Now that they have Andy Pettitte, the New York Yankees want Roger Clemens, too.
"He's kind of like your perfect employee," general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday after welcoming Pettitte back to Yankee Stadium.
Clemens pitched for the Yankees alongside Pettitte from 1999-2003, helping them win two World Series titles and four AL pennants. The pair spent the last three seasons with their hometown Houston Astros.
"If Roger is interested in coming to New York, I'd love to talk to him," Cashman said. "He came in here and not only delivered a huge performance on the field but had a major impact within the clubhouse."
New York hasn't reached the World Series since Clemens left. The Yankees traded Randy Johnson back to the Arizona Diamondbacks this week, and Cashman admitted the move put the rotation at risk.
Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, is choosing among returning to the Astros, retiring or rejoining the Yankees or Boston Red Sox, his first major league team.
Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, says that if the Rocket pitches, he probably wouldn't start his season until May or June.
No, please, no! Getting Roger Clemens is a huge mistake for this club. Instead of paying all of this money to sign him for three months, why not make a huge investment and go after Johan Santana now? We've got the prospects, we've got the cash. Let's make a deal with the Twins.
And I can understand the strategy of trying to get him before the Red Sox do, and Clemens in the physical phenom for pitching at his age, but I really think a 45-year-old Clemens is going to get hammered in the AL East...
That being said...I will admit that, personal animosity for what he did to the Yanks in 2004, he's still better than 98% of the guys the Yankees could bring in to help fill up the end of their rotation, and I'd take him over Pavano and Igawa at this point. However, I'd go after Santana (and maybe Willis, if we didn't have to sell the farm, which I suspect Florida will want, and he's not worth it) instead of devoting all of my resources to pursuing Clemens.
