The Yankees have announced that they’ve signed veteran infielder Cliff Pennington to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The deal was first reported by Pinstriped Prospects.
Pennington, 34, was with the Athletics in Spring Training and traveled with them to Tokyo as a non-roster player, but Oakland cut him loose at the end of March. Pennington split the 2018 season between the Reds and Rangers organizations, appearing in 16 games with Cincinnati and tallying 34 plate appearances. The rest of his season was spent between the two clubs’ top minor league affiliates. Prior to that, Pennington had been playing with the Angels on a two-year contract, primarily serving as a utility infielder.
That utility role is one that Pennington has settled into over the course of an 11-year big league career. He’s shown plenty of versatility, with nearly 5000 innings at shortstop, 1600 innings at second base, 350 at third base and some brief work in the corner outfield. In that time, he’s drawn excellent reviews for his glovework at second base and solid marks for his defense at shortstop. A switch-hitter, Pennington is a lifetime .242/.309/.339 hitter in 3142 trips to the plate.
The veteran Pennington will provide the injury-plagued Yankees with some depth all over the diamond. New York opened the season without shortstop Didi Gregorius, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and has since seen both Miguel Andujar and Troy Tulowitzki land on the injured list. The former of those two injury situations is particularly troubling, as Andujar has been diagnosed with a small tear in the labrum of his right shoulder. While Andujar is currently opting for physical therapy and rehab, the possibility of surgery looms.
since they didnt get Machado, the yanks just got the next best thing!!!
i don’t think they tried to get machado, think they’re fine with DJ
@Dray, Now that was an awesome
signing!
So you’re actually trying to justify what they did this winter.smh
“So you’re actually trying to justify what they did this winter.smh”
Didn’t they spend the third or fourth highest amount in free agency?
Just because you spend X amount of money doesn’t mean you did it wisely.
They still missed a few opportunities, some of them great ones.
They mostly spent to resign or replace players on a team that got embarrassed in the playoffs. They didn’t improve the team that much.
Sam you are quite an expert after the first week of the season. Your sarcasm and arm chair GM ability demonstrates your total lack of understanding for the game.
No team has endured so many early injuries this season. And it doesn’t really matter as long as the team can hold together. Don’t you realize that what really matters is their health for the post season?
Keep it up and we will declare you a mets fan.
I think the padres got the next best thing above him.
They are going all out spending big. Georgie just rolled over in his casket.
Why did the Yankees need Machado? They don’t. They need starting pitching. Signing Bryce or Manny would’ve been just for the sake of it to make a splash. If it wasn’t for this unpredictable injury epidemic hitting them they’d be just fine. With the way things have gone Machado probably would be on the IL by now anyway.
I’m a Redsox fan but I think Cashman used his head for once n didn’t sign Machado, a dirty player, but I wish they did so he could get bashed every time he did a dirty act. Haha.
You are both right Rocket and pasha. Thanks for showing insight and not piling on stupidity like the knucklehead Todd76.
LOL!!!!
Wake me up when they really do something.
Time to call Chase Headley ! Lol
Betcha Machado is laughing inside.
On the other hand, I am sure Pennington will come to a bit of a much better rescue than Wade, a little leaguer!
Thank God for Lemahieu.
I like the pick up.
Pennington is not even worth the ink on his contract.
Pennington is your AAA fill in while Estrada and wade are in the big leagues. You might as well have Zach Britton at the plate because the odds of either one reaching is about the same.
“Betcha Machado is laughing inside.”
You mean instead of everyone laughing at him ….
Machado is the new robinson cano. Cano goes to Seattle and you never hear from him again. Hell, i know some people that thought Cano retired after 2 years in Seattle
Because Baltimore is such a premiere city.
Only people who don’t watch baseball didn’t know where Cano was.
Cano got lost going from the airport to home before the Mets home opener. That summarizes what his Mets career will be like.
It’s all downhill.
He may make the HOF—if he can keep away from PED’s.
He has his 2009 WS ring.
No other meaningful games.
Lots of money and nothing else.
Morgan. Manny is laughing all the way to the bank. However after 10 years how many meaningful games will he play in his career. The Yankees bought he and his wife dinner.
No negotiations.
No offer.
Just saying.
Logical move, if unexciting,in order to provide depth if the big league club suffers yet another injury to their middle infielders.
Sweet…he was my sleeper…
Good pickup
Would you Cashman apologists please just stop. “Good pickup” Maybe just maybe for Scranton…
stanton was a complete waste of a signing in my opinion. Yanks have Judge, who is essentially the same hitter as Stanton. How many guys who strikeout 3 times a game can they fit into a lineup? should have used that money and gone for starters.
complete waste of a post if you dont know that he wasnt actually signed but acquired by trade for basically a bag of balls and even have the marlins kicking in money for him. I’m sure when he was helping carry the team at parts last year you were praising was a genious move.
Well there’s a biting response.
Only because Jeter just basically gifted his old team the guy. That was such a joke of a return it should have been overturned by MLB.
i will after we discuss the great signing the brewers made of Da Goat Yelich
Struck out 45% of his ABs last season, he’ll fit right in.
Todd Frazier will be ready soon…if Alonso, McNeil and Smith keep playing well, the Mets would probably send the ToddFather across town just for salary relief. Then the Yanks can ply Torres at SS and DJLM at 2B…
lol
It’s somewhat conceivable.
i think it will be more a possibility and sooner rather than later with the roster crunch coming when lowrie, frazier, and d’arnold come back. Guillorme and Nido can be optioned down but still leaves one more. I cant see them sending down Smith Davis or McNeil unless they want to get them regular at bats.
maybe Frazier for Gio or another SP depth not on the 40 man with a throw in of some cash to help cover some of the cash difference. I know Gio is a reach but really was hoping the mets grabbed him in the offseason. Always like the guy for some reason and seems a solid pitcher.
Like he said, but you get a bigger..LOL
I don’t think it’s completely far fetched for the Yankees to have some interest in Frazier if andujar is out for the year. They aren’t going to give anything up and the Mets are going to eat most of the salary. There’s not exactly any stars available at 3B right now if the Mets just want to save a little cash and the roster spot.
I agree they wouldnt get much back but I can hope :)
Still cant believe Gio could only muster a minor league deal when Matt Harvey got 11M deal.
Trade for Neil walker. Awful player.
Hechiavera is sitting on the Mets’ AAA roster…. I would think he would help…,…
Update: He slipped getting on the bus to SWB and’s out indefinitely
nothing more than a breathing human being like my grandfather or the guys in a semi coma next to him at the nursing. If he ever sees pinstripes and plays we are deep deep doo doo.
Didn’t Ronald Torreyes get released recently? I’m pretty sure he is available. Can play all 3 infield spots. Good clubhouse guy. Gets some clutch hits.
How do you know he’s a “good clubhouse guy”?
Ronald was a great clubhouse guy for the Yanks last year. IMO, they never should have let go…he DID have some key hits for them, coming cold off the bench. Just didn’t understand that move…they should pick him back up…
Just saying “Ronald was a great clubhouse guy for the Yanks” doesn’t make it so, besides the guy barely played.
Because everyone loved the guy on the team.
That guys a stud
Cashman should admit his mistake and see what the Twins want for Torreyes. His should be the depth option in Scranton not Pennington. I really liked the way he played the game and he is only a AAA depth option for the Twinkees shouldn’t cost much.
Ronald was clutch off the bench last year and WAS a favorite in the clubhouse. He knew how to keep everybody loose. Ask Ma and Pa about him. Sometimes I think either Cash or Boone or maybe even Hal has their “favorites”, and can’t or won’t understand team chemistry. They need him back- and he can hit, too !