Hal Steinbrenner: Yanks won't sign free-agent Prince Fielder
PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. -- It was a bit of a surprise when agent Scott Boras suddenly appeared Wednesday night around a corner at the owners' meetings at the swanky Sanctuary resort.
This is a routine meeting dealing with owner business, not an agent swap meet like the winter meetings. Was Boras here to close a secret deal with an owner on his No. 1 free agent, Prince Fielder? If he was, it won't be with the Yankees, according to Hal Steinbrenner.
"No," was the answer Steinbrenner gave when asked if the Yankees could possibly swoop in and sign Fielder like they once did not too long ago with another high-priced first baseman, Mark Teixeira.
Do the Yankees need Fielder? Of course not, unless they want to pay upward of $200 million for a designated hitter. But Yankees general manager Brian Cashman used to check out every available free agent and was always in on the big ones -- such as Teixeira, whom the Yankees didn't really need but somehow found $180 million for in a stealth move that paid off with a World Series title in 2009.
Now, the Yankees are throwing around the "B" word. As in budget. "We've got a budget," Steinbrenner said. "I'm a little concerned about our payroll. Brian knows that. Having said that, if a deal comes up that has favorable terms, then it's something I'm going to look at."
That something could be righthander Edwin Jackson, whom Boras was here pitching to the Yankees and other clubs, according to a source. The Yankees continue to feel Jackson's multiyear, multimillion dollar contract request is a little too rich, but they haven't completely ruled him out.
The Yankees made their big-ticket move when they gave an extension to their own would-be free agent, CC Sabathia, so he wouldn't opt out. That was right after they signed Cashman to a new deal. Since then it's been a wait-and-see approach.
They mostly stood by as top free agents such as Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, C.J. Wilson and others went elsewhere. They made only a cursory bid for Japanese star Yu Darvish.
"We have pretty much the team we had last year," Steinbrenner said. "Best record in the American League. But we're always looking to improve."
As under-the-radar as the Yankees have been this offseason, that's how quiet a presence they have been at these meetings. The main meetings and intrigue Wednesday surrounded the expected two-year contract extension for commissioner Bud Selig, which should be announced Thursday, and the ownership saga of the Dodgers.
The Yankees? They made one move, a minor one with a recognizable name. They signed outfielder Preston Mattingly, the son of former Yankees icon Don Mattingly, to a minor-league contract. Mattingly, 24, has hit .232 in six minor-league seasons. Steinbrenner, unaware of the move, said: "That's great," he said. "Don was always very gracious to me. He was a great Yankee. That's great news."
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