5 free agent DH options Yankees should target this offseason

Theoretically, the Yankees are set at designated hitter for 2024 with Giancarlo Stanton. Yes, he’s coming off an injury-plagued season that produced career-worsts in OPS, slugging, on-base percentage, and batting average, but he’s still got power. And what else are Brian Cashman and Co. going to do with that whopping contract but play the man?

But Stanton has had trouble staying healthy, something Cashman recently noted in kind of a blunt manner. That prompted Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe, to release a thumb-in-yer-eye statement about how free agents, foreign and domestic, have to be made of Teflon, physically and mentally, to play for the Yankees.

The foreign bit is a reference to coveted Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another Wolfe client.

Kerfuffle alert!

Could be something. Ultimately, though, it’s probably nothing. If Stanton is healthy, he’s productive – he’s had three 30-homer seasons with the Yankees, though he only hit 24 in 101 games last season. He also had a monster 2020 postseason in the Bronx, a reminder of the heights he can reach.

The trick is keeping him playable, which is an ongoing challenge for player and team. So with Stanton as a likely Yankee roster lock, what of contingency plans at DH? Any potential platoon partners out there? As always, we’re here to offer guidance with some suggestions.

Sign Shohei Ohtani

Hey, expensive disappointments sometimes need to lead to bold moves, so save your amateur GM routine, protesting having two DHs on the roster, another mega-contract, squawk, squawk, squawk.

The Yankee offense was terrible last year – better only in runs per game than the Marlins, Guardians, Tigers, White Sox and Athletics – and Ohtani is the mighty lefty bat they need.

Sign Ohtani and Stanton would become the left fielder the Yankees have neglected to acquire recently. He likes playing defense – and you use him there until the wheels come off. Judging by Cashman’s comments, the Yanks expect him to get injured at some point next season, so they must have coverage at DH and in the outfield.

Will Ohtani come east, which he did not want to do when he first came to the majors? Dunno. But the Bombers need to find out and, if he is, act accordingly. He would transform their offense and, perhaps starting in 2025, be able to pitch again, too.

Ohtani-less option

If Ohtani signs with the team that so many folks think he will – the Dodgers – that means LA likely won’t try to retain J.D. Martinez, who gave them a terrific season in 2023. Martinez, 36, is a right-handed hitter, but he’s usually a terrific source of firepower. In ‘23, he had 33 homers, 103 RBI, a .572 slugging percentage and an .893 OPS for the Dodgers.

Ideally, any addition at DH the Yankees make would be a lefty batter. Martinez hits right-handed, but he’s always done damage against both lefty and righty pitchers, so, depending on how the winter flows, he could be helpful in pinstripes.

Sport a Belt

In 2020, Brandon Belt had a 1.015 OPS and a year later notched a .975 OPS. Great stuff. He had a rough 2022, but rebounded last season in Toronto – .858 OPS and 19 homers in 103 games. Obviously, he’s not as splashy a move as Ohtani would be, but it might fit the Yankees if they want a lefty platoon option at DH. They need lefties in that ballpark, right?

If Stanton is healthy, he could play the outfield when a righty pitches, ceding DH to Belt that day. If a lefty starts, Belt could come off the bench later in the game and Stanton could DH. Belt is adept at getting on base – his walk percentage of 15.1 percent last season was well-above MLB average.

Charlie in charge (of DH)

Charlie Blackmon is 37 years old and seems more likely than not to re-sign with the Rockies. But we present him as an option here because of his chops as a professional hitter and his neat lefty swing.

He had a slash line of .279/.363/.440 last season, his 13th. He hasn’t hit more than 16 homers in a year since belting 32 in 2019. But, except for a 2022 blip, he’s gotten on base pretty consistently and he doesn’t strike out. Blackmon fanned 13.3 percent of the time last year, well below the Yanks as a team (23.9 percent).

Maybe he’s a guy who could pair with Stanton at DH, depending on who’s pitching. Joc Pederson, another lefty swinger who we covered in our piece about possible outfield help, would complement Stanton as a left-handed designated hitter, too.

Wink, Wink(er)

You’ve read your way down to the flyer department. Jesse Winker was an All-Star with Cincinnati in 2021 when he hit 24 homers with a .949 OPS. He’s been on the Mariners and Brewers since and neither season went as well as he would’ve liked. In 61 games with Milwaukee last season, Winker, 30, had just one homer, batted .199, and missed loads of time due to injury.

Still, he’s a lefty hitter who once had nifty potential. He’s got an .853 career OPS against right-handed pitching. He might sizzle in a big market, because he’s got a flair for attention – remember all his interactions with Mets fans when he played for the Reds?

Maybe the Bronx fishbowl is exactly what he needs for a career resurgence.