Morning Bits: IPK, Payroll, Wang, Damon, Winn

Here are a few quick items on the morning:

• Ian Kennedy seems eager to prove himself as a starter for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Maury Brown points out that the 2010 Yankees are committing about $199M to 18 players.
• SI‘s Jon Heyman tweets that Chien-Ming Wang is expected to wind up “on one of the coasts.”
• The Reds have reached a deal with Orlando Cabrera, which ends interest in Johnny Damon.
• According to Joe Girardi, the Yankees signed Randy Winn for “depth” and “competition.”

Here’s the full quote on Winn, which basically casts him as a bench player:

“I think he can be a good player for us,” Girardi said. “I know people have talked about Randy Winn replacing Johnny Damon, and that wasn’t why we signed Randy Winn. We signed Randy Winn so we’d have depth to make sure we have depth and make sure that we have competition. If someone gets hurt, we have enough people to fill the spot. Randy Winn has been an everyday player for a long time. We’re comfortable with him in that spot.”

To me, it seems as though Girardi is demarcating a specific role for Winn, and that role seems limited. He’ll help towards “competition” in the spring, but, with regards to that competition, Winn will be used to motivate Brett Gardner, who appears to be the likelier candidate to start (I believe that the final outfield configuration will be Gardner in center, Granderson in left). If Gardner fails to succeed in a starting role – assuming he is awarded a starting role – or if someone is injured in the spring, it seems, only then, will Winn be given a chance to start for the Yankees in 2010.

Of course, if Gardner has a miserable spring, for whatever reason, that could complicate things.

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