ESPN: Yankees identified the Rockies second baseman as a Potential Free Agent Target.
The Rockies declined to offer the second baseman a contract, thus he is now free to sign with any team.
There isn’t a starting second baseman on the Yankees’ roster as the season begins. Although they could have moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to his more comfortable infield position, they chose not to make a qualifying offer to Gleyber Torres, which would have left a separate vacancy at third base. Even though he might not be the kind of guy they should aim for as a starter, Brendan Rodgers could offer a safety net at the position.
135 games, 539 PA,.267/.314/.407, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 88 wRC+, -3 Outs Above Average, and 0.8 fWAR are the 2024 statistics.
2025 FanGraphs Depth Charts Predictions: 1.2 fWAR, 92 wRC+, 448 PA, 11 HR, 48 RBI, 104 games, and.247/.302/.382.
Prior Contract: In the second of three years of arbitration eligibility, $3.2 million was earned. Predicted to earn $5.5 million in the third and final year of arbitration eligibility, but not offered by the Rockies.
In the 2015 MLB Draft, Rodgers was selected third overall out of high school. He became the Rockies’ system’s top prospect by 2019, and several sources ranked him among baseball’s top ten prospects. As he soared up the minor league ranks, his ability to drive the ball led to comparisons to Carlos Correa.
Regretfully, he has not lived up to his promising pedigree in the major levels. He made his Major League Baseball debut in 2019, but a ruptured labrum in his right shoulder ended his season, and he has never been the same hitter since. The ailment persisted throughout 2020, and by 2021, when he was completely recovered, his all-field strength had significantly diminished. He has only made at least 135 appearances twice in six major league seasons since suffering a severe injury to his left shoulder in 2023.
Rodgers’ highest performance was a 98 wRC+ in 102 games in 2021, but he has never had a season that is league average or better at the plate. Here is his batting standing among the 63 eligible second basemen since his 2019 debut:
When you consider his baserunning and defense, things don’t get any better. He has been a below-average defender at second base save from a strong fielding season in 2022, when he was valued at +22 defensive runs saved and +3 outs over average. Among the 73 second basemen who have played at the Keystone for at least 1000 innings since his debut, he has rated as follows in a several of defensive and baserunning metrics:
In other words, we have a second baseman who isn’t much better than Torres with the glove, can’t really hit, and can’t run. The Yankees would be better off giving one of their young players, namely Caleb Durbin, an opportunity to start at second base at that rate. Given that Durbin has only played 82 games above Double-A, Rodgers’ bat most likely has a little more assurance. Durbin just won AFL Breakout Player of the Year after breaking the single-season record with 29 stolen bases in 24 games, although the glovework is most likely a wash.
