New York Yankees Acquire Eric Hinske

by R.J. Anderson on Jun 30, 2009 12:49 PM EDT

For the second straight season, Eric Hinske took a low-cost deal and yet again he finds himself in the American League East.

2008 Hinske: .247/.333/.465

2009 Hinske: .255/.373/.368

Hinske's ISO is teetering on a career low - something playing in Yankee Stadium should correct soon enough - but his BABIP is also nearing a career high at .333, so expect some trade-off between the two. ZiPS has Hinske worth 1.2 offensive runs all season, which is about five runs less than the Rays pulled from him last season. Presumably Hinske becomes the Yankees super-sub, filling in for Alex Rodriguez at third base, Mark Teixeira at first base, getting a few reps at DH, and some outfield time. He's a nice upgrade, but much like the playing time, the upside will be limited.

The worst news is Cody Ransom's time in the Bronx could be over, ending the purge on replacement level infielders. Neither of the ‘prospects' given up seem to be worth too much. Casey Erickson is a minor league reliever/spot starter with a pretty nice track record, but he's mainly a reliever, and that's not overly valuable. Eric Fryer had one really good season and not much else.

I can't blame the Pirates for flipping Hinske and without getting something sexy in return. He's on a cheap one-year deal without a gaudy first-half to back him up like last year. It's a nice deal for New York, adding about a win alongside A-Rod insurance.

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I like this deal for the Yankees

The backup infielders (Ransom and Berroa) have been a few wins below replacement between them.

Hinske is no great shakes with the glove, but then again, neither are Ransom or Berroa, and Hinske’s got a better bat.

Considering what they gave up and the fact that Hinske will only cost roughly $400K the rest of the way, there’s not a lot to be upset about as a Yankees fan.

If Hinske’s forced to play a major role, then the team is in trouble, but that would have been the case without this deal.

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jun 30, 2009 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

and would also be true for about any team if one of their best players got hurt

Hinske is a good stopgap, at least.

Do you know anything about the guys they sent the Pirates?

Always liked Hinske… can’t figure out what happened to him after his great rookie year.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by Matt Klaassen on Jun 30, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

No more than R.J. put in the article

I don’t think they’re much more than organizational filler. Although Fryer did well enough last season that some might think he can repeat that performance.

Bucs fans seem to be happy that they got two prospects of any type, but no one seems to think there’s all the much there.

As for Hinske, he had a really high LD percentage and a really high FB rate in his rookie of the year season. It also appears he saw a whole lot more fastballs his first couple of seasons.

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jun 30, 2009 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

kevin goldstein says

they’re just bodies
http://twitter.com/kingclip/status/2405351997

by Tommy Bennett on Jun 30, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

It's a shame the Pirates couldn't get some young talent in this trade too.

Could have been their best day in a long time.

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by Zach Sanders on Jun 30, 2009 8:55 PM EDT reply actions

Now let's see Huntington pull the trigger on Jack Wilson to the Red Sox

And I bet the Phillies (among others) would take Ian Snell of his hands.

I don’t think the fans would be too happy with the Wilson move though.

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jun 30, 2009 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Do you think fans care MORE about further moves or less?

it’s a big PR hit now, sure, but if the 2010 team finishes at .500, that’s a forgotten issue, right?

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by Sky Kalkman on Jun 30, 2009 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Considering the players are bad-mouthing the moves and that's getting play in the papers

plus Jack Wilson is probably the favorite Pirate still with the team, I could see them being upset about that.

All might be forgiven if they finish above .500 next year, but I’m not sure I see a way that could happen barring some type of Bartolo Colon to the Expos type deal but with major league ready prospects.

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jul 1, 2009 8:01 AM EDT up reply actions