All Things Bubba: Bubba Headed Back to Beautiful Ohio...

Friday, November 10, 2006

...and no, it's not with the Clippers.

The MLB.com story has been posted, and has more details:

Reds sign former Yankee Crosby

Veteran outfielder's one-year contract worth $400,000

CINCINNATI -- The Reds made their first acquisition of the offseason on Friday, signing outfielder Bubba Crosby to a one-year contract worth $400,000.

By signing him to a Major League deal, Cincinnati protected Crosby on its 40-man roster. But he's not assured a 25-man roster spot for Opening Day 2007. The 30-year-old will go to Spring Training and compete for a job as a reserve outfielder.

"We're getting a guy that's been on winning teams, that plays the game the right way, that always plays it hard and can play all three outfield positions," Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky said. "We're happy to have him."

Crosby, a left-handed hitter, has split the past three seasons shuttling between the Yankees and Triple-A Columbus. He batted .207 with one home run and six RBIs in 2006 for New York and .238 in 22 games for Columbus.

Originally part of the Dodgers organization, Crosby broke into the Majors in 2003 and has posted a career .216 batting average and a .255 on-base percentage in 205 big-league games. He was designated for assignment on Aug. 5 and became a six-year Minor League free agent after the season.

"He knows what kind of hitter he is and what he needs to work on," Krivsky said. "It's somebody we've had interest in, and he got our attention when he came over on the wire. We wanted to sign him."

Sounds like he's landed with a team that appreciates his talents.

posted by BubbaFan, 6:06 PM

4 Comments:

I wish he didn't always have to compete for a job, but at least the Reds know what a good player he is. Go Bubba!!!

Yes, I was hoping he'd land with a team that would give him a chance to start. But that was probably too much to hope for, under the circumstances.

Hopefully, he'll win a spot on the 25-man roster. If he does, he should get a decent amount of playing time, what with all those goofy NL substitutions.

As a long-time Yankee fan, I wish the Yanks had given Bubba a chance to show he belonged. He's a very good all around player that should've been playing in the majors for the past few years. He demonstrated that in Sept '05. I hope he gets his chance w/ the Red's. At least he's on the 40 man roster, unlike what the Yanks did to him last year.

Good for the Reds - they're lucky to have gotten him!

Redbug

Yeah, me, too. But that's not the kind of team the Yankees are. They're a "win now" team. They want the butter, but they don't want to churn the cream. The only reason Cano and Cabrera got the chances they got was sheer desperation.

It's probably for the best that Bubba goes to another team that may give him the chance the Yankees didn't. Who knows? If he sticks, the Yankees may get him back via trade one day.