The New York Yankees rumors surrounding the Yankees pitching and who is playing third base continue to roar this offseason. Will the Yankees make a move for a quality infielder or will they stay put with their current prospects? Despite the Yankees starting pitching concerns this offseason, their bullpen is argued to be one of the best in the MLB, but could it be better? Here are the latest news and rumors surrounding the Yankees you need to know:
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Neil Walker And Yankees Close To A Deal?
The Yankees have been talking to infielder Neil Walker for most of the offseason, as the Yankees have been looking for a reliable player at second and third. The Yankees were close to signing Walker according to Yankees reporter Billy Witz, but that deal has since fallen through the cracks.
Walker wanted a multi-year deal and liked the idea of playing for the Yankees because they were contenders. The trade talks ended once the Yankees acquired infielder Brandon Drury from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team trade.
Walker is 32-years-old coming off back surgery and batted .265/.362/.439 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI in 111 games this past season on the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers. So, going with Drury who is only 25 years old is not only smarter, but cheaper.
Miguel Andujar Addresses His Fielding Critics
Rumors surrounding whether Miguel Andujar will be able to play the infield this upcoming season have swirled all offseason. Most of his critics look at his fielding struggles as he had 17 errors in the minors last season. Andujar is a highly respected prospect, so when he was asked if the criticism was fair after his game against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday he wasn't afraid to speak.
"They can have their analysis, their criticism," Andujar said through Yankees' interpreter Marlon Abreu. "But to me, the point is to always improve, not only on defense but also offensively. You want to keep getting better as a player."
Andujar needs to improve in the field, but if he continues to swing the bat the way he has in the Yankees first two exhibition games it will be hard to keep him out of the lineup. Andujar hit a walk-off home run on Monday and hit another Tuesday.
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Chad Green Is The Yankees Secret Weapon
The Yankees have one of the best, if not the best bullpen in the MLB. It's hard to argue with a bullpen that led the majors in batting average against, strikeout rate, and wins above replacement. A major reason was the surprising season of pitcher Chad Green. The Yankees have a ton of big-name players on the roster and in the bullpen, so people may not know how special Green is.
You could argue that Green was the best pitcher on the entire Yankees roster last season. He has pinpoint control with his fastball that can hit the upper 90's. He generates a ton of swing and misses which led to him having a 13.4 strikeout per nine innings ratio in 2017. In 69 innings he struck out 103 batters and walked only 17. The 26-year-old held a 1.83 ERA and a 5-0 record.
With concerns around starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery, don't be surprised to see Green make his way into the starting rotation if Montgomery struggles this season.
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