All Things Bubba

Meant to post about this earlier, but forgot...Carlos Pena got a 3-year, $24 million deal from the Devil Rays. Not bad for a guy the Yankees threw away in 2006.

Letting Pena go has to be one of Cashman's most bone-headed moves. He was playing very well for Columbus in 2006, but the Yankees didn't consider giving him a chance. Torre even said at one point that they weren't even checking to see how Pena was doing.

Pena won a spot with the Rays in 2007...and ended up the league's best first baseman. Meanwhile, the Yankees were desperately seeking first base help, running out Josh Phelps, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Andy Phillips, none of whom stuck. True, Pena is a lefty and the Yanks wanted a right-handed first baseman. But they ended up signing Mientkiewicz as their starting first baseman, and he's a lefty.

And now Pena will get lots of chances to show the Yanks what they passed up, when the Rays play the Yankees, like, 20 times a year.