For New York Yankees, an infield of possibilities

The New York Yankees have the ingredients for a talented young infield in the years ahead. But how will they make the pieces fit?

When Derek Jeter bid farewell to the crowd and disappeared into the visitors’ dugout at Fenway Park in the third inning on September 28, 2014, the New York Yankees were turning the page on an era, an icon – and one of the most vital positions on the field. Fans, the media, and surely the organization itself wondered how the team would fare in searching for its next long-term shortstop.

Not to mention that All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano had bolted to Seattle the previous offseason, and the likes of Stephen Drew and Brian Roberts weren’t exactly cutting it as replacements.

Nearly two years later, and the future of the Yankees infield isn’t looking so bleak. On Monday, they sent Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a package led by 19-year-old shortstop Gleyber Torres, one of the top shortstop prospects in the game. Torres immediately took over the #1 spot on MLB Pipeline‘s Yankees prospects rankings.

While most lauded Torres as a nice return for a three-month rental reliever, some questioned whether he was a somewhat redundant addition to the Yankees farm system. After all, MLB Pipeline’s previously top-ranked Yankees neophyte (now placed at #2) was Jorge Mateo, another shortstop.

Further complicating matters is the way Didi Gregorius continues to defy expectations in his second season with the Bronx Bombers. Rather quietly, he is slashing .296/.326/.462 with 11 home runs (already a career high) and 43 RBI. He is currently sixth in average and eighth in OPS among all major league shortstops. His slugging percentage is also .004 points higher than Bryce Harper‘s. Yes, you read that right.

With Gregorius still only 26 years old and under team control through the 2019 season, how will the Yanks fit potentially two more young shortstops into the mix in the years ahead? Well, if you are going to stockpile minor league talent at any one position, shortstop is a pretty good place to do it. Typically among the best athletes on a team, they are often well-suited to moving around the infield (or elsewhere). See Manny Machado and Jurickson Profar for recent examples. Heck, Ian Desmond has done an admirable job transitioning to the outfield this year.

The Yankees are apparently already planning to foster this kind of versatility in their young infielders. They will reportedly keep Torres at shortstop for now, while Mateo will see increasing time at second base. Both are currently at High-A Tampa. It’s also worth noting that 21-year-old Tyler Wade is having a nice season (.271/.375/.360) for Double-A Trenton and has been getting some run at second as well.

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Second base, however, is presently occupied by Starlin Castro (himself a former shortstop), who like Gregorius isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2019 campaign. The 26-year-old started strong but has been largely mediocre at the plate, slashing .261/.296/.403 with 11 homers and 40 RBI over 98 games. He’s on his way to posting a sub-100 OPS+ in three of the last four seasons.

If Castro doesn’t turn it around, the Yankees probably won’t feel too bad about supplanting him if a better option presents itself. In a year or two, he becomes a much more tradable piece, making about $10-12 million a season through 2019. Still under 30, its not unreasonable to think a team out there might want to take a chance on him the way the Yanks did.

There’s also Chase Headley over at the hot corner. After an absolutely horrid start that saw him slash .196/.287/.262 with two home runs and nine RBI through May 17, Headley has actually been swinging a very respectable bat. Since then he has managed a .285/.347/.451 slash line while belting seven homers and driving in 24 runs. His contract seemed like yet another albatross just a couple months ago, but it’s looking a lot better right now.

If the Yankees want to open up third base in the future, they might be able to find a taker for Headley as well, as long as his production doesn’t fall off a cliff again (admittedly a big “if”). After this season he will have two more years on his contract at $13 million each. Neither Torres nor Mateo may develop the power profile you might like to see at third, but they both have strong arms and either could be a possibility there depending on how things shake out.

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To put it simply, the Yankees could have a nice problem on their hands. It’s always better to have too much talent than too little, especially at a premium position like shortstop. That said, this all hinges on prospects like Torres and Mateo actually panning out, which is by no means a given. But for a franchise whose farm system hasn’t had a whole lot to show for itself in the way of position players over the past ten years, the Yankees suddenly have a real chance of filling out their infield of the future.

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