New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is aware the infield is an immediate priority this offseason. After Tuesday's tender deadline put shortstop Everth Cabrera and second baseman/third baseman Gordon Beckham on the free agent market, the Yankees now have more options.
With the Derek Jeter's retirement the Yankees have an obvious vacancy at the shortstop position and it could be the same deal at second base too. The team has Martin Prado at that position, but according to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York, the Yanks are considering shifting Prado to third because of their uncertainly regarding Alex Rodriguez's ability to be an everyday fielder. If that's the case, then they'll have a hole at second base.
However, Matthews also noted the Yankees want to give prospect Rob Refsnyder a chance to win the second base job in spring training. The only problem is that the 23-year-old Refsnyder has played just 77 games at the Triple-A level, and although he had success (.300/.389/.456 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs), it's probably not enough time for him to handily take over second base at the professional level.
George A. King III of the New York Post wrote last offseason that the Yankees' scouts were looking for infielders, specifically Gordon Beckham at one point. Heading into 2014 they also had question marks with Kelly Johnson at third base and Brian Roberts at second base. Now that they have Prado, only one of those positions needs to be filled, and the team should consider Beckham as an option this time around especially since they wouldn't have to give anything up for him. This would allow them to give Refsnyder at least another year in the minors while Beckham, a six-year veteran, would provide short-term stability.
As for the shortstop position, the free agent market is currently highlighted by Jed Lowrie and Asdrubal Cabrera, which isn't anything to get excited over. But now that Everth Cabrera was non-tendered by the Padres, things will get interesting. Although Cabrera has never played a full season (never more than 115 games) and was suspended for 50 games in 2013 for PED use, he just turned 28 years old and provides good defensive help and great base running (he has 136 stolen bases in 481 career games). And best of all, he's not going to be expensive.
Cashman has hinted that the team is not going to chase after the big names in free agency this offseason since they invested nearly $500 million last year, so the pursuit of Cabrera makes perfect sense because he would fill a much needed void at a bargain price. The shortstop was entering his second year of arbitration eligibility after earning $1.275 million in 2013 and $2.45 million in 2014 before San Diego let him go. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics and New York Mets are also in need of a shortstop, which may create some competition for the Yankees if they're considering such a move.
A number of teams are not going to hesitate inquiring about Beckham and Cabrera.
