One reason the Red Sox aggressively blew away the field to bid seven years at $142 million for Carl Crawford was Boston’s belief that if the Yankees were unable to sign Cliff Lee, then they would turn their focus — and wallet — to Crawford.
That was the way it had to be, right? The Yankees’ big worry was their rotation. But the general belief was that they also had to make a dramatic move to upgrade their outfield. That area was just too underwhelming, especially when Lee went to Philadelphia, Andy Pettitte retired and the Yankees looked in need of constructing an outfield that would help them outscore the inadequacies of their rotation.
Except with six weeks left in the season, the Yankees’ rotation has been sturdier than anticipated, and their outfield, which never did add Crawford or Jayson Werth, just might be the most productive in the majors.
“Why wouldn’t I like our outfield?” general manager Brian Cashman said. “We have speed, power, defense and youth.”
The Yankees outfield of Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher is arguably the majors’ best trio, which reflects the overall decline of offense in the sport. Check out the stats; there are just not that many high-end outfield producers in 2011. But it also exhibits how well individually and collectively the Yankees outfield has done.
Granderson is an MVP candidate because he entered the weekend leading the majors in runs scored by 22, and also tied for the lead in RBIs while second in homers, fourth in triples and sixth in OPS.
Gardner is third in the majors in steals; and whether using scouting techniques or advanced metrics, he is viewed as among the best defenders at any position in the sport.
Among AL outfielders, Swisher’s .385 on-base percentage is second only to Toronto’s Jose Bautista.
And it really is when you compare this group with fellow outfielders that you see just how much more the Yankees are getting than their competition.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR) provides a statistic that encompasses a player’s total contribution offensively and defensively while factoring in positional relevance. Among major league outfielders, the Yankees’ trio ranked in the top 17. Only the Phillies (Shane Victorino and the recently obtained Hunter Pence) and Cardinals (Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday) had even two outfielders in the top 17.
The next-best three-man outfield using WAR was Kansas City’s resurgent trio of ex-Yankee Melky Cabrera, ex-Met Jeff Francoeur and Alex Gordon.
Using the WAR calculation, Werth’s 2011 value is equivalent to a fourth outfielder, and Crawford’s is worse than that, similar to the kind of Chris Dickerson-ish veteran Quadruple-A outfielder every organization stocks in the minors for an emergency.
The Yankees believed Gardner had many of the same attributes as Crawford (speed, defense) at a fraction of the price. In fact, you usually do not associate the Yankees with cost effectiveness. But their starting outfield in 2011 is making $17.7995 million, which is less than the $20 million Crawford is earning this year between salary and a signing bonus that must be paid in full by this Sept. 1. The $17.7995 million would rank as the fourth-highest salary on the Yankees behind Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.
The price is one of the reasons the current Yankees outfield is arguably the best work Cashman has done in his job, specifically because it highlights various areas that the GM has accentuated, especially since being invested with greater power by George Steinbrenner in 2005.
Granderson and Swisher represent two of Cashman’s best trades. As opposed to, say, Roger Clemens or Rodriguez, the Yankees were buying when stocks were down. Swisher hit .219 in his only White Sox season (2008). But Cashman had empowered a statistical analytics wing within baseball operations that felt Swisher’s batting average reflected bad luck (more than the normal number of balls in play went for outs) than some dip in performance.
Granderson struggled late in 2009 with Detroit, specifically defensively. But Yankees scouts felt that was an aberration and saw his lefty swing as tailored for Yankee Stadium, especially if he ever could improve against southpaw pitching. Cashman’s emphasis on player development helped cultivate Phil Coke, Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy — the trio used to obtain Granderson.
When it comes to Gardner, the Yankees’ front office invested a trust in him that was not universal. He generally was viewed around the game as a speed player off the bench, at best.
“We believed in Gardner,” Cashman said. “There was no reason for us not to believe in Gardner. All he has done is support the belief at every level and taken advantage of opportunity. We never felt we had to get off of him. We have always felt that he is Jacoby Ellsbury without the power. And he has supported that. He continues to reinforce that. His defense is spectacular.”
Even Andruw Jones has honored what the Yankees’ player personnel group was looking for in a fourth outfielder: a righty hitter who could mash lefties (.882 OPS vs. southpaws) while defending at a considerably better level than Marcus Thames, who filled the role last year.
Jones is unlikely to return next year, but the Yankees probably will pick up Swisher’s $10.25 million option and have the same prime-aged outfield for next season at a cost of roughly $22 million combined (Granderson and Swisher will both be 31, Gardner 28). When Swisher’s contract expires, the Yankees will be in position to play on what projects as an intriguing outfield free agent class following the 2012 season that could include Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Josh Hamilton, B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino and Carlos Quentin.
joel.sherman@nypost.com
