The Backup SS Dilemma

He's played 543 innings at shortstop (SSS, I know) and has a 3.4 UZR. There aren't many quality free agent options available, but Casilla would be one of the more versatile options. Clint Barmes has strong defensive numbers, but he's very one dimensional. He can't hit, he doesn't have value on the basepaths, and he doesn't have a lot of position versatility.

It might make more sense to acquire a backup via trade. We have 6-7 major league starters (depending on if you count Workman). I'm sure the Red Sox have a better idea of what backups play good defense than I do. They have scouting departments, where as I only have small sample sizes of stats like UZR. They seemed to do pretty well with Drew despite his overall UZR numbers being poor.

Also, Jayson Nix is a non tender candidate for the Yanks. Slightly above average defense in the infield and he does have some experience in the outfield.
Below average bat, but he's shown some prowess with the bat in the minors.

So it appears that the NY Mets have non-tendered Jordany Valdespin. He did post a dreadful 60 WRC+ this past season in a small sample of only 144 plate appearances, but he will be only 26 this upcoming season and has success as recently as last 2012 (95 WRC+ in over 200 MLB PA's and a 107 mark in 160 PA's in AAA). He has not played much short since entering the bigs, but did log as many as 146 games at short plus a further 243 at second. Could he possibly be an adequate option as our backup middle infielder? His defensive stats in the bigs are such small samples (NY played him mostly in the outfield and second) that they are almost meaningless.

Well, I've crunched a bunch of numbers, and I think the viable MLB candidates can be reduced to four.

Cliff Pennington edges Mike Aviles as a trade option, but the difference is slight, well within the margins of error and slight enough that you'd go for whoever was costing you less.

I have Clint Barmes at 4 or 5 runs less per 150 games (and of course he'd play a lot less than that) than those two, but since he costs nothing to acquire, there's an argument for signing him.  It backfires only if there's a major problem with Bogaerts or Middlebrooks, and now your backup SS is playing everyday for a long stretch.

The wild card is Rafael Furcal, for whom I only have a Steamer projection, no Davenpecota. He's the worst defender (-6 or so) and the best hitter, but it's hard to say how much of an edge he has over Aviles and Pennington. He might be the best overall option, or he might be not much better than Barmes. He'll probably be more expensive than Barmes, though, and if you need to end up playing this guy in the postseason, there's an argument for taking the guy who's 16 runs better on defense, since the opposing pitching is going to squash the counterbalancing offensive deficit.

I'd be happy with any of these guys. I wouldn't trade a substantive prospect for Pennington or Aviles when I could just sign Barmes, but if they could get either one for the equivalent of Luis Ortega, that would be great.

(Jamey Carroll, Ramon Santiago, and Munenori Kawasaki don't have enough bat to make up for the defensive edge Barmes has on them.)

It's an interesting idea, but that still leaves you with no backup SS, besides the remote possibility that Pedroia fills that role.

Yeah, Uribe was a pretty good defensive shortstop as recently as 2010. If Uribe doesn't attract any suitors and the Red Sox find themselves with cash to burn, I'd explore it. But if we want a starting-caliber SS/3B, I think I'd rather have Stephen Drew and his superior defense and natural platoon with Middlebrooks/Bogaerts.

I've been thinking about this recently and it's making more sense.  But I doubt Drew would want to come back to that situation.  I also would hesitate from bouncing Xander around that much.

You get less value on Middlebrooks at 1B, not more. Drew instead of Napoli is a poor plan for the offense, as you replace one of the best hitters in the line-up with one of the worst... at a time that you're already trying to make up for losing Ells and Salty.

Is someone suggesting Drew's bat would directly replace Napoli's? It would replace Middlebrooks', vs. RHP. Also, reconsider that thought when you compare Drew and Napoli's splits vs. righties in 2013 (and above, jmei was advocating for Drew platooning):

Napoli vs. RHP in 2013: .248/.353/.464/.816, .368 BABIP
Drew vs. RHP in 2013: .284/.377/.498/.876, .344 BABIP

Just sayin'. I hate the hate on Drew! Now, I'm not necessarily arguing that Drew is truly a more valuable hitter in the lineup than Napoli, and Nap's career splits vs. RHPs are a little better than Drew's, but Drew is far from a scrub in the lineup. Also, this has been beaten to death on here, but Napoli's declining contact rates (z-contact in particular) + high 2013 BABIP really scare me.

Yes, curiosle is kicking the tires on signing Drew instead of Napoli (and then presumably picking up a backup CF who hits RH, or whatever).

The three obvious downsides to having Drew fill the backup SS roster spot and platooning him with Middlebrooks: one, you're bouncing Bogaerts continually between two positions, two, you're killing WMB's PT and trade value the year before you expect to trade him while hoping he becomes so great that he forces Cecchini to LF, and three, why would Drew come back here on another one-year deal, anyway? The market may collapse of him, but I don't see it happening to the degree that returning here as a platoon player would make sense. That's sheer market economics.

The starting point is what he's worth less the value of the forfeited pick. As his price drops, teams are likelier to get interested, and as soon as two consider it worth doing, it's done. It will make sense for the Reds to upgrade from Cozart or the Royals from Alcides Escobar before his price comes down so far that his coming back here for a year as a platoon player would make sense. Ditto for the Dodgers with Hanley moving to 3B. And as I mentioned earlier, the Yankees are almost sure to be players if Cano goes to Seattle as rumored (and might ven be players if they re-sign him).

Bump, given that this is pretty much the last piece they need to get.