Say ‘hello’ to the new backup first baseman

While some people are fearing the arrival of Shea Hillenbrand in New York, I think the new backup first baseman will be none other than Erubiel Durazo come the end of the All Star Break.

Yesterday, the Yanks signed Durazo to a minor league contract. This move came a day after Miguel Cairo’s three errors led to a Yankee loss.

It’s expected that the Yanks will cut a member of the bullpen. While it would nice to see Ron Villone or Mike Myers let go, Brian Bruney still has options, and the Yanks would like him to work out the problems he’s faced due to overuse a recent loss of control.

Durazo, meanwhile, has never lived up to his billing. He’s marginally better than Shea Hillenbrand and not nearly as big a malcontent as Hillenbrand. This move, however, is fine. It’s probably temporary until Mientkiewicz comes back, and it carries a low-risk/high-reward potential as long as Durazo doesn’t take innings away from Andy Phillips.