This time last year, Oswaldo Peraza looked like the favorite to be the Yankees' starting shortstop in spring training.
now? His future with the Yankees remains uncertain.
With less than six weeks left until spring training, there could be a number of changes to the Yankees' roster. However, as things stand, Peraza is expected to be on the Yankees' bench for Opening Day, as he is the third-deepest team behind shortstop Anthony Volpe, third baseman DJ LeMahieu, and second baseman Gleyber Torres.
Is there one place he almost certainly won't be? In the minors. Peraza has been optioned for three seasons since being added to the 40-man roster in November 2020, but has no minor league options remaining.
As a wild card, Peraza remains a trade candidate, especially if he can help strengthen the Yankees' rotation.
The question is, how much value does the 23-year-old infielder have on the trade market?
Certainly less than last year, but should the Yankees take back whatever they can get on him now (before his value drops) or he can be a useful piece to the team, especially if a player like LeMahieu gets injured I guess we should wait and see. Or will Torres be traded before he becomes a free agent next offseason?
“We have extra infield,” general manager Brian Cashman said earlier this offseason. “Are you trying to find a lane to get Peraza involved? I'm sure people will try to prey on that.”
In hindsight, the timing to trade Peraza may have been last offseason, but at the time he appeared to be the frontrunner to be the starting shortstop in 2023. He finished the 2022 season well with a cameo appearance in September, hitting .306. He posted an .832 OPS in 57 at-bats and started at shortstop in Game 2 of the ALCS, replacing Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, who was benched. He was 0-for-3, but seemed to be active defensively.
But Peraza's defense was never in question. He looks like a natural shortstop, and even after bouncing around to third base and second base last season, his glove remains at the major league level.
The athleticism Peraza offers is also something the Yankees could use more of.
However, through three different stints with the Yankees in 2023, Peraza was unable to get an at-bat. He finished the year with a .191 batting average and .539 OPS in 191 at-bats. In other words, in 248 at-bats in the majors, Peraza has only hit .216 with an OPS of .605.
Late in the season, when Peraza had a nine-game stretch (before going cold at the end of the year), manager Aaron Boone mentioned his bat speed, strength, and ability to drive the ball, but Peraza “We need to continue tightening,'' he said. He improved his mechanics to become more consistent at the plate.
“That's the question — can he get to the level where he can be a big league hitter?” Boone said. “An everyday offensive player in the big leagues? There's no question in my mind about defense. There's no question in my mind that he has the offensive tools and the physical tools to do it.” There's no question about it. But he's going to have to keep adjusting.”
The Yankees will have to answer that question honestly when evaluating what to do with Peraza. Also, whether other teams believe he can make that leap or just how much they value him as just a defensively talented shortstop and live with what he brings offensively. There is also a question.
And beyond that, would the right team be interested in Peraza?
Top starting pitcher trade candidates include the White Sox' Dylan Schiess, the Guardians' Shane Bieber, and the Brewers' Corbin Burnes, with the possibility of arms from the Marlins (Jesus Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, etc.).
Here are the shortstop setups for these teams:
White Sox: The projected starting shortstop is veteran Paul DeJong, who signed a one-year contract in November. An even bigger problem may be that their top prospect is shortstop Colson Montgomery, who is the No. 17 prospect in baseball at the end of 2023, according to MLB.com. Montgomery, 21, finished the season in Double-A. According to Baseball America's scouting report, there are questions about whether he will remain at shortstop long-term.
New general manager Chris Getz has said he wants to improve the White Sox defense, and Peraza could definitely help with that.
Parent: What this organization lacks isn't a shortstop. Their top candidate is Brayan Rocchio, a strong defensive shortstop who is expected to start the season in the big leagues. They also have young infielder Gabriel Arias, who started 46 games at shortstop last season.
Brewer: If they want to win a championship in 2024, the Brewers will likely keep Willie Adames as their starting shortstop for the final year before free agency. However, they could use a substitute in that position, who would likely take over if Adames leaves.
Marlins: John Barty is currently projected to be the Marlins' shortstop in 2024, with utility man Vidal Bourjan sitting on the bench and prospect Jacob Amaya potentially joining the list.
That being said, please note that if the Yankees were going to sign a deal with one of these teams, it would likely cost a lot more than Peraza, and it would be a good idea for the team to take advantage of the outfield potential. That means we may need to acquire some.
But either way, it might be time for the Yankees to call Peraza soon.
They coveted the talent of former top prospects such as Esteban Florial, Deivi García, Miguel Andujar, and Clint Frazier, but only received minimal production and essentially lost them. He was part of an organization that let him go for free (everyone was designated for assignment, but Florial remained) and was traded last week for Guardians right-hander Cody Morris).
Life is a series of choices
Entering the offseason, free agent Kevin Kiermaier signed with the Yankees and appeared to be the right fit to take over as starting center fielder, at least until Jasson Dominguez returns from Tommy John surgery.
Instead, the Yankees went in a different direction by trading Alex Verdugo, along with the Juan Soto trade, to install Aaron Judge in center field.
It's far from an ideal scenario to have Judge play regularly in center field, but the Yankees' lineup should be better offensively with Verdugo than Kiermaier.
Still, the Yankees will get an up-close look at how that decision plays out this season, as Kiermaier re-signed with the Blue Jays on a one-year, $10.5 million deal. That's just a $1.5 million increase from Kiermaier's 2023 contract, which seems a little light after his Gold Glove-winning season where he was solid at the plate.
For reference, this is the same contract Harrison Bader just got from the Mets on Thursday, and Bader is young and brings elite center field defense, but Kiermaier, a left-handed hitter, is more likely to be in the mix in 2023. He contributed more offensively, posting an OPS of 104. Plus Bader's 69 (4 percent above league average).
Kiermaier told reporters in Toronto this week that he was surprised that so few teams were interested in him as a full-time center fielder. He probably wasn't just with the Yankees.
“My offers this year weren't what they were last year. After winning the Gold Glove, I said I'm going to be the best nine-hole hitter in the game and play Gold Glove-caliber defense. Later,” Kiermaier said. According to MLB.com. “We followed through on everything we talked about, but still not many teams were interested, which caught us off guard.”
each person has their own compensation
Frankie Montas always seemed like a good fallback option for the Yankees late in the offseason if he could be re-signed to a one-year deal with lots of incentives.
The $16 million he got from the Reds? Good for Montas, but it's hard to blame the Yankees for not being as good as they were.
