Who Is The Correct Plan A?
- Andy Singer
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By Andy Singer
January 3rd, 2025
The nicest thing that Yankee fans can say about this offseason is that the Yankees have filled the back of the roster with some depth pieces, some more interesting than others. Now that the Imai "sweepstakes" has come and gone, it's become increasingly clear that the Yankees have fixated on a single free agent hitter: Cody Bellinger. Regardless of what I said last season or in years prior, the reality is that Bellinger fit last year's roster quite well! He played excellent defense in LF, CF, and 1B, made a fair amount of contact, peppered the short porch at Yankee Stadium, and was one of the few left-handed batters in the Yankee lineup that hit left-handed pitching well. That's a good ballplayer!
That said, there are other fish in the sea this offseason. We know that the Yankees are currently a very left-handed heavy lineup that has some swing-and-miss issues. The lineup needs balance. Bellinger brought some balance to the lineup despite hitting left-handed, but is he the best option for the 2026 Yankees? I wanted to answer that question without prejudice, so I took a look at last season's numbers. Without giving too much away, I want to evaluate the following players:
Player A makes gobs of contact (more critically, it's elite contact in the strike zone), doesn't strike out, doesn't swing and miss hardly ever, and despite power numbers that lag behind the other two hitters, hits the ball harder more consistently. He doesn't swing and miss, and his swings produce plenty of damage. It's a profile that should age well, and there's probably more in the tank given the elite hard hit numbers and meatball swing rate that could stand to come up a bit.
Player B has the most valuable under-the-hood numbers offensively, though his contact numbers are a bit more middling. Player B makes decent contact, hits the ball hard (though not with as much frequency as Player A), capitalizes most frequently on balls in the heart of the plate, and draws a ton of walks. He's an excellent offensive package, one that should age well, though you could argue Player A has more potential.
Player C takes some of what Players A and B do, but doesn't do any of them as well. Player C hit for power and strikes out the least while also making tons of contact on pitches in the strike zone. However, the numbers under the hood aren't nearly as pretty. Player C doesn't hit the ball nearly as hard as Players B and C, nor does he do so nearly as frequently. He draws some walks, but it isn't elite.
Player A will play next season in his Age 28 year; Player B will be 29; Player C will be 31. Player A hits right-handed; Players B and C bat left-handed. If you were the Yankees, who would you chose for the lineup without knowing anything else?
If it were me, I would chose Player A. The Yankees could use a right-handed bat, particularly one that makes that much contact and has such strong underlying skills. Add in the fact that he's the youngest, and it's close to a slam dunk. I could see the argument for Player B as well, but the contact numbers and right-handed hitting seal the deal for me. Ready to learn who is who?
Player A is Bo Bichette; Player B is Kyle Tucker; Player C is Cody Bellinger. The Yankees have spent their offseason held up by easily the 3rd best player that makes any sense for them. Let that sink in for a moment.
Frankly, I'm not convinced that the Yankees should be looking for anything more than a right-hand hitting 4th outfielder to spell Dominguez and Grisham to add to the outfield grass this offseason. There are holes in the infield. Bichette is a very poor defender at SS, though he could likely fake it there until Volpe returns. Otherwise, I think he's probably good at 2B and very good at 3B. He's played 2B recently, and we know that he also took groundballs and worked out at 3B as a pro. Bichette fits the lineup better than anyone else out there, and adds a fair amount of needed grit to the roster.
The more I work the combinations through in my head, the more convinced I am that Bichette is the right answer to the Yankees' offseason questions. Why isn't he the answer? He's probably the 1st or 2nd most expensive player on the market. So much for a fully operational Death Star.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, yes, I think there's a way to fit both Bichette and Chisholm on the roster at the same time. Early in the year, Bichette can man SS. Long-term, I think it would be of paramount importance that they both work out at 3B to determine the best option over there. And who knows? Volpe is undergoing major shoulder surgery - ask Greg Bird how that works out. It's sad, but also cold reality.
Bo Bichette pushes the Yankees closer to their ultimate goal than does Cody Bellinger. Bellinger is a great story given his lineage, but if the Yankees only have room in their self-inflicted budget, Bichette is the guy they should go for.
