After all that has not transpired this off-season for the New York Yankees the last thing fans wanted to read was a rumor that Lance Berkman, aka the Big Puma
could be re-emerging in the Bronx in 2013.
Well as of two-days ago, Dan Martin of the NY Post reported that bringing back the switch-hitting Big Puma was a possibility and Ken Rosenthal confirmed this via twitter too.
The #Yankees are interested in Lance Berkman, but it's not clear whether he'd consider a return to NY given the Texas teams' involvement.
— Ken Davidoff (@KenDavidoff) January 4, 2013
But no need to panic Yankee fans, as within the last hour the Dallas Morning Star verified that the Texas Rangers have inked Berkman on a one-year, $10 million deal with an option for a second season pending him reaching specific benchmarks.
Lance Berkman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In case you might have deliberately forgotten that back in 2010 the Yankees traded two prospects to the Houston Astros for the now 37-year old Berkman right before the deadline at the end of July. *Please refer to end of post for more details on this trade.
Berkman, who had only played for the Astros, was amid the worst season in his 12-year career. His aging body was breaking down and he came to New York already hurt so his time was not memorably whatsoever.
Following 2010, Berkman went to play in St. Louis for the Cardinals and had a career year, hitting .301 batting average, 31 home-runs and 94 RBIs, which was a huge factor in the Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series.
Alas, last season his resurge, from the year before was short-lived as the Big Puma missed most of 2012 because he needed more surgery on his bum knee, an injury that dates back to 1999.
And this is why I was upset by this rumor, as the Yankees already have enough recently injured, post 35-years old players and adding another would be a joke. Continue reading ‘Yankees Hot Stove: Big Puma not returning’ »
