Travis Hafner will reportedly bring his left hand power bat to Yankee Stadium in 2013. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

While the recent headlines about Rodriguez have dominated the national and New York baseball headlines, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has made signings that address areas of need for the Bronx Bombers.

Hafner’s signing gives the Yanks a power bat in the DH role. With Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Gardner projected starters in the Yankee outfield, Joe Girardi needed a viable power threat to replace the departed Raul Ibanez. Cashman reportedly signed Hafner to a $2 million contract that could be worth more with incentives.  Over the past two years, Hafner’s OPS has been higher than Ibanez, albeit in fewer games. Hafner is five years younger than Ibanez but has battled a slew of injuries in recent years.

Another moves of note this offseason include the signing of third baseman Kevin Youkilis to a $12 million contract and Ichiro to a two year, $13 million contract. Youkilis will give the Yankees a legitimate presence at third base who has never been distracted by Australian bikini models during the postseason (at least that I am aware of). Ichiro provides the Yankees an added dimension of speed and defense in right field at a fraction of the cost of Nick Swisher.

Yankee fans who are disgruntled over the loss of steady producer and postseason hero Ibanez should be comforted by the Yankees tremendous success in the late 1990’s with aging sluggers who produced well in part time roles. Chili Davis, Cecil Fielder, Darryl Strawberry, Jose Canseco and David Justice all contributed to Yankee titles in platoon roles, as DH’s and as pinch hitters.

Cashman still has work to do, as the Yankees are in need of a right handed power bat to platoon with Hafner and to pinch hit. Or perhaps the Steinbrenners, Cashman and Girardi are planning to pencil in #13 in that role when he returns after the All-Star break from hip surgery.

“It’s no secret, we’re going to need to improve our offense,” said Acta. “We’re going to have to find a solution in left field, we’re going to have to find a solution at first base and we’re going to have to find a solution at DH. That’s pretty obvious. And the third base situation is not determined either.”

Hafner's DH role is just one of many problems mentioned by manager Manny Acta. Image: Eric P. Mull-USPRESSWIRE

The Indians took a risk in re-signing the oft-injured Grady Sizemore last fall. Though they got him a steep discount from what they would have spent had they exercised his option, the Indians have gotten exactly nothing from their former all-star as he has yet to play in a single game following back surgery just before Spring Training. Another former star is DH Travis Hafner, who continues to miss time and show only fleeting glimpses of what he used to be when he is playing.

The Indians have the game’s fourth-lowest payroll and the city hasn’t exactly been flocking to the park to support their team. Still, what Acta says has some truth to it. If the Indians want to compete with the White Sox and Tigers going forward, they’ll need to start spending and spending wisely.

Jack Hannahan is a marvelous defender at third base, but his left handed bat doesn’t scream “everyday player.” Unfortunately, prized prospect Lonnie Chisenhall has been less that spectacular in a pair of auditions for the job. It doesn’t bode well for the future if your young stud can’t wrestle the starting job away from a journeyman who has been released by three different clubs already.

The same, really, can be said of Matt LaPorta. Once heralded as the prize of the CC Sabathia trade, LaPorta’s minor league power numbers have never translated to the big leagues. Cleveland finally gave up on him this year and turned the first base job over to Casey Kotchman, with Shelley Duncan seeing spot duty in left field. Neither Duncan nor Kotchman are top-tier regulars, yet LaPota’s been relegated to hitting in the International League for most of the season.

The Indians tried to fortify a young and talented core with veteran role players like Kotchman, Johnny Damon, and Jose Lopez, but even a resurgent season by Shin-Soo Choo couldn’t keep them afloat. There are too many mediocre hitters in a lineup that is decidedly too left handed.

The Indians might have to get creative as they attempt to fill all the holes their manager pointed out. Last season’s trade for abject failure Ubaldo Jimenez has drained an already sparse minor league system, so in order to acquire talent, GM Chris Antonetti is going to have to look outside the organization. They would be wise to move closer Chris Perez, as he is one of the few players they can both afford to part with and who would bring a decent haul on the trade market.

Apart from that, the Tribe does get a reprieve of sorts soon as the contracts of Sizemore, Hafner and the former Fausto Carmona (Roberto Hernandez) are due to come off the books at season’s end, the latter two by way of club options that almost assuredly will not be picked up. Hafner alone makes $13 million this season, so the club will have some amount of spending money, even after arbitration raises are handed out.

Given the nature of the ownership in Cleveland, however, and the low attendance figures, one has to wonder how much money the Dolans will be willing to spend. If they aren’t prepared to step up payroll significantly (Unofficially at just over $65 million this year), it will only be a matter of time before the latest round of young, impact players gets traded away from Cleveland. When that time comes, suitors will be lined up to get their hands on the likes of Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Carlos Santana.

For more on the Indians, visit Wahoo’s on First.

John Parent is the Senior Director of Human Resources for the FanSided Network. He can be reached at john.parent@fansided.com or via Twitter @JohnJParent.

May 14, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Cleveland Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner (48) hits a double in the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

The power-hitter is ailing from an irritated meniscus, tricky stuff, and “Pronk” received a cortisone shot last week. Hafner was able to run in the outfield, but the Indians are wisely proceeding forward with caution and will give the 1.6 WAR DH some needed time off.

Travis Hafner has not been worth 2 WAR since 2007, back when he was worth 2.2 WAR in the year that Cleveland made an ALCS run before blowing the series to the Boston Red Sox. In 2004, Hafner broke out with a 4.8 WAR season in his first year with at least 100 games played. A year later, Hafner would hit 33 homers and end up being worth 5.4 WAR

After a move to the DH spot, Pronk’s value declined, and he never reached his insane peak as a hitter from 2004-2006, with that three-year offensive peak being one of the more memorable peaks of the decade. In fact, Hafner had a .350 ISO in 2006 and showed some great wrist power.

He has been off to a good start this season and was on pace for his first 2 WAR year since 2007, and the career .508 slugger will get his rest and should be back on a steady offensive pace once he gets back.

Update: Bad news. Hafner will likely have knee surgery and miss 4-6 weeks, which will have a huge negative effect on the Indians offense.

Follow Joe Soriano on Twitter here. Check out Wahoo’s On First for more on the Cleveland Indians.

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In losing this week’s series against the Tigers, Cleveland no longer has claim of first place in the AL Central.

The Indians are hoping the addition of Travis Hafner will help get the club back on the winning track. (more…)