Mark Teixeira can return to the Yankees as early as Sunday, but return as what?
He has fallen – physically and statistically – but to where? The offensive identity of Teixeira lingers as a key question to this season. With recent imports such as Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Alfonso Soriano present, it might not be necessary for Teixeira to be a huge weightlifter in the lineup.
But he can’t be a zero for a variety of reasons, notably that the Yanks do not have an obvious replacement for him, unless you believe in this concept: Kelly Johnson, starting first baseman. If Teixeira cannot physically or statistically hold his own, then the Yanks are going to have to use prospects or finances they currently seem unwilling to expend to solve the situation.
With Alex Rodriguez gone as the easiest target in sports, Teixeira has become his heir, at least in the Yankees’ corner of the globe. In fact, as the disappointment/loathing of Teixeira has climbed, the appreciation of his skills – particularly while with the Yankees – has been in free fall.
But understand this: Through his age-31 season in 2011, having completed three Yankee years, Teixeira had 314 homers. That is exactly what Mike Schmidt had through age 31, one more homer than Reggie Jackson and Willie McCovey had, nine more than Eddie Murray had. Those are four members of both the 500-homer club and Hall of Fame.
Factoring in that he played mostly in favorable home parks with the Rangers and Yankees and in a power-inflated era, Teixeira’s homer feats are not quite the equivalent of, say, Schmidt’s or McCovey’s. But he did have a .904 OPS and four Gold Gloves at that moment, and it was possible to believe he was going to force a tough Cooperstown decision.
But in 2012, his stats took another step back and his body began a betrayal that has yet to stop. The latest was a hamstring strain that Yankees officials see mainly as freakish – he hurt it when his plant foot stuck in the turf in Toronto.
However, he is 34 now. A once-durable player is in Year 3 of not being so, and, of course, the wrist injury that cost him most of last season continues to be the most worrisome. The trend line is stark. This is Teixeira’s OPS since 2008: .962, .948, .846, .835, .807, .609, .558. The last one is based on just 13 plate appearances this season, but he also did not field particularly well in those first four games.
Yet, assistant GM Billy Eppler insisted the organization still wants Teixeira up in key spots and the ball hit to him in critical moments. Specifically addressing Teixeira’s offense – based on spring training and batting practice, in particular – Eppler said, “I still see him impacting a baseball.”
So how far could Teixeira fall and it be considered acceptable? Since Teixeira’s first Yankee season (2009), the average major league first base OPS also has tumbled: .846, .802, .797, .778, .773 in 2013. In the past two years, the average for homers (24) and RBIs (87-88) has remained steady.
Teixeira is due $22.5 million annually through 2016. For that, can he even be an average first baseman (say, .770 OPS, 25 homers, 87 RBIs)? It would be a huge bonus for the Yankees if he can just be that and healthy.
Why the Snakes could become salesmen
A significant theme of the offseason was how many teams extended themselves by trading prospects and/or going beyond initial payroll thresholds. Clubs feel compelled to act because they see the playoffs as more accessible than ever. It is about having a second wild card in each league and watching even small-market clubs such as the Rays and A’s figure out ways to be consistent contenders.
No team pushed both the prospect/dollar combo like the Diamondbacks. To get Mark Trumbo and Addison Reed, they traded Tyler Skaggs, Adam Eaton and Matt Davidson (all well-regarded youngsters). Late in the offseason, they acted boldly yet again to sign Bronson Arroyo to a three-year, $30 million pact that took their payroll to a record $112.3 million.
But ever since ace Patrick Corbin needed Tommy John surgery before a pitch was thrown this season, Arizona has veered further and further into the most disappointing team in the majors, winning just four of its first 17 games. It feels over for them before it has even begun.
Which leads to a bigger-picture question: It seemed about 25 teams were in go-for-it mode in 2014. Even with expanded playoffs, just 10 can get in. That assured that several teams with huge aspirations – and bigger payrolls than anticipated – are going to face significant disappointment. Will that make a few act quickly to essentially say: If we can’t win this year, at least let’s find a way to not lose money. Which would lead potentially to a salary dumping (a kind of second free agency in June/July) and a large pool of available veterans.
Is it too early to think Arizona is on a trajectory to be the first of several clubs to go into dump mode?
There was a lot of talk in the offseason of the Diamondbacks trading one of their shortstops – Didi Gregorius or Chris Owings – with the Yanks and Mets among the interested parties. And that could still happen. But both make near the major league minimum. This is about getting out of money.
And you can see how, for example, the Yanks might need to fill second base and third base now and in the future. Aaron Hill is making $12 million this year and due $12 million next year, while Martin Prado is making $11 million this year and the same in both 2015 and ’16. Others who could become available: Arroyo ($6.5 million this year, $9.5 million in ’15 with an $11 million option or $4.5 million buyout for ’16), and — if he could get healthy — Cody Ross ($8.5 million this year and next with a $9.5 million 2016 option or $1 million buyout), particularly if Arizona would eat some of the money.
It is getting late early in the desert.
It’s not you, it’s Hughes
Maybe it wasn’t the AL East or the short porch of Yankee Stadium or the pressure of New York. Maybe it was just Phil Hughes.
Hughes has made three starts for the Twins and given up four runs in five innings in each. The result is a 7.20 ERA, which is fourth worst in the early season among qualifiers. Once more the righty has the good strikeout-to-walk ratio (17-to-5) that continues to entice clubs and he actually hasn’t been destroyed by homers (just two so far).
But the high pitch counts and the inability to limit damage have continued to keep Hughes’ outings brief and ineffective. Hughes, who signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Twins even after going 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA in his Yankees walk year, is not fooling anyone. The opposition is hitting .317 against him with a .916 OPS. He has not pitched beyond the fifth inning in his past eight starts dating to 2013, and in 11 of his past 13 starts.