HELPING HAND
Injuries may keep Granderson in The Bronx
THE Yankees have given up more runs than they have scored. They are pinning hopes on the returns of a geriatric left side of the infield trying to recover from two fractured ankles and a strained quad (Derek Jeter) and a second major hip surgery (Alex Rodriguez) — not to mention ARod’s Biogenesis entanglement.
And there is this — the Yankees open the second half with seven games in Boston and Texas. In their final seven games at home before the AllStar break against noncontenders Minnesota and Kansas City, the Yankees’ pathologies were front and center and they went 34.
In other words, the 2013 season is on the clock immediately and, in fact, we may be focusing on next year a lot sooner than Yankees fans are accustomed.
To that end, I was surprised at what one prominent agent and two personnel heads told me in the past few days — that Curtis Granderson’s injurytarnished season could actually benefit the Yankees next year.
I thought that with power in such demand, Granderson would still garner a big contract this offseason as a free agent even with his injuries. After all, it is not as if a fractured forearm or broken pinkie would be looked upon as a chronic injury that threatened Granderson’s near future — they were caused by being hit by pitch.
However, the agent and executives both guaranteed Granderson would not exceed the $15 million he is making this year and would have to take less than that annually to get a multiyear deal. The proviso provided by one of the executives was “unless he comes back [off the disabled list] and goes off for the final two months.” But even in that scenario, my experts were not sure Granderson could expect a lucrative multiyear deal.
The agent, in fact, said he thought it was very possible Granderson could accept a oneyear contract to rebuild his value to go back into free agency after the 2014 campaign.
Keep in mind the Yankees almost certainly will offer Granderson the oneyear tender, which is expected to be about $13.8 million. That could chill his market since an outside signing team would then lose its firstround pick if it has one of the 20best records in 2013 or a secondround pick if it has one of the 10worst records. Clubs might not be willing to lose a selection for a player coming off an injuryplagued year, who turns 33 next March and who might no longer be able to market himself as a center fielder.
Thus, it might be in Granderson’s best interest — if he is signing a oneyear deal — to do so with the Yankees, especially since he knows how his power already translates in The Bronx. In addition, it could give him a portal to negotiate a longterm deal with the Yankees, maybe something along the lines of the fouryear, $48 million pact Nick Swisher signed with the Indians. As the agent said, “Granderson knows the best team for him is the Yankees.”
The Yankees are trying to get under the $189 million threshold next year. Still, at either one year, $13.8 million or $12 million annually, Granderson could fit into such a structure — especially since there was a period before these recent injuries in which it looked as if he were headed toward being an $18 million$ 20 million player. And the Yankees could have a bunch more to spend than expected next year if ARod is indeed suspended, since the salary lost during a suspension does not count toward payroll for luxury tax purposes.
The Yankees certainly would like to have Granderson’s lefty power going forward, seeing how much they miss it right now.