Alfonso Soriano looks to be the best option for the New York Yankees as trade rumors have commenced following the injury to their 2013 left fielder, Curtis Granderson, on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays in their second game of Spring Training. Soriano can fill in the power, but he won't be worth keeping for the entire season.
The Yankees would have to trade something to the Chicago Cubs and the Yankees aren't a team that has the prospects to waste on a guy like Soriano.
Soriano could probably cause more harm than good in New York despite his ability to hit home runs. The Yankees' M.O. these past couple of seasons have been homers, however, when studying their lineup, even when Granderson was healthy, their best option was playing small ball.
With guys like Ichiro, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Kevin Youkilis and Brett Gardner there's a mix of speed, contact and ability to get on base. Long balls will come and go, but with this 2013 lineup, their best option would be stealing bases and moving guys over. It's not the Yankees' style of baseball, but what else is there to expect from a club that didn't want to invest money on available free agents?
The Yankees focused on investing money on guys that would only give them once season like Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda. They re-signed Ichiro, who proved he can still play baseball at a high level and even signed Travis Hafner despite his inability to remain healthy.
The Yankees are old. Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon and Scott Podsednick, who are currently available left field free agents, won't really help the team much. Podsednik would be the better defensive option, which is also something the team was focusing on by moving Granderson to left field.
According to Yankee manager, Joe Girardi, his "binder" made it aware that Granderson's defense was inferior to Gardners. This explained why Granderson played left field in Spring Training games and practices.
Soriano's defense has improved over the years, but at age 37, a decline is expected.
Granderson is expected to be out for about two months, what will Soriano's use be following Granderson's return? Would be used as a designated hitter in case Hafner can't stay healthy?
The Yankees' best options are Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz who can fill in for Granderson until he returns. These guys are veterans and know how to play the game. It will be great having them in the dugout and since the Yankees are trying to save money and build their farm system, Diaz and Rivera are the cheaper options.
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