Transaction Analysis

Yankees re-sign Paul O'Neill for 1 year, $6.5 million

Outfielder Paul O’Neill has been a Yankee since 1993, and his trade from the Reds for Roberto Kelly was one of the turning points in starting this championship run for the Yankees.  His production fell off greatly at the end of last season as he was hampered by an injured hip, but he was healthy by the World Series and his outstanding performance saved his Yankee career.  O’Neill re-signed for $6.5 million, which is what he made last season.  However, with $3 million being deferred over 10 years, the contract is worth $5 million in real terms.  Despite his poor performance down the stretch, O’Neill still drove in 100 runs for the season and plays high-quality defense.  The Yankees will probably cut down some on his playing time in what will be O’Neill’s final season, which should help keep him healthy.  This was a deal that was done out of loyalty just as much as out of good baseball sense.  Either way, it was a good move and the right move for the Yankees to make.

Triple Steal Rating: Triple


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TripleSteal Rating Scale:
Grand Slam - A can't miss move; automatically makes the team considerably better.
Home Run -
A great move; will help the team now and down the road.
Triple -
A good move; plugs a temporary hole or will help in the future.
Double -
An average move; team will get what they paid for.
Single -
A head-scratcher; could help, but we definitely don't see how.
Out -
A panic move; tells fans "hey, we're trying..."
Double Play -
A disaster; will make fans angry just thinking about it.

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