The departure of Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks recovering from Tommy John surgery has left the Yankees with a weak spot in the batting order. The lack of lefty bats could be problematic for the Bombers, even with the return of Giancarlo Stanton (production-speaking) in a full-capacity.
The retention of Brett Gardner on a one-year, $12.5 million deal will supplement the deficiency a bit, but he’s not expected to be an every-day starter once Hicks his fully recovered. This could lead to the Yankees pursuing a lefty bat in free agency.
“Our lineup is very right-handed,’’ vice president and assistant GM Michael Fishman said after the Winter Meetings concluded.