Friday, February 1, 2013
Hafner in the Bronx
By Jason A. Churchill
Veteran designated hitter Travis Hafner has a deal in place with the New York Yankees, reports Chad Jennings. Hafner, 35, is likely serve as the main option at DH versus right-handed pitching, and if he stays healthy could be the regular option.
The Yankees could be without Alex Rodriguez for at least half the season, perhaps more, and are looking into voiding his contract altogether, opening up at-bats for a player such as Hafner. Kevin Youkilis was brought aboard to handle third base.
Hafner has not played in the field since 2007, so the Yankees will have to hope Mark Teixeira remains healthy this year. He missed most of September last season and will be 33 in April.
Hafner posted a .798 OPS versus right-handed pitching in 2012 and an .886 mark in 2011. He's generally been a strong bet against righties, but hasn't done much against southpaws the last few years. The Yankees were a bit unbalanced a year ago in terms of production versus lefties and righties. Hafner could even that out some.
