Don’t rule out Washburn
December 18, 2009, 4:30 pm by iYankees · 12 Comments
In George King’s (NY Post) latest, he briefly cites Jarrod Washburn as an affordable free agent starter the Yankees could turn to this winter. With the Mariners, thanks to Seattle’s exceptional defense and some new movement on his two-seamer, Washburn had a stellar first half (2.96 ERA). In fact, midseason, the Yankees contemplated trading for him so that he could fill out the back-end of their tattered rotation. Luckily for Brian Cashman, Seattle had too high of an asking price and, in the end, the Tigers acquired Washburn, instead. He went on to have a very poor second half (5.23 ERA) as knee problems, which were corrected via surgery in October, plagued him throughout.
At 35, Washburn hasn’t been discussed much this offseason, as there seems to be little interest in the left-hander. The Mariners — seemingly his primary suitor — know him better than most and could try to bring him back after already acquiring Cliff Lee. The Yankees and Washburn have somewhat of a “trade history,” however, so perhaps he is a name they are currently considering (along with Ben Sheets, etc.). Washburn earned $10.35 million in 2009, though his second half swoon and his subsequent knee surgery could force him to accept something in the $5 million range.
He’s certainly not an ideal rotation addition, but he could make sense if he’s cheap.
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