Yankees sign veteran righty Silva

BOSTON -- The Yankees rolled the dice on another veteran pitcher Saturday, signing righthander Carlos Silva to a minor-league deal.

"You have a few [veteran] guys and you hope you catch lightning in a bottle with one or two," said pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who worked with Silva with the 2010 Cubs. "So far with Bartolo Colon and Luis Ayala, we've gotten pretty lucky and they've thrown the ball well. If we can do that one or two more times, it's going to help us a lot."

Silva, expected to report to Tampa Tuesday or Wednesday, had a good first half in 2010, going 9-3 with a 3.45 ERA. But an irregular heartbeat forced him to leave in the first inning of an Aug. 1 start in Colorado and he never was the same pitcher after undergoing a surgical procedure Aug. 9. He was 1-3 with an 11.12 ERA in the season's second half.

Silva had a dreadful spring training, going 1-2 with a 10.90 ERA in five games (four starts) and getting involved in a dugout confrontation with Aramis Ramirez. Informed he would not make the 25-man roster, Silva blasted the Cubs' brass, including pitching coach Mark Riggins, and was released March 28.

Rothschild said of his relationship with Silva, "It was good. We worked well together. I didn't have any problems with him."

Rothschild said Silva's main attribute is his command. "He's going to pound the strike zone, and early last year, before he had the heart problem in Colorado, he was throwing the ball well," he said. "But he's got to get himself ready to do that . . . He's a strike-thrower, and that's not a bad thing to have. He's a command guy and he's got a real good changeup, so we'll see."

Silva is due $11.5 million. The Yankees are responsible for only the prorated major-league minimum salary of $414,000.

Extra bases

C Francisco Cervelli (left foot fracture) took batting practice and did some agility work last week in Tampa and still is on pace to return in early May.