According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, in an effort to salvage even a little bit of the $46 million they invested in him, the Yankees will use Kei Igawa strictly as a left handed reliever in spring training and could even use him in that spot once the season starts, even if he’s in the minor leagues.
The Yankees have to do something with Igawa. After paying a $26 million posting fee the Yankees signed him to a five-year $20 million contract and so far they’ve only gotten 71.2 bad innings out of him. They either need to trade him for something or figure out a role that works for him.
A role as a lefty reliever could be right up his alley too, especially if he’s used only against lefties. In his brief time in the majors he never really established himself as someone who does better against lefties than righties, but last year his splits in the minors were pretty impressive. In 45 innings worth of at bats against left handers in 2009, Igawa had a 0.80 WHIP and a ...
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