The first conversations that the New York Yankees had about Chris Carter took place in the fall, as the Milwaukee Brewers sorted through their options with a slugger who was tied for the National League lead with 41 homers in 2016. The two sides didn't work out a deal, the Brewers released Carter, and the Yankees signed Matt Holliday, presumably to take a lot of plate appearances at designated hitter.
Carter remained unsigned into December, into January, the price tag seemingly dropping. Carter's agent, Dave Stewart, mentioned in a radio interview the possibility that his client would have to think about signing in Japan. This was something that Carter had no interest in: He wanted to play in the major leagues in 2017, and was resigned to the reality that he would get far less than he expected after a season in which he posted an .821 OPS.
Carter's context had changed, and so had that of the Yankees. Late in the 2015 season, it appeared that Greg Bird might be the team's first baseman of the future, but he missed all of the 2016 with a shoulder injury. When he returned to action in the Arizona Fall League, Bird really struggled, batting .215 with one homer and 17 strikeouts in 65 at-bats. As the Cleveland Indians learned with Michael Brantley, no injury bears so much uncertainty for a position player -- for a hitter -- as a shoulder problem. For the Yankees, Bird is something of a mystery with spring training looming. Tyler Austin is a candidate to play first base after a nice showing late last season, but he's young, he has options, and he can be sent back to the minors.
The value that the Yankees saw in the right-handed hitting Carter early in the fall was heightened over the winter, as the Boston Red Sox added left-hander Chris Sale to a rotation already loaded with left-handers (David Price, Eduardo Rodriguez, Drew Pomeranz), in a division that has more than its share of lefties. The Toronto Blue Jays have J.A. Happ and Francisco Liriano, Blake Snell is projected as the Tampa Bay Rays's No. 3 starter, and the Baltimore Orioles will field Wade Miley.
With the price for Carter (and so many other free agent sluggers) bottoming out, the Yankees grabbed $3.5 million worth of lineup insurance and landed the bopper -- one who is said to be a strong clubhouse presence and, in his best months, is capable of carrying a team for a month or two. As the Houston Astros pushed for a wild-card spot late in the 2015 season, Carter slammed six homers with 10 RBIs in his last 12 games, helping to nudge Houston into the postseason.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi probably has no idea today how exactly he will use Carter, because he doesn't know how healthy Bird is and how much he can play at first base. He also doesn't know how much Holliday will play, or how he might fare in the Yankees' cozy right field. Girardi doesn't know if Jacoby Ellsbury will bounce back from his terrible showing against lefties last season, when he had a .292 OBP. He doesn't know what he'll get out of Chase Headley.
Girardi does know now he has a more experienced alternative at first base if Bird and/or Austin need more time in the minors. It could be that on some days, against Boston's left-handers, he could post a lineup loaded with right-handed power:
DH Holliday
1B Carter
RF Aaron Judge
3B Headley
CF Aaron Hicks
The Yankees could generate enormous strikeout totals in 2017, especially if Carter and Judge work their way into the lineup with regularity. They will have a lot of game-changing power, as well, and for only $3.5 million, the Yankees felt they could not pass on a player who can impact games with big swings.
Eno Harris writes about the Carter signing.