Should the Yankees sign Yasiel Puig?
By: Sam Marsdale
Tags: MLB, Baseball, Sports, New York Yankees, Yankees

Should the Yankees sign Yasiel Puig?

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When it comes to the Yankees’ outfield, things are a bit complicated. The statuses of both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for Opening Day are in serious jeopardy, and questions about the long-term health of both players are definitely warranted. Throw Aaron Hicks and his recovery from Tommy John surgery into the mix, and you have a trio of outfielders who haven’t been available for good chunks of the past two seasons due to injury.

Stanton — battling a Grade 1 calf strain — played in 18 regular season games in 2019 due to bicep and knee injuries, and was severely limited in the playoffs due to a quad injury suffered in the ALCS. Since 2011 — his first full season in MLB — he’s played in 145 or more regular season games just four times.

The Yankees’ slugger did work in the batting cage and on the treadmill Sunday and felt no issues in his calf, according to the New York Post. However, with the way things went last year, a lot of people are in “wait and see” mode with Stanton.

Judge’s injury story is an interesting case. The face of the Yankees originally thought it was his shoulder bothering him, but a CT scan revealed last week that it was a rib fracture that he and others believe was suffered when he dove for a ball against the Los Angeles Angels in mid-September. Judge had reasoning as to why he didn’t disclose the pain.

“I was pissed off the way the season ended and [there were] changes I wanted to make and I went right back to it,” Judge said, via the New York Post. “In my head I thought it was something I could fight through and it cost me.

“As the off-season progressed, it started to get worse and worse. I thought it was a chest issue. Was it a back issue? Was it my shoulder? Always a lot of confusion,’’ Judge said Friday. “Thought I would be fine by the time [spring] training starts. If I knew it was a rib, I would have done things a little different.’’

Unfortunately, it’s likely to cost him the beginning of the season. This comes almost one year after he suffered an oblique injury, which kept him out exactly two months.

Given both of their injury concerns along with Hicks’ recovery and his past injuries, should the Yankees look to sign free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig?

In the last three seasons, Puig has been one of the more solid corner outfielders the game has had to offer. Since the start of the 2017 season, Puig has played in 426 out of a possible 486 regular season games. During that time, he’s slashed .266/.333/.480 and jacked 75 home runs. In eight seasons, his dWAR is a measly 0.9, but the offense and defense are better than anything the Yankees will have to offer on opening day.

An ESPN report said that the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays were interested in Puig, but the Giants opted to re-sign Hunter Pence instead.

It goes without saying that Puig comes with a little bit of baggage. In 2014, he was benched for missing a team meeting. When he was demoted to Triple-A in 2016, he was called out for posting photos of himself partying following a loss. His decision making on the field is also something teams have certainly taken note of over the years, but for the Yankees — he could be worth it.

In recent weeks, New York has given a run to Miguel Andujar in left field. While he’s looked good, that would be quite the leap — especially for a guy who barely played at all last year due to a shoulder injury.

The “experienced” corner outfielders on the roster are Clint Frazier and Mike Tauchman. While we know what Frazier can do with the bat, there’s always a chance that he could still be a disaster in the field. Tauchman flashed solid production on offense and provides solid defense at all three positions, but was 5-for-39 (.128) before going on the shelf with a season-ending injury in 2019.

The Yankees will also rely heavily on Brett Gardner during Hicks’ 8–10 month recovery from his Oct. 30 Tommy John surgery. How much does he still have left in the tank at age 36? We’ve seen him hit walls in recent years, such as hitting . 220 after the All Star Break in 2018. Tauchman will also need to slide over and fill in for him occasionally, as he’s really the only other Major League piece who can play center field.

While he certainly has his flaws, Puig would no doubt bring some stability to a Yankees outfield that has a ton of question marks. The Los Angeles Times reported last week that Puig received a one-year, $10 million offer from a National League Team, but turned it down. There’s always a chance that he’s changed his mind about taking a one-year deal.

We’re now just over two weeks out from the Yankees’ opener at the Baltimore Orioles. Given the holes in the outfield, it certainly would make a lot of sense for both Puig and the Yankees to get the free agent in pinstripes.