In a move that is almost certainly too little, (way) too late to significantly bolster the Yankees’ slim postseason hopes, the club last night acquired defensive maestro Brendan Ryan from the Mariners for a player to be named later.
The move clearly indicates that Bronx Bomber fans ought not to expect to see much, if any, of the hobbled Derek Jeter and considerably less of Eduardo Nunez manning the shortstop position the rest of the way. And that’s a pretty good thing, according to ESPN “Stats and Information”:
Brendan Ryan has the most Defensive Runs Saved of any SS in MLB over the last 5 seasons, with 92. Next-most: Alexei Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki, 46. Those who have played SS for the Yankees have a combined -26 (negative-26) Defensive Runs Saved this season, the worst at that position in the majors.
Of course, there’s a reason why the Mariners were amenable to parting with Ryan: He has been a black hole in the batter’s box, hitting under .200 in each of the past two seasons (.192/.254/.265 in ‘13, .194/.277/.278 in ‘12).
More here.