The Yankees have signed Jack Cust to a minor league contract, reports Sweeny Murti of WFAN (on Twitter). Last night we heard that the TWC Sports client was likely to sign with an NL team, but the Yankees apparently swooped in.
Cust, 33, was released by the Astros yesterday. He posted a .213/.344/.329 line with three home runs in 270 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2011, when he earned $2.5MM. However, the left-handed hitter averaged 28 homers and 103 walks with the A's from 2007-09. Cust gives the Yankees some left-handed hitting DH insurance in Triple-A in case Raul Ibanez doesn't work out.
Well… this definitely looks like an NL team…
Yankees aren’t an NL team.
Thanks pal
NL dodged a bullet here!
“His swing will play great with that short porch”
Why is no other outfield wall ever referred to as a porch except the one in Yankee Stadium?
Minute Maid Park.
Yeah, petco has a porch in RF, and it’s even referred to that too.
Apparently everyone’s swing goes great with that porch
My swing goes pretty great on my porch. Wait. Is that not what you meant?
That is exactly what I meant!
Have phun with him
Yankees…not Phillies
Somewhere in America, Johnny Damon is rolling his eyes….
Damon has been chasing pie-in-the-sky money for three years now and having to settle for market salary. I wonder what Boras will tell him when the season opens and Damon’s at home? He should have taken $3MM when it was on the table.
Makes sense: insurance move in case Ibanez continues to look like he’s ready to file for his AARP card.
That’s a lot of insurance for the DH spot with already Ibanez, Jones, Branyan and to a certain extent players like Chavez and Bill Hall plus infielders such as Teixeira, A-Rod and Jeter likely serving throughout the season to let Nunez play some time. (yes I do know that Branyan and Bill Hall are signed on a minor league deal)
I would take the non fielding Cust, with potential power and high K rate bat over awful bat Hall, who can stand like a statue at every position, strike out 1 every 3 times at the plate and flat out can’t hit period any day for the slightest chance to make any MLB team.
Hall couldn’t go to Japan and make a team.
You’re not exactly a Bill Hall fan, are you?
Not after watching him act as if he was wearing concrete shoes at every position he attempted to play in Boston for a season, strike out once every 3 times at the plate, hit 18hr in meaningless situations and to top it off? be one of Francona’s pets the team wouldn’t release.
Nah.. I am not a Billy Hall fan…
Totally an NL team, totally!
In a move only the Yankees know is coming, Bud Selig is going to announce on April 1, that ALL NL teams are going to have to have a DH (you know, for the best interest of the game and all). The National League teams are going to think this is a prank until they receive a second notice from Selig about this on April 2.
Once the NL teams see that Selig is serious about this there is going to be a mad scramble by teams to get “proven” Designated Hitters and the Yankees are going to be there ready and waiting to cash in on this new market inefficiency.
Hasn’t there already been enough of this rubbish written here about him headed to an NL team? it was a *rumor* not fact. Everything does not play out as these writers predict.
Waiting for the “I was wrong, and I really had no source” tweet.
Still waiting.
Any minute now….
Maybe the Yanks should have found the “extra” money needed to sign Johnny Damon.
Damon’s going to have to PAY the Yankees to take him back. He was asking for $5MM during the winter and the Yanks didn’t even make an effort to counter the offer and went with Ibanez instead. That they signed Cust tells you what and how they think of Damon.
Edit: I like your Avatar, Rudy ‘The Beauty’ May was one of my favorite Yankees.
He wasn’t on the team long, but I loved him out of the Bullpen
Thanks. In his magical 1980 season (15-5, 2,47 ERA), he had the best curve-ball I’ve ever seen, bar none. The next season, it just disappeared. But he was lethal both as a starter and out of the pen.
Hasn’t done much of anything lately, but Cust was definitely one of the most underrated hitters in baseball in Oakland.
The overweight lover heavy C.
Calling Mr. Ibanez, calling Mr. Ibanez…this is your wake up call… We know it’s only spring training but, an .079 batting Avg is never good, even if the games don’t count.
Now going into Positive Fan Mode: This is the best pudgy hitter the Yankees have signed since Babe Ruth!
Cecil Fielder?