New York Yankees Sign Chris Denorfia to Minor League Deal

The New York Yankees have signed outfielder Chris Denorfia to a minor league deal.

The signing was first reported by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:

Chris Denofria, who last played for the Chicago Cubs in 2015, will add some much-needed right-handed-hitting depth to the Yankees outfield mix in spring training. Also, according to Hoch, Denorfia’s contract includes a March opt-out date, so it’ll be interesting to see whether or not he ends up on the Yankees starting roster come April.

Over the course of his 10-year career, the Bristol, Connecticut native owns a .272/.330/.392 slash line with a .722 OPS in 2,385 plate-appearances. With such numbers, one would wonder why the 35-year old outfielder had to settle on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

But the truth is, Denorfia is in a decline.

Since the start of the 2014 season, the veteran’s slash line dipped to .245/.297/.339 over 589 plate appearances split between the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.

If he can flip the switch and get back to his pre-2014 form, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Denorfia find his way back on an MLB roster, especially because he rates as a quality corner outfielder off the bench.

Next: NYY Yankees Prospect Profile: Trey Amburgey

In 2016, Baseball Reference projects Denorfia to hit .253 with six homers, 22-extra base hits and 29 RBI.