The Yankees are interested in infielders Stephen Drew and Jeff Keppinger, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Saturday. The club's interest in Drew was initially reported by CBSSports.com insider Jon Heyman.
Although the Yankees have Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter manning the left side of the infield, the club lacks depth. With Eric Chavez hitting free agency, the Yankees have only Jayson Nix and Eduardo Nunez as backup infielders. Brian Cashman shot down rumors suggesting Rodriguez would shift to designated hitter -- not even part-time -- but at 37 years old, Rodriguez is likely to need more days off in the twilight of his career.
Keppinger has been on the Yankees' wish list since they attempted to trade for him in 2010. The 32-year-old hit .325/.367/.439 (127 OPS+) for the Rays in 2012, a career year for the utility infielder. Keppinger's 7.4 percent strikeout rate trailed only Juan Pierre and Marco Scutaro among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances.
Drew, 29, struggled to rebound from the horrible ankle injury that ended his 2011 season. In 327 plate appearances in 2012, Drew hit just .223/.309/.348 for a 79 OPS+, his worst since 2007. However, he was improved after a trade to Oakland, hitting .250/.326/.382 (97 OPS+) down the stretch.
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