Wallace Matthews, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Spend Hal's Money: Alexei Ramirez

The Yankees went into last winter with a publicly stated goal of keeping their payroll below $189 million. They came out of it having committed more than $400 million to four new players. This winter, there are no such payroll limitations, at least to our knowledge, but there is still plenty of need. And because there is nothing more fun than playing with another guy's cash, we at ESPN New York will once again aid the Yankees' decision-makers with a little game we like to call "Spend Hal's Money."

Today's Candidate: Alexei Ramirez

Position: SS

Age: 33

Height: 6-2

Weight: 180

2014 numbers: $9.5 million salary, .273 batting average, 15 HRs, 74 RBIs, .713 OPS, 3.0 WAR

Pros: Ramirez is a steady, durable, unspectacular performer who showed some renewed pop at the plate -- 15 home runs in 2014 after hitting only 15 in 2012 and 2013 combined. His .273 batting average this past season would have led all Yankees regulars, unless you consider Ichiro Suzuki (.284) a regular. He has played 158 games in each of his past four seasons and 156 the season before that. He also had 21 steals, which would have tied him with Brett Gardner for second on the team in 2014. He's an adequate shortstop with a strong arm who showed some diminishing range this past season.

Cons: Despite the relative brevity of his career -- 2014 was his seventh season-- Ramirez is not exactly young; he will turn 34 in September. Despite his respectable batting average, he has never been much of an on-base percentage guy -- his OBP for 2014 was .305, about the same as Derek Jeter's, and he has drawn more than 30 walks in only two of his seven seasons. A right-handed batter, all 15 of his home runs in 2014 were to left or left-center, meaning that number will probably drop at Yankee Stadium. And because he is signed with the White Sox through 2015, he would have to be acquired through a trade, not an easy road for the Yankees with their lack of tradeable big-league pieces and scarcity of MLB-ready prospects. Plus, he would not come cheaply -- his contract calls for $10 million for 2015, and the White Sox have a team option for another $10 million, with a $1 million buyout, for 2016.

The verdict: He's younger than Jimmy Rollins, but every bit as expensive and clearly not as good a fit. He's older than Stephen Drew, who will probably cost less after his humiliating 2014 experience. If the Yankees are going to trade for a shortstop, they may as well go all-in and try to land Troy Tulowitzki, although I seriously doubt they have what it takes to get him. If they want to go younger, Asdrubal Cabrera is out there. And if they are determined to add a shortstop named Ramirez, they'd be better off with Hanley. An easy call for me: Pass.

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