New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman would be interested in signing retired all-stars Chipper Jones and Derrek Lee to fill out his roster.
The Yankees, who are currently searching for a temporary replacement for Mark Teixeira, won’t be adding Jones or Lee to the roster anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean that Cashman can’t dream.
Cashman said : “If Chipper Jones wants to come back, I’d love to have Chipper … He’d be perfect … I’d take Larry in a heartbeat. I think everybody would.”
Jones had his number retired by the Atlanta Braves last season and, although several players have unretired before, the 40-year-old future hall of famer hasn’t expressed any interest in lacing up his cleats again.
If Cashman can’t land Chipper Jones on the Yankees he’s going to try to get Derrek Lee. The Yankees GM said that he called Lee to talk about joining the team. Lee was intrigued by the option but Cashman said that nothing is happening yet.
Cashman said: “I made a call. I liked him as a player … Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Lee ended his career after the 2011 season but at 37-years-old it wouldn’t be too crazy to see him back in the league. During his final season, he hit 19 home runs and batted .267.
The most likely scenario, however, is that the Yankees will use Juan Rivera to replace Teixeira at first base. Rivera played the position on Sunday and if the Yankess only other options are Chipper Jones and Derrek Lee, he should probably get used to the spot.
Do you think there’s a chance that Chipper Jones or Derrek Lee would unretire?