Friday, March 15, 2013
Yanks' search to continue as Lee says no
By Doug Mittler
The New York Yankees appear to be leaving no stone unturned in their search for a first baseman to replace the injured Mark Teixeira. Alas, one candidate -- a certain retired 37-year-old currently -- no longer is an option.
News surfaced earlier in the week that the Yankees had asked Derrek Lee, who last played in the major leagues in 2011 for the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates, if he would be willing to make a comeback. Lee was intrigued, but his decision came Thursday, and the retiree will remain retired, as reported by Yahoo! Sports Tim Brown.
As for another external option, a National League scout suggested to Nick Cafardo that the Phillies' John Mayberry Jr. might be a good fit for the Yankees as a temporary fill-in at first base who could the switch to the outfield after Teixeira return from a strained a tendon in his right wrist that could keep him out through May. One small hitch there, though, is that the club is ideally looking for a right-hitting outfielder, and Mayberry hits from the left side.
The Yankees could stay in house and keep one of their non-roster invitees such as Juan Rivera or Dan Johnson.
