The popular belief heading into the GM meetings next week in Palm Springs is that the Yankees will have a better chance of laying the groundwork to find bullpen help than a center fielder.
That’s because B.J. Ryan, Kyle Farnsworth, Julian Tavarez and Ugueth Urbina are free agents and will only require money to obtain.
The only name among free agent center fielders, is Johnny Damon. Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, Milton Bradley and Mike Cameron all are attractive to the Yankees, but it would require a trade to land one of them.
“We need bullpen help and a center fielder,” GM Brian Cashman said of his offseason goals.
It’s not out of the question that the Yankees could sign two of the aforementioned relievers to hopefully build a solid bridge from the starters to Mariano Rivera.
Center field will be more difficult. The early vibe is that the Yankees aren’t going to spend exorbitantly and Damon, 32 tomorrow, is going to command $10 to $12 million a year for four or five seasons.
At this juncture the Yankees are talking about not dealing second baseman Robinson Cano. That gives them no shot at acquiring the 30-year-old Hunter from the Twins. Hunter is coming off a broken ankle and can be a free agent following the 2006 season when he will earn $10.75 million if a $12 million option for 2007 isn’t picked up.
The Blue Jays would like to move Wells’ contract ($9.9 million over the next two years) and shift Alex Rios to center, but don’t have a match with the Yankees if Cano is untouchable.
The Mets’ Cameron will become available, but the Yankees are going to likely need a third team to get involved because the Mets aren’t going to fill a Yankees need. Cameron, 32, would certainly tighten up the Yankees’ outfield defense, but he strikes out a lot, something Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter also do.
Cameron will make $6 million next year and there is a club option for $7 million in 2007, and there are questions about how he will come back from that horrific collision with Carlos Beltran that required facial surgery.
That brings us to the Dodgers’ Bradley, a talented 27-year-old switch-hitter with power and above average defensive tools that are packed in a suitcase with a lot of emotional baggage.
The Yankees have internally discussed acquiring Bradley, but every time his name is brought up, his problems usually scare Yankee brass in a different direction.
His temper got him traded from Cleveland to L.A., where he had a major problem with teammate Jeff Kent. And he missed time this past season with a knuckle injury and had left knee surgery in August.
Still, throughout the Joe Torre era, problem players have come to The Bronx and turned into solid citizens. The Yankees were so convinced Torre could handle problems they were on the verge of signing Albert Belle in 1998.
The Dodgers, who are without a GM or a manager, will try to trade Bradley before Dec. 20. If they don’t, there is a strong chance he won’t be tendered a contract and will become a free agent.
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The Yanks announced former Royals manager Tony Pena as their first base coach yesterday. Their next move will be to name Ron Guidry as the pitching coach and Joe Kerrigan as the bullpen coach. Pena likely will have to give up his appointment as the manager of the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic . . . Lefty reliever Alan Embree declared for free agency yesterday.
e-mail: george.king@nypost.com