Yankees Need More Than Hope on Left Side of the Plate
Rumor has it the Yankees are looking to add a lefty bat. Anyone watching knows they should.
When it comes to the left side, New York is dead last in the majors in batting average (.168), OPS (.540), BABIP (.204), wOBA (.249) and wRC+ (58). Yankees lefties are only a few steps from the cellar when it comes to runs, home runs, RBI and ISO.
So when MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweeted that the Yankees will “prioritize” adding a left-handed bat prior to the trade deadline, it read more like a statement of the obvious than a report.
Even Aaron Boone was open about his team’s lack of lefty output when asked about it Monday.
“Obviously to this point, we haven’t gotten a ton of production from that side,” the manager said, rattling off a few struggling names as he went. “But we also feel like we have people capable of being real contributors to us and turning it around. Hopefully, that can start to happen.”
Boone can hope all he wants—Brett Gardner actually hit a triple Monday after the skipper predicted he would “get things rolling”—but the reality is that the Yankees don’t have much going for them on the left side.
Tyler Wade, a player whose big-league viability revolves around his glove, is slashing .280/.333/.280 as he fills in for Gleyber Torres at shortstop. There’s a case to be made—against a low bar and with a small sample—that the no-pop, utility defender has been New York’s most consistent lefty.
That’s problematic, especially when considering that short porch in the Bronx.
The return of Rougned Odor, who was reinstated off the injured list on Tuesday afternoon, will add some power to the active roster. He has four home runs since being traded from Texas, but he’s hitting well below the Mendoza Line. Aaron Hicks, a switch-hitter, is better from the right side when healthy, and Mike Ford’s powerful end to the 2019 season hasn’t come close to being replicated since. Gardner, meanwhile, is striking out at a career-high rate.
| Name | PA | Slash | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|
Tyler Wade | 27 | .280/.333/.280 | Defensive versatility |
Aaron Hicks * | 90 | .173/.300/.240 | Injured (torn sheath in left wrist) |
Brett Gardner | 93 | .188/.272/.250 | 24.7 K%, would be career-worst |
Mike Ford | 52 | .091/.231/.227 | Batting .119 since 2020 |
Rougned Odor | 70 | .164/.271/.361 | 4/10 H are HR |
Jay Bruce | 39 | .118/.231/.235 | Retired after 10 G |
Mike Tauchman | 16 | .214/.267/.286 | Traded to Giants on April 27 |
* Denotes switch-hitter, but stats are only from the left side
So what exactly do the Yankees do about this sinistral stumble?
One answer, contrary to Morosi’s tweet, is “nothing.” This was, after all, a predictable problem when the Yankees went into the season with a heavily right-handed lineup and a collection of lefties who were either unproven or past their prime.
One could argue things are going as expected.
Considering the Yankees’ desire to stay below the $210 million Competitive Balance Tax threshold, it’s not crazy to think that they might actually take up this approach and hope their incumbent lefties improve. If not, they could promote Estevan Florial, one of their top prospects, especially with so many outfielders hurt or flailing. Considering there are some established players named up above, this would not be the craziest gamble, though it’s certainly not a safe one.
Of course, a team with expectations as lofty as New York should not be making that bet.
It’s too early to tell if the Yankees would begrudgingly surpass the CBT threshold—they have less than $2.4 million in cap space—but there should be lefty upgrades available in the coming weeks and months. An incomplete list could include current opponent Joey Gallo, a nest of Diamondbacks—including Arizona’s Ketel Marte and David Peralta—Joc Pederson and Andrew Benintendi. Whether the Yankees would pursue any of those names—or any names—remains to be seen, but it’s become clear that the team needs help on the port side.
“I know the numbers haven’t been very good,” Boone said, “but I also feel like, hopefully, over time that will start to change.”
There’s that word again. It’s hard to fault Boone for expressing faith in the pieces he’s been given, but the numbers say the Yankees need a lot more than hope when it comes to their left-handed options.
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