With an obvious need to upgrade at second base, the New York Yankees are already looking around after just nine games. General manager Brian Cashman is apparently eyeing a top prospect in the Atlanta Braves' organization, which may be bad news for Yankees' prospect Rob Refsnyder.
The latest rumor comes from George A. King III of the New York Post:
"The Yankees have let the Braves know they have an interest in Atlanta's second-base prospect Jose Peraza, who is currently playing at Triple-A.
"According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Yankees made contact with the Braves and sent scout Dennis Twombley to Gwinnett, Ga., recently to watch Peraza, who turns 22 on April 30."
King also notes the team's interest in Peraza could indicate they're not convinced Refsnyder will be able to eventually be their starting second baseman. The 24-year-old batted .333/.447/.538 with 10 runs scored, one home run and five RBIs in 23 spring training games, but his glove was not impressive after he made six errors over that span. He has already committed three errors in six games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.
Cashman previously said the youngster had some work to do on the defensive side of the ball, which is no surprise, but a National League scout told King some troubling things about Refsnyder in Baseball America's AL East Prospects Issue.
"You have to like the bat but he doesn't have a position. You don't know where he will play."
King then added Refsnyder "hasn't impressed other organizations with his work at second base."
The prospect's scouting report also reads, "Refsnyder's bat profiles better if he can handle second base, where his lack of experience shows in his inconsistent actions, footwork and poor angles to balls."
As for Peraza, the 20-year-old has impressed many with his speed (60 stolen bases in 2014), bat (.339 average in 2014) and defense ("displaying steady, soft hands with above-average range and solid arm strength"). Baseball America ranked the Venezuelan as their No. 54 overall prospect heading into the 2015 season and he could be ready for the big leagues in the near future. Atlanta contemplated calling him up last season when shortstop Andrelton Simmons went down with an injury, but Peraza was dealing with a groin issue as well.
So what would it take for New York to land the Braves' top prospect?
"While the Yankees aren't likely to surrender top pitching prospect Luis Severino, they could put together a two-player package that might include catcher Gary Sanchez, who has been passed in the organization's pecking order by John Ryan Murphy," adds King.
It's unknown if the Braves are being receptive to this interest from the Yankees, but new president of Baseball Operations John Hart has significantly reinforced Atlanta's farm system with a myriad of trades, so nothing can be ruled out at this point.
