The New York Yankees might make a run at signing Hanley Ramirez after the current season to replace Derek Jeter, who is playing in his final season.
Ramirez, who is hitting .273 with 12 homeruns this season, will become a free agent this winter, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have yet to make moves to secure a long-term commitment from the nine-year veteran.
According to Nick Cafardo of Boston Globe, Ramirez will likely be viewed as a third baseman in the free agency market, but could remain a shortstop moving forward if the Yankees successfully sign the 30-year-old.
"Clearly Ramirez will have to move to third base, unless the Yankees get involved and he stays at shortstop to replace Derek Jeter. Ramirez remains a very talented player who can go on tremendous hot streaks at the plate," Cafardo wrote.
The Yankees have been making moves that could be related to Jeter's impending retirement, recently acquiring Stephen Drew and Martin Prado before Thursday's MLB trade deadline.
Meanwhile, two of the Yankees' original starter might return to the mound soon, which would improve their post-season chances significantly.
Michael Pineda could make his return in the coming weeks as reports indicated that the 25-year-old pitcher, who is 2-2 this season with a 1.83 ERA, is feeling well after a rehab start on Sunday.
Pineda, who has not played since being ejected for using pine tar on April 23 in Boston, threw three 58 pitches in 3 1/3 scoreless innings in a Triple A game on Sunday.
ESPN reported that Masahiro Tanaka will test out his injured right elbow with sources saying that the Japanese pitcher will play catch at the Yankee Stadium on Monday.
"We'll see tomorrow what everyone wants to do with him, but as we said, three weeks is the mark," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said on Sunday. "He told his doctor he feels good, so we'll see what we do. We'll get home and talk and decide what we're going to do."
Tanaka, who is 12-5 with a 2.51 ERA in 18 starts this season, recently underwent a platelet-rich plasma therapy in the hopes of avoiding a Tommy John surgery to repair a partial ulnar collateral ligament tear.
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