Yankees to Sign the Nick Johnson of Second Basemen

A scene that has been repeated far too many times for Brian Roberts

UPDATE - Fox Sports' Jon Morosi is reporting that Roberts and the Yankees have agreed to a one-year, $2MM deal.


Brian Roberts was once a great player. Once being the key word in that sentence. He was also once a healthy player. Once upon a time in Baltimore, Roberts was an All-Star and a Yankee killer.

Sadly, Roberts has become a perennial member of the 15- and 60-day disabled lists. Perennial is the key word in that sentence. Desperate to find a full-time second baseman or someone to split time with Kelly Johnson at the position, the Yankees appear ready to sign Roberts to a one-year, low money incentive laden deal.(Per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal)

Unfortunately this is not 2009, the last year in which the Yankees won the World Series and the last year that Roberts played a full season. He appeared in 152 games spread out from 2009-2013 due to a myriad of injuries, the most dangerous of which have been concussions and concussion syndrome.(It's also put Roberts at greater risk for future concussions.)

Roberts is a former first round pick (50th overall out of U. of South Carolina in 1999), a two-time All-Star who combined some pop with speed - he stole 50 bases in 2007 and 40 a year later. The now 35-year old Roberts was at his best in the period from 2005 through 2009 when his average slash line was .294/.369/.451 (.820 OPS). His year usually produced 13 home runs, 64 RBI, 36 steals (in 44 attempts), 45 doubles, and 99 runs scored. He was the catalyst of the Orioles lineup.

An abdominal strain in 2010 was the first major injury Roberts suffered in the last four seasons. It kept him out from April to July and limited him to 59 games. He also suffered from a herniated disc in his back during Spring Training that season. (Many Orioles and Yankees fans recall a September, 2005 collision at first base with Bubba Crosby that dislocated Roberts' left elbow, but he recovered nicely from it during the off-season.)

In May of 2011, Roberts hit the back of his head sliding into first base and suffered a concussion. He was out the remainder of the season and didn't return until June of 2012.

Roberts hurt his groin in early July and was placed back on the DL. At the end of the month he opted for season ending hip surgery. During the off-season he also had surgery to repair a sports hernia. He played in 17 games, the lowest number of his career.

In April, 2013 Roberts made another trip to the DL after he ruptured a tendon in a portion of hamstring behind his right knee and underwent surgery. It kept him out of Major League action until the last day of June. He managed to play 77 games, the most of the four year stretch of injuries and surgeries, but his production was far below the norm. (.249/.312/.392)

The spin on this move will be that it is low cost, low risk/high reward, but the chances of Roberts staying healthy are less than 50/50. Why not go out and make a bolder move for a bigger, healthier fish (e.g. Rickie Weeks) then continue to flounder at the position.

Help Wanted: Second Baseman, Must Field and Hit

Rickie Weeks could be the answer.

With Robinson Cano now in the Emerald city, Brandon Phillips making too much money for too long, and Omar Infante moving to the "Show Me State", the Yankees are still in need of a productive second baseman.

No, Kelly Johnson is not the answer, though he will be a good back up at both second and third base. There's no quality players left among the position eligible free agents, (the NY Post's Joel Sherman said the Yankees have "little interest", thankfully, in free agent Brian Roberts) so the Yankees need to pursue a trade to strengthen the position.

There was a rumor about a week ago that the Yankees had inquired about Seattle's Dustin Ackley, a former high draft choice that has been a bust as a Major Leaguer. The 2nd overall pick in the 2009 draft, had a .766 OPS in his rookie season in 2011, but was barely above .600 the last two years. His future looks to be as a utility player after the Mariners moved him to the outfield last season.

There's also been talk that the Yankees contacted Washington about Danny Espinosa, but were rebuffed. Espinosa had a miserable 2013 season, battling a torn rotator cuff and a broken wrist that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch. He spent time in the minors and had a .465 OPS in 44 big league games.  A year earlier he belted 17 home runs, but had a modest .717 OPS and struck out an NL leading 189 times. Espinosa is not a significant upgrade from Johnson so why bother.

One interesting possibility would be the Milwaukee Brewers' Rickie Weeks, whose brother and fellow second baseman Jemile Weeks was traded earlier in the off-season.  The elder Weeks was limited to 104 games last season after undergoing season ending surgery in August on a torn hamstring muscle. He finished with a career low .663 OPS.

Weeks' offense had dipped in 2012 as well (.728 OPS) after he was limited to 118 games in 2011 due to a badly sprained ankle. He still managed to hit 21 HR, drive in 63 runs, score 85, and drew 74 walks. He also stole 16 bases in 19 attempts.

Weeks is in the final guaranteed year of his contract and is set to earn $11.5MM this coming season. He has a team option for another $11.5MM in 2015, but if he doesn't get 600 plate appearances in 2014 or a combined 1,200 plate appearances between 2013 and 2014 the option goes bye bye. The combined PAs are out of the question since he only came to the plate 399 times last year. He's also not likely to get 600 PAs this coming year, so the option would likely not be a factor.

Rookie second baseman Scooter Gennett impressed the Breweres in Weeks' absence, putting together a .324/.356/.479 slash line in 230 plate appearances. Weeks could be expendable to give Gennett a shot as the full-time second baseman.

Weeks may not be what he once was, but he's an upgrade over Johnson.

Tbe Yankees could also take a different route, one that could work for 2014 and the future. It's also one that is less likely to occur than dealing for Weeks. The Cleveland Indians are said to be open to dealing shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

The 28-year old played 162 games at second base between 2007 and 2009 and became the full-time shortstop thereafter. He'll make $10MM next season and is set to be a free agent after the 2014 campaign. Cabrera would have to be amenable to it, of course, but the move would be to have him play second base for a year with the possibility of a free agent deal to become the team's shortstop in 2015.

Cabrera would probably not be on board since it is his walk year and he wouldn't want to hurt his chances for a big contract by going back to a position he hadn't played in five years. Perhaps some additional money - maybe $3MM to $5MM - might convince him to make the switch, but it's an outside shot at best though.

Others don't fit the bill for a number of reasons:

Chase Utley: Once a top five MLB second baseman, Utley has been banged up the last few years though he had 18 HR and 69 RBI in 131 games last season. The problem? His contract. Utley will earn $15MM in 2014, $10MM the year after. Then there are three vesting optioins through 2018 that will kick in an annual salary of $15MM if Utley gets 500 plate appearances the prior season.

Neil Walker: Nice power hitting second baseman for the Pirates. He earned $3.3MM in 2013 and Pittsburgh has him under control through 2016. No reason to move him.

Darwin Barney's name has been bandied about the last week by members of the mainstream media and some blogs. My question is why? Barney has a .628 OPS in 1,499 lifetime plate appearances and had an abysmal .569 OPS last year. The Cubbies can keep him. The Yankees already have Brendan Ryan to cover the defense and not hit.

Another nice fit would be former Toronto Blue Jay and current Arizona Diamondback Aaron Hill. The second baseman went from Canada to the southwest as part of a deal that sent Johnson to Toronto. Hill swings a good bat and has vastly improved his defense from his time north of the border. This past February the Diamondbacks signed him to a three year contract extension with $35MM, so he is likely not going anywhere.

In summation, the Yankees front office should spend a few days talking about Weeks. And if is acquired by the Yankees I will try to stop calling him Richie instead of Rickie.