The Yankees added another aging former All-Star to their pitching mix yesterday, signing Freddy Garcia to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Garcia, 35, pitched in 28 games for the White Sox last season, going 12-9 with a 4.64 ERA. It was the first time since 2006 that Garcia was able to stay healthy and be a consistent starter.
The Yankees have been on a quest to find pitching since Cliff Lee snubbed them in December. With no outstanding alternatives on the market, general manager Brian Cashman seems to be bringing in as many arms as he can to battle it out in spring training.
Garcia’s contract is for $1.5 million if he makes the team, with up to $3.6 million more available in incentives based on the number of starts he makes.
The Yankees now have a group of former stars battling for spots on their pitching staff with Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Mark Prior all signed this winter.
Prior is likely to be used a reliever, but Garcia and Colon will compete with the Yankees’ top pitching prospects — Ivan Nova, Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances, Manuel Banuelos — and Sergio Mitre for the final two spots in the rotation. If Andy Pettitte returns, then it would be a battle just for the No. 5 spot.
Garcia is a two-time All-Star, but his last selection came in 2002. He was briefly with the Mets in 2009, spending spring training with the team before he was cut loose in April after two rough starts at Triple-A Buffalo.
The right-hander had a healthy year in 2010, and considered returning to Chicago, but the Yankees appealed to him. The Venezuelan paper Lider en Deportes quoted Garcia last week on the Yankees.
“I would love to stay in Chicago because I like the city and I have friends here, but I don’t think I’m going to come back,” Garcia said. “In any case, I appreciate them for trusting me last year. However, a team like New York would be ideal, and would match up with this stage of my career.”
Yankees pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 14, with their first workout a day later.