New York Yankees Add Marcus Thames

With the New York Yankees’ lineup and roster pretty much set, they didn’t have many holes left to fill. If they did need something, it would be a right-handed batter off the bench.

GM Brian Cashman, not leaving any stone unturned this offseason, potentially found his man yesterday.

According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman , the Yankees have signed OF Marcus Thames to a minor league contract. If Thames makes the team, the deal would be worth $900,000.

Thames, 32, hit .252 with 13 home runs and a .777 OPS in 87 games for the Detroit Tigers in 2009. The year before, Thames hit 25 home runs in 103 games.

What attracted the Yankees to Thames is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. For his career, Thames has a .516 slugging percentage against lefties.

With the recently signed Randy Winn and Brett Gardner still on the roster, I don’t expect Thames to get much playing time in left field in 2010. It’s not like Thames is Carl Crawford out there anyway: He has a -16.7 UZR in left for his career.

This will be Thames’ second tour of duty with the Yankees. He was drafted by the Bronx Bombers in the 30th round of the 1996 draft and had a cup of coffee with the club in 2002. He hit .231 with one home run in 13 ABs.

For his career, Thames is a .243 hitter with 101 home runs and a .306 OBP in eight seasons with the Yankees, Texas Rangers, and Tigers.

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