The Yankees began the offseason with the acquisition of Aaron Hicks from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy. Though the club is not expected to spend big in free agency, there are still some low key moves that could be made to improve the roster. Here are some of the positions they can improve and the players they could target.
Bench
The Yankee bench could use an upgrade after they watched it's strong start to 2015 tail off by the season's midpoint. With aging players such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran it will be important to sure up the bench so they can stay fresh for the duration. There are young players like Heathcott, Bird, and Judge waiting in the wings, which gives the club some flexibility to make a less glamorous move.
Potential Targets: Will Venable, Alejandro De Aza, Matt Joyce, Munenori Kawasaki
Bullpen
Outside of the final month, the Yankees bullpen shined once again this season. The combination of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller proved to be formidable, along with the development of Justin Wilson and Chasen Shreve (despite his late season struggles). Adding a third arm would be most beneficial as it would allow Girardi to cut down on the innings of a pitch like Betances whom lead has lead all relievers with 174 inning pitched out of the pen. There are rumors that Cashman could go after Craig Kimbrel of the Padres, a player he sought to acquires at the July trade deadline or Aroldis Chapman of the Reds. If those moves are too risky there are other options that could fit the need.
Potential Targets: Tyler Clippard, Jason Motte, Eric O'Flaherty, Joakim Soria, Mark Lowe
Starter
C.C. Sabathia's status on the team appears to be set for now. However, there is no guarantee he will come back and truly be effective after his stint in rehabilitation for alcohol abuse. That leaves the Yankees in a bit of a pickle as to what to do with that spot in the rotation. Should things not work out in enough time and Sabathia has to miss a period of time (or potentially the entire season) the Yankees will need to fill the void quickly. Preliminary talks of a Brett Gardner trade to Seattle could bring them a pitcher that can use, but nothing has happened on that front as of yet.
Potential Targets: Brett Anderson, J.A. Happ, Tim Lincecum, Mike leake, Brandon Morrow
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