New York Yankees considering Michael Young, Mark Reynolds for third base

With a decision pending on Alex Rodriguez‘s suspension, the New York Yankees are weighing their other options for the third base position.

It appears they are looking to go the route of washed-up and retread-type players. While it would be easy to tease them for considering guys like Michael Young and Mark Reynolds, their success in recent seasons with players in similar stages of their careers (see: Lyle Overbay) makes it difficult to be too critical.

This morning Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the Yankees have Reynolds and Young on their list of possible replacements at the hot corner. Both are free agents:

"Besides Mark Reynolds, the Yankees will consider Michael Young, a source told ESPN New York……The Yankees aren’t planning on moving forward with anything at third until they know A-Rod’s penalty — or lack thereof — and possibly won’t make any moves at third until after the Masahiro Tanaka Sweepstakes conclude."

Offensively the Yankees could probably get away with the limited output of either player thanks to the depth of their newly vamped lineup (when it’s healthy). In Young’s case, they would have to make up for a lack of power; in Reynolds’s case, they would have to make up for his lack of anything but power.

Defense figures to be the bigger problem for either guy as a regular at third base. In a word, both men are atrocious at that position in this stage of their career. In 109 games at third in 2013, Young’s UZR was -14.0. In limited action at third base in 2013 (54 games), Reynolds’s UZR was -5.7 In his last season with regular action over there (114 games in 2011) his UZR was a breathtakingly awful -22.3. For a point of reference, Miguel Cabrera‘s UZR last season was -16.8.

Let’s just say there were good reasons that teams were considering Reynolds as a DH and Young as a first baseman this off-season.