt. Escobar has put up solid numbers since coming to the Rays and Cabrera also could get too expensive for Cleveland and he has been on a solid pace over the past two years, averaging 15 home runs and 66 RBIs.
The team could trade for Alexei Ramirez from the Chicago White Sox, while Stephen Drew could be an option this year or next year if he signs a one year deal after hitting 13 home runs for the Red Sox. Jed Lowrie and JJ Hardy are trade option as well, while Ramirez will be very attractive despite hsi injuries over the past couple seasons. Ramirez played in nearly 90 games last season and had 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases and he is a slick fielder and he could be the top trade target.