Chipper Jones, A New York Yankee?

Thought of the day: Is Grienke's elbow stiffness something that the Dodgers should be worried about?

A few days ago I wrote a piece on how the Yankees would struggle with first baseman, Mark Teixeria and left fielder Curtis Granderson and how the Bronx Bombers could handle the losses in the short term by adding older, but still reliable free agents such as Carlos Lee at first and Matt Diaz in left field. While the Yankees seemed to have filled the void in left field, with Matt Diaz; the Yankees are still looking for a first baseman to replace Teixeria, as well as another third baseman to help along side Kevin Youkilis while the regular starting third baseman, Alex Rodriguez is out until June with a hip injury. 

While on the hunt for new corner infielders, Yankees General Manager, Brian Cashman reached out to other  veteran players who are retired but an still fill the job as a back up corner infielder or even a designated hitter. These players include former slugger (and one of my favorite players of all time) Derrek Lee, free agent third baseman Scott Rolen, and the newly retired former Atlanta Braves third baseman, Chipper Jones.   

I know, it's CHIPPER JONES. I'm sure that I thought the same things you are. like; how could a player who just retired after playing 19 years with the SAME team just sign with another team out of retirement just at the blink of an eye? But when I actually thought about, while Derrek Lee makes a lot of sense at first, with his great defense and powerful bat (Career .280 hitter, with 300+ home runs); Chipper Jones is probably the best option for the Yankees at third. Chipper's knees may have gotten away from him in the last few seasons, but that didn't stop his bat from doing a lot of the talking. In his final season, Chipper hit .287 with 14 home runs and 62 runs batted in only 112 games played. If Chipper does decide to choose to go play in the Bronx, he would be a huge success playing as a designated hitter with power on both the left and right sides of the plate. Allowing Chipper to be the designated hitter will give the Yankees a lot more depth in the starting lineup and at the same time, give them some depth at third base. 

If the Yankees do add Lee and Chipper to their roster, I honestly believe that the two will most definitely make up for the production that the Yankees will miss from the absences of Granderson and Teixeria. I'm not advocating that the Yankees try their damnedest to sign them but if they do, the Yankees will have an incredible bench and veteran presence when they get healthy again.

Honestly, as a Braves fan I do not want to see the great Chipper Jones in another uniform aside from the one he wore in Atlanta for 19 years, but if the Yankees persuade him and Derrek Lee enough, the Yankees will be a force to be reckoned with in the entire American League. 

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