In the latest episode of "Which Veteran Will the Yankees Get?" the Bronx Bombers are rumored to having interests in signing Derek Lee, who is currently retired and hasn't seen action in the majors since 2011. This shouldn't surprise anybody as the Yankees have had a track record in recent years of wanting veterans, especially after they've grown old and injured. Would Lee make sense or should the Yankees just try bringing up a prospect?
Mark Teixeira, their long term first baseman, is out for a couple of weeks. As the Yankees' roster is running thin on talent, they don't have a prospect worthy of taking over the position. They didn't re-sign Eric Chavez and therefore, their bench is lacking somebody talented enough to handle the bat and defensive duties.
Lee, who was the N.L. batting champion in 2005 and World Series champion in 2003 with the Florida Marlins, hasn't been active in the majors. In reality, investing on Lee could then bring about similar results as promoting a prospect or having an infielder cover first until Teixeira's return.
So let's look at their Top 20 Prospects. They have a stash of pitcher and outfielders, so no cure can be found here.
The next place to look is their 40-man roster. They demoted a couple of guys to their minor league system, but there's a possible combination in the infield that could work for the Yankees.
Eduardo Nuñez has proven that he can handle the bat at the major league level. Yes, his defense is sketchy, but the Yankees don't have to look like a sorry team by signing another washed up veteran. What would make the Yankees think that Lee would want to come out of retirement to play for a team that might not even compete in 2013?
Nuñez can play third base, while newly acquired Kevin Youkilis can take over the first base duties. The Yankees supposedly want Nuñez to become the shortstop of the future, but why let talent rot on the bench when it's obvious that they can use his offense? He's 25 years old and the only way he can fix his problems, though not great for the Yankees, is by working on his issues at the major league level. He has proven he can hit, giving him an opportunity to play will only help his defense improve.
As far as hitting, in 2012 he made 100 plate appearances (38 games) and hit .292 with a home run an 11 RBI. He also stole 11 bases proving he possesses speed. Injecting him into the everyday lineup will give the Yankees a better chance of playing small ball as Ichiro and Brett Gardner can create chaos on the pads.
His glove isn't the best, I understand, but if the Yankees give him a chance to play daily, then they can see if he's even worth keeping in their roster.
Also, what are they to do with Lee once Teixeira returns? How much sense does it make to lure a man out of retirement to then sit him two months into the season?
They Yankees have less than three weeks to address their injury issues as the season is set to begin in April. They have Curtis Granderson sidelines and are now dealing with Teixeira's replacement issues.
Find out what the Bronx Bombers decide as we will keep you posted on anything and everything coming out of Yankee camp as 2013 will prove to be a challenge for team that was once a powerhouse in baseball.
