As the Kansas City Royals march down their city in their first parade as champions since 1985, the Major League Baseball offseason is starting.
The Yankees announced two moves Tuesday afternoon. Veteran infielder Brendan Ryan exercised his player option for the 2016 season. Ryan is a slick fielder but is not much of a threat at the plate. However, the Yankees do not have any in-house options to backup Didi Gregorius at shortstop so keeping Ryan makes sense for both parties.
INF Brendan Ryan has exercised his player option for 2016, #Yankees decline 2016 club option on RHP Andrew Bailey.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) November 3, 2015
Ryan is a good option late in games as a defensive replacement at second base, if the Yankees decide to give Rob Refsnyder the chance to win the everyday job.
With Ryan exercising his option to stay in the Bronx, the Yankees have 23 of their 25-man roster already in place. General manager Brian Cashman will need to get creative to improve his aging lineup and injury-prone rotation.
Also, New York has declined the club option on veteran reliever Andrew Bailey.
The 31-year-old has been battling injuries for much of his career and could not maintain any consistency in his short time in the Bronx. Bailey pitched to a 8.31 earned run average in 10 games in 2015.
