Miguel Andujar will start the season in AAA.
The 23-year-old prospect was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre today, marking the end of my speculation that he could be the Yankees Opening Day third baseman. Despite Andujar showing promise in Tampa slashing .262/.273/.643 with 4 home runs, it appears that Brandon Drury will be manning the hot corner at the start of the season.
Drury, 25, was acquired on February 20th in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Yankees sent second baseman Nick Solak and pitcher Taylor Widener to the Rays and sent outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Drury. Slightly more experienced than Andujar, Drury has 2 full seasons with the Diamondbacks under his belt, hitting .275/.323/.453. These numbers may not jump off the page, but he will serve as a decent place holder for Andujar, who will likely be called up and take over the job if he continues to improve at the AAA-level.
The bigger question is Andujar’s future with the organization beyond 2018. If the Yankees do break the bank to sign Manny Machado next winter, Andujar will no longer have a place in this lineup, especially with Giancarlo Stanton occupying the DH spot. Even though Andujar showcased his abilities this spring and a bit in 2017 over his 7 AB’s in the majors where he impressed, Andujar will most likely be shipped out in a trade to strengthen the rotation in a deal similar to the one that brought in Sonny Gray.
Andujar is too talented to be wasting his career on the Yankee’s bench, and since he is under team control until 2024, he represents a huge trade asset for Brian Cashman. After this season, the Yankees will need to shore up the rotation with C.C. Sabathia most likely departing. Even with the emergence of Jordan Montgomery last season and prospect Chance Adams waiting for his big-league opportunity to come, the Yankees will need to add an arm to solidify the rotation headed by Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka to be serious favorites for the World Series. As much as I am a fan of the Baby Bombers and want to see Andujar take over the hot corner this year, I know this season will be more of a showcase for him and to boost his trade value, and I’m all for it if dealing him can bring in a solid starting pitcher.
For a deal at the deadline or even over the offseason, a guy like Chris Archer comes to mind. Even though the Rays will probably not want to trade him to a divisional rival, Andujar the host of prospects the Yankees could offer for a player who would only have one more year left of team control in 2019 could be enough to persuade them. If the Yankees could enter the 2019 season with a rotation of Severino, Tanaka, Archer, Gray, and Montgomery, along with adding Machado, this team will be unstoppable.
