Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Yanks want surplus of outfield options


Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman will have no shortage of options when choosing their starting outfielders during spring training. Nick Swisher is set as the right fielder while Curtis Granderson is guaranteed an outfield spot, although it's still uncertain whether he will start in center or left. But several outfielders will fight for the last spot.
Marcus Thames has returned to the New York Yankees family after agreeing to a $900,000 minor league deal. He made quite a splash in his first go-around with the Yankees, hitting a home run against Randy Johnson in his first major league at-bat and getting a curtain call in front of the Yankee faithful.
Randy Winn finalized his $1.1 million deal with the Yankees, where he will likely be the back-up to Brett Gardner, who is the early favorite for the last outfield spot due to his youth and speed. One thing that bothers me about his deal is the $900,000 in potential incentives he can earn. Some players get extra motivation from such clauses, but they can become a distraction if a player gets frustrated by not getting the at-bats he needs to qualify for the bonuses. I hope that doesn't become a problem with Winn.

Thanks to Philpottm via Wikipedia for the photo.

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