Chan Ho Park Reaches Deal With Yankees

Sports News - February 22nd, 2010 - Written By Bryan Cross

The New York Yankees and Chan Ho Park have settled on a one-year contract that will put the relief pitcher in pinstripes for the upcoming major league baseball season, ESPN.com reports.

While the Yankees have not officially announced the deal publicly, Park said in a statement in South Korea on Monday that he will play for New York.

Brian Cashman, general manager of the organization did not elaborate on terms of any deal reached with Park. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the one-year contract is worth somewhere in the neighborhood if $1.2 million, with up to $300,000 in bonuses and incentives. This information courtesy of ESPN. The pending agreement stipulates that Park must also undergo a routine physical, standard for any MLB deal.

Park pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies last season, playing a critical role in their run to the National League Championship. The club offered the pitcher a one-year contract following the conclusion of the season, but Park declined the $3.25 million offer.

From there, Park disclosed that he preferred to go to either the Chicago Cubs, or the Yankees.

"I was deliberating on the Chicago Cubs and the Yankees, but their history and championship contention resulted in me picking the Yankees," he said to the Korean Times.

Within the last several weeks, Cashman had expressed the teams' interest in Park.

With the Phillies last season, Park made 45 appearances, and pitched 83.1 innings for the club. He tabbed an ERA of 4.43 and struck out 73 batters. Park has a career ERA of 4.35 with 1,663 strikeouts. and a win/loss record of 120-95.

He earned $2.5 million with Philadelphia in 2009.

Cashman referred to Park as "very attractive especially what he does out of the bullpen."

With respect to filling the positions in the bullpen, Cashman believes that the addition of Park would only help.

"The more, the merrier," he said. "You can never have enough."

An 18-year veteran, Park was the first ever player from his native country of South Korea to play in the major leagues. Prior to the Phillies, Park had stints with the Rangers, Padres, Mets and Dodgers.

Both the Phillies and Yankees headline the 2010 World Series Odds according to most MLB Betting Lines found on MLB Sportsbooks. Bodog has the Yankees as the leading favorite, with odds at 11/4. Philadelphia headlines the National League, going off at 6/1.