MLB Free Agents: New York Yankees Sign Eric Chavez
By Editorial Staff
The New York Yankees have reached an agreement with their second free agent hitter in two days, signing Eric Chavez to a one-year deal. Chavez received a major league contract worth $900,000 that also includes incentives.
The Yankees had been eyeing Chavez for much of the offseason, but before they could reach an agreement with the veteran a few other transactions had to happen.
After the Yankees reinforced their starting rotation by adding Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda, the club was left with a surplus of arms and not much in the way of remaining budget. New York still had needs at DH and on their bench but had little money to spend on free agents.
To solve this, New York shipped right-hander A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh, who agreed to take on $13 million of his remaining contract. This additional budget space allowed the Yankees to go out and sign Raul Ibanez and Chavez.
Chavez has the ability to man both corner infield positions. Yesterday it was said that the Yankees like Chavez as a ‘valet’ of sorts for third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who is a veteran himself and dealt with injury issues last season.
Over his 14 seasons in the majors, Chavez has a career line of .267/.342/.474. However, injuries have hampered the 34-year-old over the past five seasons, resulting in Chavez’s current role as a reserve player. Last year for the Yankees Chavez hit .263/.320/.356 over his 175 plate appearances.
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You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.