The New York Yankees had an up-and-down offseason followed by a terrible spring. While there isn’t much the Yankees can do about their extensive injured list at the moment, there is still one item on general manager Brian Cashman’s mind that could help resolve at least one of the downtrodden team’s ever-growing list of problems.
Cashman is currently in the market for a right-handed bat, preferably an infielder who can cover third base. Unfortunately, Cashman is hindered from making any splashy move thanks to his team's self-imposed financial constraints; this limits New York's flexibility in what is already a thin market.
If Cashman should fail in his infield search, the Yankees will enter the season with Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza as options at the hot corner until DJ LeMahieu returns. It may be fair to say that none of these options inspire much confidence as of yet. And with the multitude of injuries plaguing New York, the hot corner is now more important than at any time over the offseason. There is no longer room for error, but there might be a solution in Toronto.
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Davis Schneider presents a compelling opportunity
Over his brief career, Davis Schneider has played second base, left field and third base for the Toronto Blue Jays. Schneider performed very poorly last season, hitting just .191 with 13 home runs in 397 at-bats. However, these numbers pale in comparison to Schneider’s debut year of 2023, when he hit .276 with eight home runs in the sample size of 116 at-bats. More importantly, he posted an astonishing .404 on-base percentage that season.
While there is no defending the stats Schneider posted in 2024, his underlying metrics were surprisingly sound. According to Baseball Savant, Schneider recorded a barrel rate of 12 percent, placing him in the 81st percentile. This knack for consistently hitting the ball hard with the ideal launch angle can’t be understated. In addition, Schneider doesn’t chase balls out of the zone very much and draws walks at a fairly high rate.
Looking to put last season behind him, Schneider has come out swinging (though still drawing walks), going 10-of-29 with two home runs and an astounding nine walks in spring training, compiling an OBP of .500 thus far. While he is making a great case for a roster spot this spring, he still isn’t guaranteed a spot as an everyday starter. By the looks of it, he will still be a bench piece, with Andres Gimenez taking over at second base and Ernie Clement at third.
With only two MLB seasons under his belt, Schneider is both cheap and controllable. There is risk givem last season’s numbers; however, his overall potential seems well worth a bet. As a return for Schneider, the Yankees might consider giving up a couple Major League-ready prospects from positions that are already filled. The Blue Jays will have a large opening in the DH slot if they can move Will Wagner onto the field allowing another promising bat to surface.