Yankees trade rumor shows desperation in search for lineup upgrades

The New York Yankees are known to be hunting for upgrades to their lineup. Their latest rumored target shows their desperation.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the Yankees are among the teams interested in Washington Nationals infielder Luis Garcia Jr. 

Garcia makes sense for the Yankees on paper. He has produced a career-best .283/.314/.561 batting line over his 370 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting 23 homers and 19 doubles. That production would certainly be a boost for a lineup that is devoid of impact bats.

Luis Garcia Jr. would bolster New York Yankees lineup except...

The problem is that Garcia may not be a fit for the Yankees. Although Garcia is nominally capable of playing at second base or short, he is atrocious defensively at both positions. FanGraphs lists Garcia as having cost the Nationals 29 runs defensively at second and 21 runs defensively at short. He is essentially a first baseman at this point, where the Yankees currently have Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt — two of their best hitters.

Likewise, Garcia would not help the Yankees' quest to find a right-handed bat. A lefty hitter, Garcia has a lifetime .236/.260/.338 batting line in 606 plate appearances against same-side pitching and is best served as a platoon bat.

Desperate times can call for desperate measures. The Yankees have a 14-16 record over their last 30 games. The losses of outfielders Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, as well as designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, show that they need to find several options to improve the lineup. Garcia could do exactly that, provided the Yankees can live with his defensive limitations in the middle of the infield. Otherwise, they would be best served by focusing their attention elsewhere.