On Thursday the New York Yankees finally announced the signing of David Wells. The deal was rumored to have been completed over a week ago, but the team chose not to hold the press conference until after Wells passed his physical.

Wells will reportedly earn a base salary of $2M in 2002 and $3M in 2003. He will receive a $1 million signing bonus and has the opportunity to earn up to $4 million dollars a year in additional performance bonuses if he makes 30 starts. The club also has an option on a third year for $6M with a $1 million buyout.

Of all the Yankees off-season moves I think this one reeks the strongest of George Steinbrenner compensating for last year's World Series loss. Before Christmas it was widely reported that Wells had a tentative agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks. From what I've read, I gather that a few days after Wells shook hands with Arizona owner Jerry Colangelo on a one-year, $1 million deal, he went to lunch with Steinbrenner. When lunch began Wells just thought that he was having a meal with a former boss, but by the time they finished eating, the Yankees owner had asked him a series of questions and informed him that he wanted Wells back in New York. While Steinbrenner may have known when he set up the appointment that he wanted Wells to return, I doubt that he had any intentions of bringing Wells back to the Yankees before the lunch. I'm convinced that he just wasn't able to stomach the thought of Wells pitching for the team that bested him in the Series and decided at the last minute that he could afford to snatch him out of their hands. Given that the Yankees were willing to pay him a far larger salary than the Diamondbacks, there were few reasons for Wells to turn down the offer to return to his former team.

I don't think that Steinbrenner cares whether Wells' back, which is recovering from surgery, holds up. The selling point for him in this deal was likely the ability to prevent the Diamondbacks from getting what they wanted. If Wells is healthy, he is expected to join the bottom of the Yankee rotation, likely displacing Orlando Hernandez. With this acquisition and the re-signing of Sterling Hitchcock, there doesn't appear to be room for Hernandez, so the club might pursue a trade. However, I think that with Wells' injury history, Clemens' age, and the standard array of potential mishaps, the Yankees should hold on to Hernandez and stick him in the bullpen, which should cut down on his own injury troubles while simultaneously raising the quality of their pen even further.

In other news, Paul Byrd signed a one-year $850,000 deal with the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Byrd was non-tendered in December, but the two parties were able to work out a deal to bring him back. Byrd should make the rotation, but the Royals have acquired a number of mediocre pitchers with starting potential this off-season, so he could be replaced rather quickly if he struggles.

I don't like this signing. Their rotation needed help, but re-signing Byrd is not going to benefit them, especially since they should have been able to acquire someone with more talent for around the same price. They seem to be putting together a collection of second-rate starters with no real idea of what they're going to do with them after they're signed. Its little wonder that the team's new uniforms seem to be generating a lot of excitement among team officials, as there is little else to get exited about.

The Rockies have been active in further remaking their bullpen this week, signing free agent relievers Rick White and Todd Jones. White signed a one-year $1 million deal on Thursday, and Jones signed a one-year $1 million deal with a club option for a second year at $3M and a $300,000 buyout on Friday.

I like both acquisitions. White pitched extremely effectively in New York during the second half of last season with close to a strikeout per inning and good command. He also has a sinking fastball similar to former Rockies' reliever Jay Powell, so he should be able to handle the high altitude. Jones should be able to compete with Jose Jimenez for the closer's role, though it currently looks as though he will share eighth inning duties with White. Both are signed at good prices.

Seattle also made steps to improve their pen on Friday by signing free agent Shigetoshi Hasegawa. Hasegawa, who was non-tendered by the Angels, signed a one-year deal with a club option for a second year. The reliever will reportedly earn $1.5M in 2002, and then if the Mariners exercise the option, the contract would be worth a total of $4.5M. Although it appears a little expensive, I like this signing. Hasegawa almost perfectly replaces Jose Paniagua in the seventh inning for Seattle.

I delayed commenting on this next signing as I had intended to cover it with Kazuhisa Ishii. However after I started writing, I did not feel it fit well with yesterday's article. On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals signed Japanese outfielder So Taguchi to a three-year, $3 million deal. The 32-year-old Taguchi does not have nearly the offensive upside of Ichiro, but does reportedly have very good defensive skills. The Cardinals have been looking for outfield help all off-season and are expected to play him part time in LF, although there have been rumors of Taguchi potentially receiving time in center field.

Taguchi's signing emphasizes the effect that Tsuyoshi Shinjo's moderate success has had on MLB, opening things up for more of Japan's offensive players rather than just their pitchers and elite position players like Ichiro. While the team might have been able to do better, especially if they hadn't spent quite so much on Tino Martinez at 1B, I think this is a decent pickup for the Cardinals as long as they leave Taguchi in LF. J.D. Drew and Jim Edmonds are both accomplished center fielders and should not be displaced for a player with little apparent offensive potential.