Outfield Options

The Melky Cabrera/Javier Vazquez trade created a hole in left field for the Yankees, and the options are somewhat limited thanks to a budget restriction. Now that Mark DeRosa, Jason Bay Matt Holliday and Marlon Byrd are virtually off the market, only a handful of options remain in the free agent pool. Let's take a look at the remaining options for left field:Rick Ankiel2009 Stats: .231 AVG/11 HR/38 RBI (STL)2009 Salary: $2.8 millionComments: Ankiel actually makes some sense for the Yankees in terms of ability and price. He'd slide nicely into the bottom of the batting order and his career 1.7 UZR in left field suggests he would not be a complete embarrassment in the outfield. He's likely to post better numbers in 2010 but I wonder if he has the makeup to play in New York.Johnny Damon2009 Stats: .282 AVG/ 24 HR/ 82 RBI (NYY)2009 Salary: $13 millionComments: The Yankees negotiated with Damon earlier this winter, but the outfielder's demands were too high. The affable D...