Kevin Millwood Signs with New York Yankees

The New York Yankees signed starting pitcher Kevin Millwood to a Minor League deal on Friday that could give them another option in the starting rotation. It's a signing that comes with very little risk, as they didn't have to put much money up front, but it could pay a lot of dividends if Millwood can prove he deserves another shot. After going just 4-16 with the Baltimore Orioles in 2010, there was not a lot of interest in him this year.

Matt Weber of MLB.com confirmed the signing, revealing that the deal is going to be incentive-laden for the Major League veteran. This likely means that if Millwood can make the team out of Spring Training or get a bump in the first month or so of the season, he could make a hefty bonus in the contract. It seems like a win-win scenario for both sides, giving Millwood another chance and affording the Yankees an opportunity to gauge if he has anything left in the tank.

This isn't the first pitcher the Yankees have tried to resurrect during Spring Training, and it probably won't be their last effort during the 2011 season. They missed out on acquiring any starting pitching during the offseason and came up far short of signing free agent Cliff Lee. Lee surprised nearly everyone by deciding to go to the Philadelphia Phillies for less money, and that left the Yankees without any new assets to speak of. The focus on Lee hurt them in other efforts, and now they head into the new year with a whole list of question marks.

During the 2011 Spring Training sessions, veterans Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia were also brought into camp, and it's possible that the whole group of players could be competing for two spots in the rotation. Colon has fared much better than Garcia (2.40 ERA compared to a 5.93 ERA) in the spring, but it seems that Millwood may be a safety net if neither one works out. The other pitcher in this equation is Ivan Nova, but an extremely impressive set of Spring Training performances has him as the favorite to grab the No. 4 spot in the rotation.

The Yankees have a lot of work to do if they want to keep pace with the vastly improved Boston Red Sox. Boston brought in two huge assets in Carl Crawford and Adrien Gonzalez, and might actually have one of the best offenses in baseball now. The primary rival of New York just got much better, and that could be a very hard pill to swallow if the Yankees can't find a starting rotation that can keep from giving up five runs a game.

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