The New York Yankees have chosen to fill their designated hitter slot in the lineup with a combination of several low cost options in 2013, and who gets the bulk of at-bats will likely be decided in spring training.
General manager Brian Cashman brought in two left-handed bats—Travis Hafner and Dan Johnson—as well as two right-handed bats—Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz—to compete for at-bats.
A platoon of one left-handed hitter and one right-handed hitter seems like the most likely scenario at this point, as either right-handed bat will also be the fourth outfielder.
Cashman has succeeded in the past with low-risk, high-reward contracts (Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon first come to mind). With an entire spring to prove themselves, the Yankees and manager Joe Girardi are sure to find at this one diamond in the rough.
The four candidates haven’t exactly had the most success in the majors over the past few seasons, so it’s a near guarantee that it will be a fierce battle for a role on the team.