Elvis Andrus appears to be on New York Yankees’ radar

It remains to be seen whether Elvis Andrus will be traded by the Texas Rangers, but the shortstop has appeared on the radar of the New York Yankees. The NY Post’s Joel Sherman reports that the team is “intrigued” in Andrus as the potential successor to Derek Jeter.

Texas’ motives for a potential move are fairly clear. The 25 year old struggled in 2014, posting an overall disappointing .263/.314/.333 line in 685 plate appearances. He added a career high 35 doubles and stolen 27 bases, though he led the league with 15 caught stealing. Defensively he remained fairly stagnant. Andrus hasn’t developed into the franchise cornerstone player that the Rangers anticipated when they signed him to a significant contract extension that kicks in next season. With eight years, $120 million remaining there isn’t the same certainty in Texas about the player he’ll be moving forward.

The Rangers also have the benefit of depth on their side with the emergence of Rougned Odor and Luis Sardinas as options. The pair, coupled with Jurickson Profar who’s health remains a major question mark, give the organization a collection of young, inexpensive middle infielders with varying levels of promise. Odor’s best position is likely second base, while Sardinas may not hit enough to warrant the starting role at short. Profar could be the key, but the Rangers may not know how far along he is in his rehab until the spring.

Andrus’ salary jumps to $15 million beginning with the 2015 season, up from $6.475 million in 2014. It’s a steep increase for a Rangers club looking to address multiple needs.

Hearing reports that the Yankees are “intrigued” by Andrus to address their shortstop needs comes at little surprise. The team is looking to fill a significant hole in the lineup, despite Jeter’s offensive struggles in his final seasons, and the job simply won’t be handed to just anyone. The current crop of free agent options at shortstop are limited – both in terms of experience and potential – unless the Yankees want to overpay for Hanley Ramirez, who is already likely in need of a move off the position. Figuring the pair at or around the same cost, Andrus would clearly be the better choice.

Of course, the big question then becomes: what could the Yankees offer Texas in trade?

The short answer is not much. New York’s farm system is not among the game’s best and has been a concern for numerous years. Two players – Luis Severino and Aaron Judge – are likely off limits but the club does have depth at a number of positions which could interest the Rangers – notably behind the plate.

Gary Sanchez has long been viewed as the club’s catcher of the future but he appears to be in the “doghouse” with the organization, having been suspended mid-season for an attendance issue. Once viewed as untouchable – he’s been ranked among the game’s Top 100 prospects by Baseball America for four years running – it’s conceivable that he could be moved for a fresh start elsewhere.

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John Ryan Murphy and Austin Romine also are in the mix, each with limited major league experience under their belt already. There’s more depth as we work further into the club’s system.

Texas figures to have their future catcher in the system already in Jorge Alfaro. At 21 he just reached Double-A for the first time at the end of this past season, likely putting him at least two years away from being MLB-ready. Landing a potential bridge until Alfaro is ready could be an ideal result should the team pull the trigger on moving Andrus.

None of these players would be enough on their own, but headlining a package of minor leaguers could be enough to get the sides to the table. Might Sanchez, right-hander Bryan Mitchell, and outfielder Tyler Austin be enough? Would Murphy, Mitchell, Austin, and a fourth player make more sense? These are details for the two clubs to discuss, of course, but there’s reason to think that a deal could potentially work. The more money the Rangers are willing to include, the better the return they’ll receive.