Bullpen be damned.
On the same day the Yankees saw perhaps the top bullpen arm on the market, Matt Capps, get traded from Washington to Minnesota, they opted to restock their bench/clog up the rotating DH.
First, the official deal is Austin Kearns coming from Cleveland for a player to be named later. Kearns is only 30, yet playing in his ninth season as a pro, splitting his with Cincinnati, Washington and Cleveland. He’s a lifetime .257 hitter with some decent pop. He’s mostly played in right field, although I’m guessing he can play some left as well.
His career average is a bit better against lefties, although in about 1,500 less plate appearances against them. So chances are he’ll be a pinch hitter and the Yankees’ fourth outfielder. That means that for now, we’re nearing the end of the Colin Curtis era, or we’re ending the Marcus Thames 2.0 experiment. Curtis is younger and less experienced, but Thames is also a right-handed batter who is better against lefties. With Thames, though, you’re not really getting someone who you’d want to play out in the field. So we’ll see who stays.
But now, onto Lance Berkman. The most important thing to know about...
