Robin Ventura's return to New York was anticipated almost from the moment the Mets sent him to the Yankees. Last week the two parties finalized a one-year, $5M contract, which amounts to a pay cut of more than $3M for Ventura. However, Ventura was amenable to the salary reduction for a number of reasons. In addition to enjoying the clubhouse atmosphere and winning drive of the Yankees, the 35-year-old lives in Connecticut and didn't want to move his family.

Of course, New York didn't want to give him a multi-year deal due to their continued hope that Drew Henson eventually will emerge as a semi-permanent fixture at third base, but Ventura feels he still has several years left in him and didn't need the security of a long-term contract. Ventura easily could find himself in a similar position next season given the slow progress of Henson. This season at AAA, Henson only hit .240 with a measly .301 OBP and .435 SLG on 113 H, 30 2B, 4 3B, and 18 HR with a 37:151 BB:K and 2/3 SB% in 471 AB at AAA Columbus.

Henson is only 22 and this marks the first year in which he's had over 450 at-bats in the regular season, so he shouldn't be dismissed. However, the Yankees have not handled his development well, as they should have risked insulting him and placed him at least as low as AA last season. Consequently, I expect him to need all of 2003 and very likely a portion of 2004 in AAA before New York will want to think about starting him at third in the majors. During that time, he'll need considerable instruction on his plate discipline or the additional experience won't be of much value. Unfortunately, not only do his stats show holes in his skills, scouting reports on Henson, including those from everyone to whom we spoke at the AFL, also indicate problems.

Returning to Ventura, he's suffered from a declining contact rate over the past few seasons, but he continues to maintain a strong walk rate. While his contact problems could begin to affect his power, I expect him to hit more than 20 home runs next season, and he's a fine placeholder given the composition of the rest of the team.

Joe Girardi's list of potential destinations is quickly disintegrating, and his best fit may be with the White Sox after the Cubs didn't offer him arbitration and the Yankees re-signed Chris Widger to a one-year, $700,000 contract on Saturday. New York doesn't need to have a stellar back-up with Jorge Posada starting behind the plate. Widger provides them with a defensive replacement.

Of their 6 unsigned free agents, the Yankees only offered arbitration to Roger Clemens and Ron Coomer. Many people were quite surprised to see Mike Stanton and Ramiro Mendoza cut loose without even an attempt to pick up the draft picks. However, both were considerable risks to accept arbitration in order to remain with the Yankees. Reportedly, New York took the unusual step of offering the same contract to three lefty relievers, Stanton, Atlanta free agent Chris Hammond, and Mets' free agent Mark Guthrie, in a take-it-or-leave-it context with the job going to the first pitcher to accept the deal. Stanton wasn't interested in the deal, which would have been a pay cut, and Guthrie also demurred, but Hammond is reportedly a physical away from joining the Yankees.

The Braves did not offer Hammond arbitration, so he won't cost New York a draft pick. Once the deal is finalized, the Yankees will have Hammond under contract for the next two seasons, along with a club option for 2005. He'll reportedly receive $2.2M in 2003, $2.4M in 2004, and the option is worth $3M and includes a $200,000 buyout.

At 36, Hammond is actually older than Stanton, but he had a superior season last year, and his skills support continued success even though he didn't pitch in the majors from 1999 through 2001. Meanwhile, Stanton should be a handsome acquisition for another organization, as given his much stronger track record, he could very well rebound and pitch better than Hammond.

Ron Coomer almost certainly will accept arbitration, though the two sides should agree to a deal before they need to sit before a panel. I was a bit surprised by their decision to retain him, but I suppose they liked having him available at the infield corners. The 36-year-old's 2003 performance shouldn't vary much from 2002.

Lastly, OF-S Chris Latham signed a one-year deal with the Yankees a week ago. Latham spent last season at the Mets' AAA affiliate. He only hit .232 with a .338 OBP and .360 SLG on 94 H, 22 2B, 6 3B, and 6 HR with a 62:103 BB:K in 405 AB. However, he demonstrated some speed with a 26/35 SB% and is a capable defensive outfielder. I'm not sure why the club bothered with a major league deal, but it seems to indicate that Latham is set to break camp in the spring as one of New York's reserve outfielders.

Across town, the Mets are creating an odd obstacle course for their starting prospects. New York re-signed Steve Trachsel to a two-year, $8M contract with a $5M option for 2005 triggered by pitching both 180 innings in 2004 and 360 innings over the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He'll receive base salaries of $3M in 2003 and $5M in 2004, along with a potential additional million in incentives each year.

I felt that the Mets should seriously consider re-signing Trachsel, but that was before they secured Tom Glavine. With Glavine, Trachsel, Al Leiter, and Pedro Astacio, they now have one spot open in the rotation for either John Thomson or Jason Middlebrook. The chance of any of their less established minor league pitchers breaking into the rotation essentially has been eliminated. GM Steve Phillips needs to take action during the Winter Meetings to unpack this logjam and move some of their starting surplus for help in other areas. Trachsel's deal is financially practical, but it just doesn't make sense given the available resources in the remainder of the organization.

The Mets did not offer arbitration to any of their free agents, which was fine for everyone except Edgardo Alfonso. I'm quite disappointed that they allowed him to leave without even taking action to secure compensation. He's set on a multi-year deal, so it is very unlikely he would have accepted. Alfonso is now an even more appealing free agent, as teams won't have to worry about losing a draft pick.