The Yankees were hammering out the final details last night on a one-year contract agreement with left-handed-hitting slugger Henry Rodriguez, who last played with the Marlins.
The deal is contingent upon Rodriguez passing a physical examination, which he is scheduled to take next week.
Should the deal be finalized, Rodriguez will receive a base salary in the neighborhood of $1 million, plus a modest incentive package.
Rodriguez provides depth in left, where the Yankees have David Justice and Shane Spencer, and at designated hitter, where Justice will be used when he isn’t in left and where Glenallen Hill is available.
Rodriguez, a defensive liability, split last season between the Cubs and Marlins. He batted .259 with 20 homers, 61 RBIs, and 98 strikeouts in 363 at bats.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have been working on locking up a bigger fish than H-Rod.
The Yankees are hoping to sign shortstop Derek Jeter to a long-term contract extension before ballclubs and players exchange salary arbitration figures Thursday.
The Yankees announced they had reached agreement on a one-year contract with right-hander Ramiro Mendoza, avoiding arbitration with the first of four eligible players. The others are Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera.
The 28-year-old Mendoza was 7-4 with a 4.25 ERA in 14 games, nine of them starts, for the Bombers last season. He was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career on June 25 with weakness in a muscle in the back on his right shoulder. His season ended Aug. 4 when he was diagnosed with tendinitis in the same shoulder.
Despite pitching in only 14 games, Mendoza is the only major-league pitcher to record at least one win as both a starter and reliever in each of the last five seasons. The spot starter/long reliever has a 38-26 career record with a 4.27 ERA and six saves in 159 games. He was originally signed by the Yanks as a non-drafted free agent in November of 1991.