Baseball Guru
12-29-2001, 03:16 PM
By JOSH DUBOW
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Yankees are close to beating out the Arizona Diamondbacks for David Wells.
Less than two months after New York lost the World Series to Arizona, Wells spurned an offer from the Diamondbacks to rejoin the team he never wanted to leave.
Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said that Wells' agent, Gregg Clifton, told him that the pitcher had agreed to a deal with the Yankees. Just last week, Clifton said he was ``85 percent'' sure Wells would sign with the Diamondbacks.
``I think we were surprised,'' Garagiola said Friday. ``We felt that all that remained was for him to come out here and take a physical, which was to occur next week. But he went back to Tampa and apparently things changed.''
A lawyer familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition he not be identified, told The Associated Press that Wells and the Yankees are still working on final details of the structure of the contract but is confident a deal will get done.
The contract would be for one or two years with $1-to-2 million guaranteed and hefty performance bonuses, the source said.
Yankees spokesman Rick Cerrone said the two sides were talking but no deal had been reached. Clifton did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Wells spent two years with the Yankees, going 34-14 in 1997-98, pitching a perfect game and winning a World Series. He was traded to Toronto in the deal for Roger Clemens before the 1999 season.
Wells basked in the limelight of New York and was a favorite of Yankees fans and owner George Steinbrenner. He was devastated by the trade to Toronto and has wanted to return to New York since.
Wells joins a powerful rotation that already has Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Sterling Hitchcock and Orlando Hernandez. The addition of Wells could lead to the Yankees trading Hernandez, who struggled with injuries last season.
The 38-year-old Wells was 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 starts for the Chicago White Sox this year. His season was cut short because of back surgery and he still needs to pass a physical before his deal with the Yankees is completed.
Wells, who has battled weight problems throughout his career, said he has lost about 20 pounds during rehabilitation.
He has a 166-114 record and a 4.08 ERA in 15 major league seasons. In 19 postseason appearances, he is 8-1 with a 2.74 ERA, including victories in his last seven decisions.
The Diamondbacks had hoped to slide Wells in behind aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in a dominating rotation. Garagiola said the team wouldn't necessarily look to add another starter after being turned down by Wells.
``This is a scenario where we felt we could do something with a short-term contract - one year - with an acceptable level of risk to us and a nice upside,'' Garagiola said. ``Maybe there's somebody else out there who sees himself in a similar situation. There are still a lot of starters out there.
``But even if we don't do anything, I feel very good about the starters we'll go to spring training with in six weeks.''
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Yankees are close to beating out the Arizona Diamondbacks for David Wells.
Less than two months after New York lost the World Series to Arizona, Wells spurned an offer from the Diamondbacks to rejoin the team he never wanted to leave.
Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said that Wells' agent, Gregg Clifton, told him that the pitcher had agreed to a deal with the Yankees. Just last week, Clifton said he was ``85 percent'' sure Wells would sign with the Diamondbacks.
``I think we were surprised,'' Garagiola said Friday. ``We felt that all that remained was for him to come out here and take a physical, which was to occur next week. But he went back to Tampa and apparently things changed.''
A lawyer familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition he not be identified, told The Associated Press that Wells and the Yankees are still working on final details of the structure of the contract but is confident a deal will get done.
The contract would be for one or two years with $1-to-2 million guaranteed and hefty performance bonuses, the source said.
Yankees spokesman Rick Cerrone said the two sides were talking but no deal had been reached. Clifton did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Wells spent two years with the Yankees, going 34-14 in 1997-98, pitching a perfect game and winning a World Series. He was traded to Toronto in the deal for Roger Clemens before the 1999 season.
Wells basked in the limelight of New York and was a favorite of Yankees fans and owner George Steinbrenner. He was devastated by the trade to Toronto and has wanted to return to New York since.
Wells joins a powerful rotation that already has Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Sterling Hitchcock and Orlando Hernandez. The addition of Wells could lead to the Yankees trading Hernandez, who struggled with injuries last season.
The 38-year-old Wells was 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 starts for the Chicago White Sox this year. His season was cut short because of back surgery and he still needs to pass a physical before his deal with the Yankees is completed.
Wells, who has battled weight problems throughout his career, said he has lost about 20 pounds during rehabilitation.
He has a 166-114 record and a 4.08 ERA in 15 major league seasons. In 19 postseason appearances, he is 8-1 with a 2.74 ERA, including victories in his last seven decisions.
The Diamondbacks had hoped to slide Wells in behind aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in a dominating rotation. Garagiola said the team wouldn't necessarily look to add another starter after being turned down by Wells.
``This is a scenario where we felt we could do something with a short-term contract - one year - with an acceptable level of risk to us and a nice upside,'' Garagiola said. ``Maybe there's somebody else out there who sees himself in a similar situation. There are still a lot of starters out there.
``But even if we don't do anything, I feel very good about the starters we'll go to spring training with in six weeks.''