As anticipated, the New York Yankees will not be shopping for Alfonso Soriano this offseason as rumors have them finding a replacement from within as they look to fill the void Curtis Granderson left after his forearm injury Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
During Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Adonis Garcia took over left field and the YES Network announcers couldn't stop bragging about the potential power this kid possesses. Garcia, 27, doesn't sport a very athletic look. He' s a stocky 5'9" and 190 pounds. He brings a right-handed bat to this heavily left-handed batting lineup in New York.
What impresses are his Winter League numbers as the Cuban defect smacked six home runs with 26 RBI while posting a .292 batting average in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He's not going to walk much as his on-base percentage rested at .319, but he put together an OPS of .800 in his 39 games in Puerto Rico.
If it's not Garcia, then the Yankees have plenty of options from within as they have signed Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz to minor league contracts in 2013. If anything, the Yankees can alternate between Rivera, Diaz and Garcia. There's no way these guys will produce Granderson-like numbers, so might as well not over invest or spend on a guy like Soriano who will cost the Yankees a couple of millions and possible prospects.
Having any of these three right-handed brings balance to a Yankee lineup featuring Ichiro, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner and a possibly healthy Travis Hafner. With Granderson in the lineup, manager Joe Girardi had no choice but stringing Cano, Teixeira and Granderson in consecutive order. Though the Yankees might miss power, having a right-handed bat in the lineup will give them a different look since they will focus on run production and not just home runs.
It's important that the Yankees find an adequate replacement in the outfield as soon as they can. They always say a team can't win a pennant in April, but they can definitely lose it. The Toronto Blue Jays have a lot of pressure heading into 2013, but their lineup and pitching rotation is stacked with talent and if they Tampa Bay Rays can remain healthy, they'll givee anybody a run for their money.
Though not the most exciting thingt to look forward to, this will be an interesting story to follow in Spring Training as the Yankees have an open roster spot and look for a replacement as Granderson recovers from his forearm injury.
