The Yankees have agreed to terms with Morgan Ensberg on a minor league deal. The veteran third baseman will now compete to back up Alex Rodriguez and to potentially be the righty half of a first base platoon. Ensberg has only played a single game at first base in his career so he likely will not alleviate concerns of defense at the position. This is still an excellent signing. Morgan is only three years removed from a 36 homers, 101 RBI season in Houston. His career .366 on base percentage and .476 slugging percentage are well above average. Even as the 32 year old’s numbers have fallen off in recent seasons, he still has had great success against lefty pitching. He had an .831 OPS against lefties last season and is at .950 since 2005. This is a terrific guy to bring in to a nonguaranteed deal to challenge Shelley Duncan for a roster spot off the bench and in a platoon.
