Joe Girardi got plenty of pitching help this offseason, but with spring training approaching, the Yankees manager wouldn’t mind more offensive weapons as well.
“I think it will be helpful,” Girardi said of potentially adding another hitter. “I think we’ve had a good offseason, [but] I think it’s important to our club that you add that other bat.”
General manager Brian Cashman is looking for a designated hitter to replace recently traded Jesus Montero. Former Yankees Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are among the free-agent possibilities.
“Johnny has been a great player for a long time,” Girardi said. “There’s been a bunch of names talked about, and they’re all good players. [Raul] Ibanez, he’s had a great career, and Matsui has had a great career. Obviously, we know what Johnny and [Matsui] have meant to this organization and Ibanez has had success wherever he’s been. … I can’t tell you it’s going to be one of those three guys, but we know they know how to play here.”
Girardi, who was at Modell’s in Times Square to promote awareness of the Children’s Alopecia Project yesterday, also said he doesn’t have a problem with Mark Teixeira bunting against the shift, which he said he might do this year.
“If it changes the way they have to play defense on him, I think it’s only going to help him,” Girardi said. “We’ve talked about it in the past. Maybe the frustration of all the hard balls he’s hit into the shift that wind up being outs [made him change his mind about bunting].”
Because Girardi doesn’t know exactly who is going to be on the team, he hasn’t decided what his lineup is going to look like, but Robinson Cano could be back in the three-spot.
“Robbie is an interesting guy because you can hit him in so many different places,” Girardi said. “I’ll wait and see if we do sign another bat to DH part of the time and how that changes what we do with our lineup. The one thing that I’d like to have is consistency.”
* Joba Chamberlain threw off a half-mound yesterday in Tampa as part of his rehab from Tommy John surgery. … Girardi declined to comment to reporters regarding the story of a Manhattan woman being arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of stalking Cashman.