Many wonder if Alfonso Soriano will go to the New York Yankees, however, despite the power they can receive from the left fielder, the team possesses enough outfielders to find a replacement for the two months Curtis Granderson is set to miss.
In case you've been living under a rock in the past 48 hours, Granderson was hit on the forearm with a pitch from Toronto Blue Jays' hurler J.A. Happ on Sunday in the first inning of their Spring Training game. It all looked harmless until the report was made public that surgery would be required and time would be missed.
Less than an hour later, Soriano rumors were swirling. Could the former Yankee return home to the team that introduced him to the majors? Soriano seems like the logical answer for their troubles. The Yankees need a left fielder, which he plays, they need a right-handed bat and they need homers.
Between the departures of Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, Eric Chavez and Andrew Jones, the Yankees will be about 100 home runs short. Now with Granderson's two month absence, the Yankees will be missing even more power. Granderson was their leading home run hitter with 43 in 2012. Soriano guarantees at least 20 home runs a season.
In 2012, Soriano made it to the MVP ballot, but he came in 20th in voting. Soriano hit 32 home runs, drove in 108 while hitting .262. His defense also improved as he only committed one error and finished with 12 assists from the outfield.
Despite the positives Soriano might bring to New York, the bigger issue is his cost. The Yankees haven't spent money all offseason long. Acquiring Soriano would be impulsive. He's owed $36 million between 2013 and 2014. When dealing with Theo Epstein you can expect for opposing teams to get cheated. The Yankees have a scarce farm system and since spending isn't a part of the equation, Soriano simply doesn't make sense for the team right now.
He makes sense if the team was missing a designated hitter, but as of right now, that's Travis Hafner's job. Also, Granderson will only be out until May. What will the Yankees do with Soriano then? Had Granderson been out for the year, then maybe Soriano to the Yankees would make sense.
What do you think? Should the Yankees add Soriano or should they give some of their minor league guys a chance?
