The Yankees may open their wallet again this offseason, after all.
A source confirmed owner Hal Steinbrenner met with Scott Boras, the agent for pitcher Edwin Jackson, about potentially working out a deal for the right-hander.
If that sounds familiar, the two talked last year around this time and the result was the acquisition of Rafael Soriano, who had an ugly first season in The Bronx.
Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman have said they would like to upgrade the starting rotation, which still has considerable question marks after CC Sabathia, whom the Yankees signed to a contract extension after the season.
And with Mark Buehrle in Miami, C.J. Wilson gone to the Angels and Yu Darvish negotiating with the Rangers, Jackson remains likely the best option on the free-agent market.
Jackson went a combined 12-9 last season for the White Sox and Cardinals. He also went 1-1 with St. Louis in the playoffs on their way to a World Series title.
The meeting between Steinbrenner and Boras was first reported by CBSsports.com. The last major addition the Yankees made was the signing of Soriano and that deal was brokered largely by the owner and the agent, since Cashman did not agree with the move.
The reliever struggled in his first year with the Yankees, but despite the poor result of that deal, the Yankees could still use another starter and have been interested in Jackson.
The main sticking point had been Jackson’s price tag, which was believed to be too high for the supposedly belt-tightening Yankees.
Boras had reportedly been looking for a four- or five-year deal worth about $12 million per season. The Yankees would rather not go that long, and with another Boras client, Ryan Madson, having signed a one-year deal with the Reds after initially looking for a multiyear contract, could be waiting to see if Jackson also reduces his demands.
Without Jackson or a trade to get another starter, the Yankees would be looking at a rotation of Sabathia, Ivan Nova, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia.
* The Yankees signed Preston Mattingly, the son of Don Mattingly, to a minor-league deal yesterday. He hit .232 in six minor-league seasons with the Dodgers and Indians, never advancing beyond high-A ball.
The Yankees chose Mattingly’s oldest son, Taylor, in the 42nd round of the 2003 draft.