From the "what an upset" department
Delgado Gets Yankees' Attention
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By LEE JENKINS[/size]
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ext season, the Yankees could have a first baseman who is coming back from a pituitary gland tumor, or a first baseman who was supposed to have already played his last game for the team or, at least on a part-time basis, a first baseman who has spent his career in center field.
And while it may be something of a long shot, the Yankees could conceivably end up with a first baseman who sat in the dugout for seventh-inning renditions of "God Bless America" but can get a crowd on its feet with his looping left-handed swing.
Even though the Yankees still owe Jason Giambi the bulk of his seven-year, $120 million contract, and even though they have appeared intent on signing a relatively inexpensive backup player because of Giambi's health, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman met with the agent for the free-agent slugger Carlos Delgado last week in Florida, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.
The person said the Yankees talked about Delgado but were taking a wait-and-see approach toward him, perhaps so they can sort out other options. The 33-year-old Giambi is still viewed as the starter at first, although whether he can again be the power hitter he was in his first two seasons with the Yankees, when he twice hit 41 home runs, remains to be seen. In 2004, in a season marred by illness, Giambi batted only .208 with 12 home runs and 40 runs batted in. He did not play in the postseason.
The Yankees could also re-sign the 36-year-old free agent John Olerud, who was a useful midseason pickup in 2004, or pursue Tino Martinez, who is now a free agent after one season with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and who starred for the Yankees from 1996-2001 and came away with four World Series rings. Martinez turns 37 next month. And if the Yankees sign the free-agent center fielder Carlos Beltran, they could use Bernie Williams at least part time at first.
"We are going to be talking to everybody in the market, and we'll find out their value and their assessment," Cashman said last night.
Delgado is known as an average defensive player, but he is a big-ticket free agent because he is probably the best-hitting first baseman on the market. He has hit at least 30 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays in every season since 1997 and is usually up around 40 homers for the season. In 2003, Delgado hit .302 with 42 home runs and 145 R.B.I.
Last season, however, Delgado also became recognized for his quiet protests. As a sign of his opposition to the war in Iraq, Delgado often did not stand on the field for the playing of "God Bless America," choosing to remain in the dugout. His stance would be a challenge for the Yankees, who, as an outgrowth of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, play "God Bless America" in the seventh inning of every game at Yankee Stadium. It was after Sept. 11 that Commissioner Bud Selig directed all teams to play "God Bless America,'' and the Yankees stand out because they continue to do so daily and, often, elaborately.
"I'm not trying to get anyone mad,'' Delgado said during the season when asked about his protest. "This is my personal feeling. I don't want to draw attention to myself or go out of my way to protest. If I make the last out of the seventh inning, I'll stand there. But I'd rather be in the dugout.''
When the Blue Jays made their first visit to Yankee Stadium last season, in July, a few fans shouted derogatory comments about Delgado during the playing of "God Bless America.''
Delgado, who has also opposed the United States Navy's use of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques as a weapons-testing ground, is one of two elite first basemen on the market. The other is Arizona's Richie Sexson, who had shoulder surgery last season.
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