Mark DeRosa makes his MLB Network debut Monday from the Winter Meetings. The recently retired infielder talks the Yankees big offseason and the Mets pursuit of Curtis Granderson with The Post’s Justin Terranova.
Q: Did you like the Jacoby Ellsbury signing?
A: Well, the move I love for the Yankees is Brian McCann. I am buddies with him and I said to him, ‘You realize, you know what you are getting into? This is big-boy stuff.’ He told me, ‘I want that. I want to push myself every night.’ I think he’s going up there and he couldn’t be more excited.
Q: What about Ellsbury?
A: The Ellsbury deal is a great one for them. Now they have to finish the deal and get a couple of pitchers, send a message to (Robinson) Cano: Hey, you are either in or you’re out. Which is tough, because don’t get me wrong Cano is the best free agent out there. I am sure they are just trying to expedite the situation a little bit. Do you want to stay in New York or take $20-30 million more and go somewhere else?
Q: The Mets are in talks with Curtis Granderson, do you think he’s the right fit for Queens?
A: I think it’s funny a guy like Ellsbury gets $153 million. I know it’s a different skill-set and he does a lot of different things, but a guy like Granderson, who hit 40 home runs two years in a row, takes an unlucky shot from J.A. Happ in spring training, and kind of falls under the radar. I think anyone that gets him is not only getting a great player, but even a better person.
Q: What is the players’ perception of the Yankees and Mets?
A: Any time the Yankees come calling it’s the ultimate compliment. I think they are committed to being great every year regardless of how they go about it. You know when you sign up to play with the Yankees, and I never have, they are going to give you the best chance to win. The Mets, the guys I played with that know Sandy Alderson, speak super-highly of him. So, you have to give him a chance to work this out and have things fall into place.
Q: Have you ever been to the Winter Meetings in one of your free-agent years?
A: I’ve never been. I am like a little kid. It’s always been a side of the game that I think I know, but I am sure we only know 40 to 50 percent. I just want to see what these guys have hiding in their briefcase.