The New York Yankees have reached agreement with veteran second baseman Brian Roberts on a one-year deal worth an estimated $2 million according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Roberts played 13 years in Baltimore and became a free agent this year after finishing off a four-year contract signed before the 2009 season. Roberts has dealt with a multitude of injuries and played in just 192 games over that span.
The Yankees have been looking to fill the void at second base left by Robinson Cano, who signed with the Seattle Mariners. Roberts batted .249/.312/.392 in 77 games for Baltimore last season. The Yankees have already signed infielders Kelly Johnson and Brendan Ryan this off-season.
Those three players together won’t make up for Cano’s production, but the low-cost signing of Roberts will allow the Yankees continue to search for free agents and acquisitions through trades while maintaining their self-imposed spending limit of $189 million.
The team also has signed Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury , re-signed Hiroki Kuroda and look to add another starter and would likely push hard for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka when and if he is posted his current team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
