Rasner Now A Yankee
[February 11th]-- The New York Yankees claimed the Nationals' Darrell Rasner off waivers on Friday. General Manager Jim Bowden had to clear a spot for the newly signed Matt LeCroy and chose to put Rasner, considered the 5th or 6th starter going into 2006, on waivers.
It is impossible to tell at this point whether this is another mistake by general manager Jim Bowden or his simply removing an unwanted player from the 40 man roster. Last August, Bowden waived pitcher Sunny Kim, assuming that he would clear waivers and be assigned to 'AAA' New Orleans. The Rockies selected him, however, and he spent the final month and a half of the season in the Rockies starting rotation.
Rasner could have a bad arm. His velocity has dropped 5 mph in the past year; the Nats contend he's injured while Rasner says he's relying less on speed and more on finesse. It's difficult to say exactly "who's zooming who."
Rasner leaves the team with some animosity. He believed he should have been given more of a chance last September, but ended up spending a great deal of time in the bullpen. At 25, his future may still be bright.
