DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Yankees agree to deal with former Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2013/01/yankees_agree_to_deal_with_for.html

The New York Yankees and former Cleveland Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner are on the verge of an one-year deal, reports Chad Jennings of the New York Journal News.

Jennings said the two sides have agreed on a deal but are waiting for contract language to be approved. An announcement could come as early as today or tomorrow.

The deal is believed to be worth close to the $1.1 million the Yankees gave Raul Ibanez last year.

In his 10-year career with the Indians, Hafner hit .278 with 200 home runs, 688 RBI, 238 doubles and a slugging percentage of .509.

His best season was in 2006 when he blasted 42 home runs and drove home 117 runs. He finished fifth in AL MVP voting in 2005.

Hafner would be used against right-handed pitching and benefit from the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.

$1.1mil for a guy who will hit 120 or above OPS+. Better if they are smart and limit his ABs to RHP. Sure, he'll likely only play 75-100gmaes, but that's the amount we paid Johnny Damon last year to be absolutely terrible and provide nothing for the team.

Sad day.

Its a bad deal for the Tribe. They listened to fans who wanted to distance themselves from the past. Hafner still has a very productive role on a major league team. As a part time DH and pinch hitter against RHP. If the Yanks put him in that role, in that ballpark, and he's healthy, he could still put up 20 HRs in 300-350 ABs. This team doesn't need a full time DH added to the roster, but if they don't add another bat, that means that you are counting on a breakthrough from Chris McGuiness, Yan Gomes, or Matt LaPorta. Its not out of the realm of possibility, but it adds a lot more of a chance to it. And for $1.1 million...

Oddly, with all that being said, I don't love this move for the Yankees. They are an old team that should leave the DH spot free to rotate old, less healthy players through while keeping them in the lineup at times. Hafner has no fielding ability at all.

Perfect fit for the Yankees and Yankee stadium. He can sit versus lefties, allowing the old guys to get a day from the field and DH.

I will be drafting Hafner in the late round of all my fantasy leagues.

Now they can nickname him the "Bronk" get it the Bronk
the Bronk..the Bronk Bomber

I disagree 'Peen. As you found out first-hand (through no fault of your own w/ the Y! login issues), it's the managers who adapt during the season the best that tend to do the best.

I wouldn't take him unless it was the last round. He's always injured and wont qualify for any position other than utility.

General reply...

Hafner will be a memory for me, best left in the past. He most likely would have contributed ZERO here this year, as he has in the past few years. I understand the sentimentality of wanting to keep him around, but along with Sizemore, it's best to let that era of Tribe ball fade away. 2007 seems like a lifetime ago in regards to the amount of bad baseball we've seen since. Let's hope that the current roster can instill a renewed sense of excitement in the fans and become a new face/era of what we associate as Indians baseball.

To be honest, I always suspected him of being a juicer and his precipitous dropoff in production, along with his nagging injuries did him no favors in shaking that notion. Seemed like a good guy, but I'm glad we're moving on.

I don't know whether or not Hafner was juicing, but his drop-off in production when others were caught doing steroids is rather suspicious to say the least.

I am not all that upset that he is gone to the Yankees. He could not stay healthy, and he can't play in the field. He only played 66 games last year, and only 94 the year before. He has only played 100 games/season in 1 of the past 5 seasons. His high water mark in home runs over that time frame is only 16. His high in RBI is only 57.

He can't stay healthy, and struggles to play half the games. I'm not at all upset that he's gone.

j/c

even with his dropoff in production, Hafner was our 2nd best hitter last season (per AB) to Choo. signing him on a cheap deal to be a platoon DH is a smart baseball move.

stupid Yankees.