One Year At A Time

The New York Yankees can thank a pair of Hall of Fame infielders, potential Famers at first, second and the mound, a clampdown bullpen and sluggers all over the lineup for their 10-game lead in the AL East and near certain postseason entry.

But World Series winners tend to catch lightning in a bottle too, and the Yankees have gone storm-hunting this year with great results. Consider these four veteran players:

Andruw Jones: 154 PA, 12 HR, .851 OPS

Eric Chavez: 157 PA, 8 HR, .849 OPS

DeWayne Wise: 56 PA, 7 XBH, 7 SB, .841 OPS

Raul Ibanez: 254 PA, 12 HR, .766 OPS

(League-average OPS is around .730) 

Jones has taken the sting out of losing Brett Gardner for much of the season. Chavez has offered Alex Rodriguez respite at the hot corner. Wise provides a lefty platoon bat and CF defense if need be. Ibanez is bald.

All four are longtime Major Leaguers who aren't what they once were, and in Wise's case, never were. Each could have been scooped off the scrap heap by any team in the Bigs. And best of all, each is on God's Gift to GMs -- the one-year contract.

We focus so much on the shiny pieces that Yankee brass spends three months' salary to acquire that we often fail to notice these diamonds in the rough. Taken together, Jones, Chavez and Wise constitute a full-time-equivalent, collecting more hitting value than every Yankee star but Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. The trio has out-hit Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

But if they hadn't panned out, no harm done. The entire quartet cost the Bombers $4.5 million without any future strings attached. The Pirates, Rays and other cost-conscious contenders would do back-flips over three extra wins this season for $4.5 million and no 2013 commitments.

Throw in another $4 million and you get fifth starter/reliever Freddy Garcia,whose tottering performance, particularly as a starter, has vindicated the short-term contract. That's the thing about one-year deals: when they work out, the choice of player is inspired; when they don't work out, the duration of the contract is. It's a win-win for the team, and win-win describes the Yankees pretty well these days.

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