Roger Clemens Returns To The New York Yankees

Roger Clemens has returned for another season, signing a one year deal with the New York Yankees.

Who didn't see this one coming? I'm sure Clemens would have preferred to stay with the Astros, but he'd be doing nothing by pitching for them again. The Astros are in terrible shape and have no chance at making the playoffs this year, barring some ridiculous miracle. The top two bidders were the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. From what I've read, the Yankees outbidded the Red Sox by $10 million dollars. The Red Sox didn't feel they needed Clemens until late June as their rotation of Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield has actually been very solid, plus they have Jon Lester on the way back up as well. They wanted to take Clemens back later on in the year, hopefully allowing him to stay healthier and feel fresh come playoff time. The Yankees, on the other hand, had a far greater need with the rash of injuries that have attacked their rotation. When your rotation includes Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner, you know times are tough. They needed help now, or face the possibility they won't be in good position to win the AL East come late June. The Yankees are taking on the risk that Clemens will have future leg problems or tire come playoff time in exchange for him helping them right now when their rotation is in shambles. It's actually worth the Yankees doing this, so for once they're not overpaying for something stupid in their rotation (Pavano, Wright, Igawa).

Fantasy Impact: For those who drafted and stashed Roger Clemens, this is what you were waiting for. However, Clemens in the AL East is far less enticing than Clemens in the NL Central as his ERA, WHIP, and K rate will suffer while his chances for wins will increase. That's not a tradeoff us fantasy baseball players want. He isn't going to be posting a sub 3.00 ERA and a sub 1.10 WHIP in the best hitting division in baseball, so I actually suggest selling high unless your fantasy rotation reminds you of the Yankees starting rotation. If you look at this numbers with the Yankees the first time around, I think that's pretty reminiscient of what we'll see now, although it's possible the wins won't be quite so high given he can't work as far into games anymore. See what you can get for him, especially if you can make a deal right now and get full value given he won't be pitching in the majors for roughly another month.