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Andruw Jones to Yankees could be next bargain move
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By Paul White
January 17, 2011
New York, NY — The latest reports are that the Yankees are closing in on a deal with outfielder Andruw Jones. That's a 33-year-old former 51-homer guy getting a job as an extra outfielder, a right-handed complement to lefty regulars Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner.
But Jones is the kind of late-in-the-free-agent-season acquisition who can make more noise during the season than he did in his quest for a contract. Those are the sorts of deals we're seeing now:
Jason Giambi agreed to a minor-league deal today to return to the Colorado Rockies;
Pitcher Brad Penny went to the Tigers last week on a one-year, $3 million contract and probably lands in a rotation of a team ready to make a move in the AL Central.
Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour signed on as set-up men in Oakland, former closer Fuentes taking a lesser role behind entrenched A's closer Andrew Bailey but providing insurance because Bailey is coming off an elbow injury;
Kansas City stocked up with veteran pitchers Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen for a total commitment of $3.5 million;
DH Jim Thome returned to the Twins, seemingly in the same backup role as a year ago, when he ended up getting 340 at-bats and hitting 25 homers.
And more could be coming. Texas, which was interested in Thome, could stick with its current roster or join other teams such as Tampa Bay still considering adding one more good hitter. They have choices, with remaining free agents including Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, Johnny Damon, Troy Glaus and Russell Branyan.
The pitching options are slimmer, especially among relievers. But teams in search of one more starter could go after Carl Pavano or take chances on the likes of Freddy Garcia, Kevin Millwood, Dave Bush or Chris Young.
Consider what happened during a similar mid-January period a year ago. That's when Texas signed Guerrero to DH and pitcher Colby Lewis, key pieces of the Rangers' run to the World Series. It's also when San Francisco added first baseman Aubrey Huff and brought back free agent catcher Bengie Molina.
It's when the Mets picked up 35-year-old pitcher R.A. Dickey, presumably as bullpen depth. He became a starter and went 11-9 with a 2.84 ERA. And the Nationals signed Matt Capps to be their closer, later trading him to Minnesota for Washington's catcher of the future, Wilson Ramos.
Motivations vary. Some teams are playing catchup because they whiffed on free-agent targets earlier in the offseason. Others find players whose asking prices have dropped. Some of these signings are even designed as potential trade bait.
Kansas City's recent pitching signings could help fill spots while the Royals wait for a strong collection of young players to be ready for the majors. Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore points to how he was able to add outfielders Scott Podsednik and Rick Ankiel last winter, then spin them during the season for prospects. He can hope for similar options with this month's signings.
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