The New York Yankees have made the first significant free agent signing of the winter, re-signing outfielder Chris Young to a one-year deal worth a reported $2.5 million, plus incentives.
#Yankees sign OF Chris Young to one-year contract for 2015 season.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) November 9, 2014
Chris Young's deal with the Yankees: 1 year, $2.5m, plus incentives.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 9, 2014
Young started 2014 with the Mets, and was pretty awful in 88 games, hitting .205/.283/.346 with eight homers and seven stolen bases, especially when you consider that he was making $7.2 million. After being released, Young caught on with the Yankees and hit .282/.354/.521 with three homers and one stolen base in 23 games. Gee, it’s almost like a 100 point increase in BABIP (from .226 to .327) can mean the world, especially when your walk and strikeout rates remain constant.
This is a solid deal for the Yankees. Young will be making just more than a third of what he collected from the Mets last season, and he’ll continue in his role as a part-time player behind New York’s outfield trio of Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Carlos Beltran. Given that Young can play all three outfield positions and that both Ellsbury and Beltran have had issues with injuries in the past, he’s a great fit.
Young’s signing also seemingly puts a cap on the tenure of Ichiro Suzuki in New York. The 41-year old said he wanted to play in 2015, but a return to New York seemed in doubt after a 2014 that saw the Japanese star hit just .284/.324/.340 in 143 games while making $6 million. Young is a better, younger player, and a better value for the Yankees. If Ichiro is going to play in 2015, it will be outside of the Big Apple (assuming the Mets don’t call, of course).
