The New York Yankees have continued to search for a right-handed bat to play the outfield and are considering numerous options according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
Among those options would be Austin Slater, who is still a free agent and reportedly received a Major League offer earlier this offseason from the club.
He was acquired for Gage Ziehl at this past trade deadline but struggled to stay healthy or effective in the limited appearances he made with the team.
His bat against left-handed pitching is what the team is hoping to add, especially with some of the pitfalls that the lineup currently has in those scenarios.
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Austin Slater Received an Offer From the Yankees, Remains Player of Interest
With the Yankees still searching for ways to improve the roster, they’ve turned to their bench especially when it comes to their outfield situation.
Jasson Dominguez remains the fourth outfielder as of right now, but the lack of right-handed options to use against lefties provides some issues with the roster’s synergy.
Last season they used Jose Caballero in the corner outfield at times, but they envisioned Austin Slater filling that role in the summer before a hamstring injury sidelined him.
On the surface, the Yankees shouldn’t be that enticed by Austin Slater’s .224 AVG and .435 SLG% against lefties from last season, but the underlying metrics tell a different story.
Slater had a .283 Expected AVG and a .581 Expected SLG%, as the right-handed outfielder had an unsustainably-low .269 BABIP in those matchups.
Furthermore his solid corner outfield defense and above-average sprint speeds make him a solid late-game pinch running option for Giancarlo Stanton, who is usually subbed out if he reaches base late in a close game.
The Yankees are also eyeing a player who can play 1B and hit from the right-handed side like Paul Goldschmidt, with other outfield options including Randal Grichuk which was first reported by Jon Heyman.