New York Yankees
SP Kevin Millwood exercises opt-out clause; becomes free agent. [5/1]
Millwood signed a minor league deal with the Yankees during the final week of March after spending weeks flirting with the Indians. After all the chatter about whether Millwood would accept a minor league deal or not, the Yankees floated a large enough carrot to persuade him. Amongst the benefits given, the Yankees guaranteed Millwood a $1.5 million salary (dependent on his arrival in the majors), various performance incentives, and the ability to hit the escape button should he not be on the 25-man roster come May.
With Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon producing in the rotation, the Yankees decision came down to Millwood or Ivan Nova—they implicitly choose Nova. Although Nova hasn’t pitched well—he has a 5.14 ERA and a 1.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio through six starts—it’s not like Millwood is guaranteed to pitch better, as he spent 2010 inside of the American Leag...
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