Miguel Andujar is not one to complain about minor aches and pains, choosing to keep any marginal discomfort to himself. When the Yankees' third baseman reported shoulder soreness Monday morning, then, there was immediate concern, justified later in the day when Andujar was diagnosed with a labrum tear.
It's still possible that Andujar won't need surgery this summer to repair it. But it's also possible that he will need the procedure that would end his season, and the depth the Yankees bolstered in the offseason will immediately be tested. Aaron Boone already has some safety nets on his roster to help with that, with DJ LeMahieu performing even better than expected defensively at third, now fully prepared to assume a lot of the playing time.
The Yankees expect Didi Gregorius will be back sometime in the middle of the summer. If Troy Tulowitzki is playing well when Gregorius returns, the Yankees could use Tulowitzki in more of a hybrid role, shifting him to third base for some at-bats, or use him in the super-utility role initially planned for LeMahieu. The Yankees also have Tyler Wade, who has logged 66 games in the big leagues. There's no reason -- yet -- for Yankees GM Brian Cashman to panic, and with more than two decades on the job and plenty of experience in seeing how teams adapt through injuries, he probably won't overreact, and almost certainly not now, when the trade prices would be enormous, before the midsummer slide.
But if Andujar is lost for the season and other injuries pop up, the Yankees would have to at least start to examine what trade options might be available through the season, and there would be plenty.
The big names
Evan Longoria, Giants. San Francisco is rebuilding and would probably jump at the chance to unload the $50 million they owe to the 33-year-old third baseman over the next few years. But Cashman has long believed in on-base percentage and Longoria posted a .281 OBP in 2018.
Brandon Crawford, Giants. The Yankees' theoretical interest would be to have another experienced infielder, and also to set themselves up for the possible departure of Gregorius, who will be eligible for free agency in the fall. The left-handed-hitting Crawford would be a nice fit for Yankee Stadium, and he probably could play anywhere the Yankees would need and thrive defensively there.
But he's owed about $45 million for this year and the two seasons that will follow, and because he grew up just outside of San Francisco and has spent a lifetime in California, the Yankees would probably ask questions about whether he'd be comfortable in the Bronx. Additionally, he's in his early 30s and did not have a good season at the plate last year.
Kyle Seager, Mariners. Seattle has already turned over a lot of its roster, and presumably would listen to any ideas about Seager. But the third baseman just had hand surgery and won't be back until the second half of May, at the earliest, and he's owed $60 million. The Yankees could attempt to match up some kind of salary swap involving Jacoby Ellsbury, who is owed $47 million, but there would be so many complications -- including Ellsbury's no-trade clause -- that a deal seems highly unlikely even if Seager were healthy. And he's not healthy.
Starlin Castro, Marlins. Because of the positional flexibility of Gleyber Torres, the Yankees could conceivably slide Torres to third and play Castro at second. But the Yankees experienced Castro's subpar defense firsthand back in 2017, and while his inclusion in the Giancarlo Stanton deal was mostly related to the need to offset salary, it's hard to imagine the Yankees taking on his D, now that he's a couple of years older.
Castro is making $11.9 million this year, with a $16 million club option and a $1 million buyout for 2020.
Elvis Andrus, Rangers. His situation is almost identical to that of Crawford -- he is owed about $45 million for the next three years, and there's a vesting option on his deal for 2023. But teams might be leery of his offensive production -- after a couple of back-to-back years with an .800 OPS in 2016 and 2017, Andrus went backward last season, with a .675 OPS.
Short-term buys
Asdrubal Cabrera, Rangers. He's versatile, he's experienced, he's a switch-hitter, and he's relatively cheap, making just $3.5 million on a one-year deal. It's impossible to know when the Rangers might actually make him available, but Cabrera could check every box -- and presumably, Texas can expect to get a decent prospect or two for him.
Tim Beckham, Mariners. He has almost five years of service time in the big leagues and has seemingly figured out some stuff at the plate, based on the damage he's doing early in the season. He's never been strong defensively, but he is a threat as a hitter, and the Mariners -- a team that is rebuilding and will likely turn over the shortstop duties to J.P. Crawford sometime in the first half of the season -- are paying Beckham just $1.75 million this year.
Neil Walker, Marlins. He is plenty affordable, in light of his $2 million salary, and he can play in different spots in the infield. But last year, he hit .219 for the Yankees.
Jung Ho Kang, Pirates. The veteran infielder is in a much better place in his personal life, as he continues to work his way back from DUIs in his past, and Pittsburgh staffers say he just looks different, and seems different. He had a really good spring and might turn out to be the Pirates' regular third baseman, for $3 million. But if he hits enough to coax interest from the Yankees or some other contender, then the Pirates probably will need his cheap production -- or require very good return in a trade.
Brandon Drury, Blue Jays. Remember him? The Yankees targeted him for years before finally landing him in the 2017-18 offseason, and when he got hurt, Andujar stepped into the lineup and took the job away from him. Drury, 26, looked good in spring training for the Jays, and with Toronto rebuilding, it would likely be open to offers.
Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison, Tigers. The infielders are both on affordable one-year deals with Detroit, and eventually, it would make sense for the Tigers to market them, especially if they hit well.