If the Yankees were trying to corner the market on right-handed DHs, or block another contender from picking up Jose Canseco, they surely accomplished both feats yesterday.
In a stunning turn of events, the Bombers claimed the oft-
injured slugger Canseco off waivers from Tampa Bay – and the Devils Rays didn’t pull him back.
Now the question is, what do the Yankees do with him?
GM Brian Cashman has always been aggressive in putting claims on players just to block other teams, like a chessmaster pinning an opponent.
But yesterday Canseco actually fell into the Yankees’ lap for the bargain price of a $20,000 waiver fee.
Still, Canseco – who arrives on a 2:30 p.m. flight today – doesn’t care if the Yanks use him as a DH or pinch-hitter, and doesn’t care how he gets to The Bronx, as long as he’s in pinstripes
“I more or less thought of that – if I were put on waivers, other teams need right-handed power, like Toronto, Boston. I might get picked up and hurt the Yankees. That definitely came into my mind, but I don’t think it would [matter to him]),” said the 36-year-old “Bash Brother,” who has 440 career home runs and insists he has more left in him.
“I’m definitely happy,” he added. “It’s exciting to go to a team in contention, with a chance to win a division and go to the World Series. The Yankees have great history. Everybody wants to be with a winning club. I’m just happy to be considered by the Yankees as somebody that can help.”
It would seem the Yankees felt the best way Canseco could help would be by not adding his still-potent bat to another contender’s lineup.
“I don’t know [how he’s going to fit in on the Yankees] – I’m a little stunned,” said Yankee manager Joe Torre.
“I don’t get surprised very often. He’s gonna wear our uniform, so we anticipate he’ll help us win some games, but I don’t have an opinion one way or the other. But this is a surprise.”
Especially since they already had righty DH Glenallen Hill, and lefty DH/LF-types Dave Justice and Luis Polonia. But Canseco has long been a George Steinbrenner favorite, and Cashman inquired about Canseco two weeks before the trading deadline, only to be told the Devil Rays weren’t dealing him.
But Cashman put in a claim and waited until they waived him, denying them any compensation.
“My intention is to help the club. At the time, that meant preventing others from getting him,” said Cashman, who admitted the move was a done to block other teams. “
Mark McGwire (the other Bash Brother, from their Oakland days) and Barry Bonds are the only active players with more homers than Canseco.
But it’s Canseco’s health, not his power, that’s in question. Canseco hit 46 home runs in 1998, and had 31 after 82 games last season. But he missed 35 games after surgery on July 11 for a herniated disc, and he hit just three homers in his last 31 games. He’s hitting .257 with nine homers and 30 RBIs this season after missing 46 games with a strained left heel.
“The back is 100 percent, and the foot is 90 percent,” Canseco said. “I definitely think [he can play] outfield. I didn’t say how well, but I can definitely play the outfield. I don’t really know what they want me to do, DH, pinch-hit. I’d like my role as the everyday DH, but I’ll do whatever they want me to do to help the team. It’s not about individual players. It’s about helping the organization win another championship.”
With 55 games left in the season, the Yanks will pay just under $1 million of Canseco’s $3 million contract this year. The team holds a $4 million club option for next season, with a $500,000 buyout they’ll likely use.
Pending a move today – with Ryan Thompson – the Yanks’ payroll is $112.6 million.