Yanks Add Another LF Option
Posted by Corey Italiano on February 8th, 2010 · Comments (25)
With a H/T to MLBTradeRumors.com, Jon “Yoda” Heyman tweets :
Yankees sign marcus thames, si.com has learned.
I’ve always liked Thames and, for this price (reportedly $900k), it sounds like a good deal to me. I could envision Thames and Gardner splitting time in left, with Gardner spelling the other two outfielders from time to time. With plus power, the only issue with Thames is whether or not he can stay healthy (he has never had more than 350 AB’s in a single season).
Seems like a solid move- I never have an issue with a minor league deal. One note: I’m not sure he has major injury issues, from what I can tell. He missed a little more than a month last year, and that is the most he has missed over the last 4 years. It is just the platoon issues, he mashes lefties and stinks against righties, so he has been splitting time for much of his career.
Prediction – Thames has the starting left field job by the middle of May, and Gardner becomes the 4th outfielder.
jrk wrote:
Honestly, I’m not sure if Thames can stay healthy enough to be an everyday left fielder. I’d love for him to prove me wrong, though.
yagottagotomo1 wrote:
Makes him perfect for what we need.
@ Corey Italiano:
Best possible situation.
I’d love for him to prove you wrong, and for Gardner to prove me wrong
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the clip of his first homer off the Unit, so that should be good, too.
@ Corey Italiano:
Exactly. He is a good fit, especially as a pinch hitter. When pinch hitting, he never even needs to see the field (Winn can come in defensively). When he starts (not that often, only against good lefties), you live with the putrid glove.
@ yagottagotomo1:
Is he that bad in the field? I’m not too familiar with his defense…
He can DH against lefties too or just DH period whenever Nick Johnson gets hurt.
@ antone:
haha is there anyone that comments on this site that doesn’t think Johnson will spend time on the DL?
@ jrk:
UZR hates him in LF. Career UZR/150 in LF of -12.2. Scouts dont love him out there either.
@ jrk:
probably not and I haven’t commented in months!
Thames defense is of the Manny Ramirez/Jason Bay/Jermaine Dye category by the looks of his UZR. He was -25.9 in 2008 and -26.7 in 2009 in a combined 613 innings.
@ antone:
Good to seeya antone!
What, there was another $900K in “the budget”? Really?
@ Corey Italiano:
Thanks I actually have a real job now. Cuts down on my commenting time!
Seriously though…someone is going to score big time by signing Damon. He has his faults but you can’t beat the price. He’s going to be dirt cheap.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Not yet, at least technically. It’s a minor league deal, and he gets 900K if he makes the club. So right now, he is not part of the MLB budget. (Not arguing with your overall point, just noting the nature of the deal).
@ antone:
Totally agree. Even with a decline he is likely worth 7-9 million. He is going to be a steal.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Oh, and now I just saw that the Winn deal was actually 1.1 M, not 2, with 900K in incentives. Maybe Winn at 1.1 + Thames at 900K= the 2 million?
Steve Lombardi wrote:
You may not understand that the luxury tax is calculated from the 40 man roster. If Thames makes the team, it’ll mean someone gets bumped (Hoffman more than likely), so it’ll only be a net increase of $900k – ($400k + COLA adjustment) plus the penalty for the luxury tax. Also, as someone else mentioned, Winn’s deal is for $1.1M with $900k in incentives tied to playing time. So it seems like $900k (plus luxury tax) will be spent on Winn or Thames, but not both, and so, the “budget” isn’t an issue.
jrk wrote:
i dont think hell get hurt.
I just try to be optimistic about it. I was the same in thinking Tex would thrive here, Nick would bounce back, and CC and Arod would find their Postseason mojo. Lookin good for me so far
they should have just signed damon back
I don’t think Johnson will get hurt.