Lance Berkman struggled for the Yankees after coming over in a July 31 trade and finished the season with an OPS below .800 for the first time in his career, but it sounds like the 34-year-old first baseman is getting plenty of interest as a free agent.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com calls the A’s “his most fervent suitor” and Carrie Muskat of MLB.com writes that “the Cubs are in pursuit of a first baseman this offseason and one option could be Berkman.”
Berkman has said previously that he’d like to remain a first baseman, but Daric Barton’s presence means he’d been primarily a designated hitter in Oakland. With the Cubs he could play first base and return to the National League, but it’s unclear exactly how interested they are in Berkman.
Even in a career-worst season Berkman got on base at a strong .368 clip and if his power returns somewhat a year removed from knee surgery he could be a nice one-year pickup.
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- Jeremiah Graves - Nov 24, 2010 at 12:21 PM
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I could see a lot of teams taking a gamble on the Puma…a healthy Berkman could be a big-time force for a contender.
He makes a ton of sense for the Rays. They figure to lose Pena and if they could get a healthy season out of Berkman at a serious discount, they’d be in good shape.
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- Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward - Nov 24, 2010 at 12:30 PM
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Cubs will sign him for 10 years.
