TAMPA — Strong player. Soft mentally.
After doing extensive homework on Jim Edmonds, that’s the Yankees’ take on the Angels outfielder they are seriously
interested in obtaining if they can leave Ramiro Mendoza out of the mix.
While the Yankees and Angels talk daily, the Yankees haven’t asked for a 72-hour window to negotiate a contract extension with Edmonds, who can be a free agent after the season.
According to several club sources, the Yankees won’t surrender Alfonso Soriano or Mendoza for a one-year rental of Edmonds, whose name surfaced often yesterday at Legends Field, where George Steinbrenner’s Inner Circle convened.
Once believed to be the Yankees’ chip to acquire a stud pitcher, the Yankees are debating whether to use Soriano, who has struggled defensively this spring, to land Edmonds. Since the Angels need a second baseman, it’s interesting the Yankees have played Soriano, a shortstop, at second the past two days. With The Boss watching, Soriano made his third error in seven games yesterday. The Angels could possibly live with a package of Soriano and pitcher Jake Westbrook.
People close to the 29-year-old Edmonds say he is open to signing a long-term deal with the Yankees. He is making $3.9 million this year and would likely be looking for a four-year deal for between $7 million and $8 million a year. The A’s, Mariners and Cardinals are also interested in acquiring Edmonds.
One rumor that surfaced in California had the Yankees and Angels expanding the deal to involve Mo Vaughn and Tino Martinez, but two Yankee executives denied there was anything to it.
The Yankees have talked to former Angels manager Terry Collins about Edmonds’ character, and Collins gave Edmonds a positive review. That’s the case with pitchers Jason Grimsley and Allen Watson, who played with Edmonds. However, Jim Leyritz, who was with the Angels in 1997, doesn’t believe Edmonds would be a good fit.
“He isn’t a Yankee,” Leyritz said. “Talent-wise, he can do anything. But it’s more his desire than anything. Nobody has as much talent but it’s the whole package. I don’t know how he would be able to handle New York pressure. He has been so comfortable for so many years.”
Edmonds isn’t the first player with questions about makeup that the Yankees have been interested in. Twins manager Tom Kelly painted Chuck Knoblauch as selfish and moody, but Knoblauch has fit in the best clubhouse in baseball very well.
“Some fit and some don’t” Leyritz said. “Look at Danny Tartabull and Ruben Sierra. The question with [Edmonds] is what will he accept and what is he used to?”
With the clubhouse buzzing about Edmonds coming, Leyritz brought up what was on a lot of players’ minds yesterday morning.
“Look at this team,” Leyritz said. “I don’t see him coming here to be the DH. He gets a rush out of playing the outfield.”
Since Edmonds, a two-time Gold Glove winner, is considered the best defensive center fielder in the AL with Ken Griffey Jr. in the NL, Bernie Williams was asked what he thought of sliding over to left if Edmonds surfaces. Edmonds could play left this season and move to right to replace Paul O’Neill next year.
“It hasn’t happened so I haven’t given it any thought,” said Williams, who has won three straight Gold Gloves. “But our outfield would be scary, wouldn’t it? And he can hit a little bit, too.”
Edmonds was limited to 55 games last year by a balky shoulder. However, prior to that he averaged 27.8 homers in the previous four seasons. Scouts predict the left-handed hitting Edmonds would add 10 homers a season hitting in Yankee Stadium.
According to Watson, Edmonds’ reputation for not wanting to play all the time stemmed from a few members of Collins’ staff who never believed he was as hurt as he said.
“People gave him a bad rap,” said Watson, a teammate of Watson’s in 1997-98. “They said he didn’t play hard and were getting on him all the time. But the guy has had two knee operations and a bad shoulder.”
Being from Queens and having pitched in and out of New York, Watson believes Edmonds switching coasts would be beneficial.
“I think he needs to get out of his hometown,” Watson said of Edmonds, who went to high school in Diamond Bar, Calif. “He is a great player and a good guy who is always smiling and laughing.”
Grimsley, an Angel in 1996, thinks Edmonds would benefit from changing uniforms as well as locales.
“Here he would get a good piece of baseball because playing there is so much different because everything is so laid back,” Grimsley explained. “Just putting on this uniform is something else. I think he would see something he likes a whole lot.”