New York Yankees general manager told reporters that Alex Rodriguez recently had a conversation with manager Joe Girardi about potentially playing some first base in 2015. The team needs to find a way to utilize A-Rod, who has three years left on his contract.
Rodriguez missed all of 2014 due to a suspension and has had two hip surgeries in recent years, so his ability to be an effective everyday third baseman remains a big question mark. The Yankees have Martin Prado under contract for the next two seasons, and his extensive experience at third base should give them a decent option at the position if they look to limit Rodriguez's time there.
At Girardi's end-of-season press conference a few weeks ago, he told reporters that he "absolutely" expects Rodriguez to be back with the Yankees next season, but he didn't provide any insight toward where he would be playing. He acknowledged that the team would need to see where A-Rod was at physically to determine how often he would be able to play the field versus how much he would DH.
"I don't think it's safe to assume that he can play third base," Cashman said, in this ESPN article. "With his age and missing a full year, you have to have some perspective. This is a very difficult game. Alex is up for that challenge, but I think it's safer to assume that might not be something that he can handle the whole year."
But what the Yankees know for certain is that they'll have a new hitting coach next season. The team fired Kevin Long after seven seasons with New York likely because of an awful offensive year. The Yankees scored only 633 runs, which was 20th in the MLB and 13th in the American League. However, the Yankees had injury troubles throughout the season, with Mark Teixiera and Carlos Beltran struggling to stay healthy and Derek Jeter having the worst season of his career.
Perhaps Long wasn't to blame, but the poor offensive production at least gave the front office an excuse to change the team's hitting coach. Speculation has linked former Colorado Rockies slugger Dante Bichette to the job, but New York is likely to take their time with such an important hire.
So right now, the Yankees' infield looks like an enormous cause for concern and they'll be looking for a new face to guide the offense this offseason.
