Now that Brian Cashman has been re-upped as general manager and hitting coach Kevin Long has been fired (which we all knew was going to happen), the Yankees can start planning their 2014-15 offseason moves. And A-Rod returning doesn't count as an offseason move. That already happened. It's not like they're going out of their way to get him. For all intents and purposes, he's more like a guy who missed the 2014 season with an injury.
However, I do disagree with the way the Yankees plan on using A-Rod next season. He's going to be 40 years old and has played a total of 50 games in the past two seasons combined! I think the year off was a good thing to a certain extent in that it let him fully recover from his hip injury. The chances of him staying healthy are small to begin with, but they're a little better without him trying to play on a hip that isn't fully healed.
It's silly to think A-Rod will be able to be an everyday third baseman, though. And the suggestion of moving him to shortstop, a position he hasn't played regularly in 10 years, is simply ridiculous. (This coming from some of the same people who didn't want a 40-year-old Derek Jeter playing shortstop.) Cashman and Joe Girardi seem to understand this to an extent, which I think is why they've told him that he's going to learn first base during Spring Training. I'm not completely sold on that idea, either, though. Because I think the solution is much simpler.
If I were running the Yankees and had a say in personnel decisions, there are two free agents I'd prioritize before anyone else. Brandon McCarthy and Chase Headley. More on McCarthy in a second, but I think re-signing Headley is a no-brainer. He provided as much of a spark as he could after he was acquired at midseason, and I'd love to see what Headley can do with a full season in the Bronx. And defensively, he's a significant upgrade over Rodriguez at third. Headley also proved capable at first base, as well, so he can be Teixeira's backup instead of sticking A-Rod over there where he's never played before. Headley's value is increased by the fact that you can't rely on A-Rod, Teixeira and Carlos Beltran all staying healthy. Having Headley on the roster provides some flexibility if one of the presumed 3-4-5 hitters is out of the lineup.
My ideal alignment has Headley at third and A-Rod DHing. If you want to DH Teixeira, you can always put Headley at first and A-Rod at third. It seems too obvious.
Another move I'd make would be to lock up Ichiro for another year as an insurance policy for Beltran. Ichiro will probably look for somewhere he can play everyday, and if he finds it, I'd fully expect him to leave the Bronx. But he seems happy with the Yankees and OK with his role. If he's willing to come back in that same fourth outfielder role he was supposed to fill this season, I don't think that would be a bad move. Yes, it's another 40-year-old (backing up the 38-year-old Beltran), but Ichiro can still be a productive hitter, as he proved last season, and there's no question about his defense.
Martin Prado is already under contract for next season, and the argument is probably that Prado can technically be the extra outfielder. But he's probably going to be penciled in as the everyday second baseman (and possible No. 2 hitter), so you can't really rely on him being the extra outfielder. We're not talking about Ben Zobrist here. There isn't really another option at second base besides Prado (assuming Stephen Drew is shipped back to wherever he came from).
With Prado at second, Headley at third and A-Rod at DH, that's eight of the nine positions covered. The only one that's left is shortstop. Who's going to get those incredibly large shoes to fill? It's probably safe to say it won't be Stephen Drew. And it certainly won't be Brendan Ryan, who'll be back as the backup utility infielder. J.J. Hardy's not an option, either, after re-signing with Baltimore. So who does that leave? If the Yankees go the free agent route, it could be somebody like Asdrubal Cabrera.
I'd prefer a trade, though. And I know exactly who I want. Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo wants out of Colorado, and he's exactly the type that looks like he'll thrive in New York. His injury history is probably a concern for some (and rightfully so), but he's arguably the best shortstop in the game when healthy. And he's the perfect guy to fill that unenviable role of replacing Jeter. The Yankees have about six Major League-ready catchers in the Minors. Brian McCann isn't going anywhere, so I'd trade one of the catchers (probably John Ryan Murphy) and a young starter (Shane Greene?), as well as a draft pick or two to the Rockies for Tulowitzki.
Back to Brandon McCarthy now. The Yankees learned this year that you can never have too much starting pitching. After the entire rotation (minus Kuroda) got hurt, then the guys who replaced them got hurt, McCarthy came over for Arizona and was arguably the ace of the staff in August and September. With Kuroda likely retiring and Nova not returning from Tommy John surgery until the All-Star Break at the earliest, McCarthy fits right into the No. 3 spot in that rotation behind Sabathia and Tanaka (figuring Pineda and Phelps/Greene/Nova rounding out the rotation). He's earned the opportunity to come back, and I think the Yankees will make him an offer to return. They know how valuable he was to their pitching staff, and it's worth seeing if he can continue that success in 2015.
Then there's the elephant in the room. What to do about David Robertson? He seamlessly moved into the closer role while Dellin Betances emerged as a lights-out setup man. Some will argue that the Yankees can afford to let Robertson walk and simply slide Betances over to closer. If only it were that simple. Robertson's going to get his money somewhere. There's no question about that.
But my question is this: Why shouldn't he get it from the Yankees? Why rush Betances into the closer role before you need to? Betances is still locked up for another couple years under his rookie contract, so the Yankees don't have to worry about losing him for a while. And if Robertson were to leave, they'd have to shell out money on a reliever anyway, so why not just give it to him? I'd give Robertson $45 million over three years, then make Betances the closer after that.
Who's to say any of my suggestions are good ones? You probably have some ideas of your own. (Sorry, having A-Rod not come back isn't an option. And, frankly, I'd love for his bat to join the middle of that anemic lineup.) I honestly don't really care what they end up doing. As long as I'm watching the Yankees at this time next year, it makes absolutely no difference to me who's on the team.
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