NEW YORK (AP) – While Gary Sheffield met with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, New York escalated the arms race in the AL East, agreeing to a contract with free agent reliever Tom Gordon.
Aaron Boone and Enrique Wilson, two of the six Yankees eligible for salary arbitration, agreed to one-year contracts.
Sheffield and his agent, Rufus Williams, met with Steinbrenner for about an hour Monday at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Tampa, Fla. While Williams said the sides still haven’t reached an agreement, all signs point toward the outfielder signing with New York.
“We’re still talking, and we’ll know when we get there,” Williams said. “At this point, we’re not there.”
Gordon’s two-year deal is worth $7.25 million. The deal was completed after he passed a physical earlier in the day, a baseball source familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
New York made the moves three days after its chief division rival, the Boston Red Sox, acquired Curt Schilling from Arizona. The Red Sox also are negotiating with free agent closer Keith Foulke.
The Yankees struggled to find a consistent right-handed setup man last season to replace Steve Karsay, who didn’t pitch because of an injured right shoulder.
Gordon, 36, was 7-6 with a team-high 12 saves and a 3.16 ERA for the Chicago White Sox last season. He pitched in 66 games, striking out 91 in 74 innings.
The Yankees are continuing talks with Paul Quantrill, another right-hander, and are trying to re-sign left-handers Felix Heredia and Gabe White.
New York also remains interested in re-signing David Wells, who was likely to have back surgery Tuesday in New York, according to his agent, Gregg Clifton. While the Yankees declined the left-hander’s $6 million option, they may re-sign him at a lower guarantee.
Boone, whose 11th-inning homer in Game 7 won the AL pennant for New York, will get $5.75 million, a raise of $2.05 million. Wilson gets $700,000, matching what he earned this year.
Boone, acquired from Cincinnati on July 31, was in a slump during most of his time with the Yankees, hitting .254 with six homers and 31 RBIs.
His 11th-inning homer against Boston was only the fifth to end a postseason series, putting him in a group with Bill Mazeroski, Chris Chambliss, Joe Carter and Todd Pratt.
But Boone played a role in the World Series loss to Florida, striking out against Braden Looper with one out and the bases loaded in the 11th inning of Game 4. Florida won 4-3 in 12 innings to tie the Series at 2-all, then beat the Yankees in the next two games to take the title.
Boone, 30, is eligible for free agency after next season. He hit .273 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs with the Reds, and was selected for his first All-Star appearance.
New York sent left-handers Brandon Claussen and Charlie Manning to Cincinnati to obtain Boone, acquired partly because third base prospect Drew Henson hasn’t made much progress at Triple-A Columbus. The former Michigan quarterback hit .234 with 14 homers, 40 doubles and 78 RBIs with the Clippers last season, striking out 122 times and making 28 errors at third base.
Second baseman Alfonso Soriano, first baseman Nick Johnson, and outfielders David Dellucci and Karim Garcia remain eligible for arbitration.
