The Yankees have inked 29-year old righty reliever/starter John Van Benschoten to a minor league deal. He pitched in 22 games (13 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 2-8 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Van Benschoten last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Pirates. He has pitched in 26 games (19 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-13 with a 9.20 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP. Van Benschoten is one of the only pitchers on the planet who would have a terrible record with the Yankees as he is one of the worst pitchers I have ever seen. They better hope they don’t need him in 2010.

The Yankees have designated 28-year old righty reliever Edwar Ramirez for assignment to make room on the roster for recently signed reliever Chan Ho Park. Ramirez pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Yanks last season and he was 0-0 with a 5.73 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP. In three years with the Yankees, Ramirez has pitched in 96 games (0 starts) in which he is 6-2 with 2 saves, a 5.22 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. The Yankees won’t miss Ramirez even if another team claims him on waivers as they have a lot of relievers who are better than he is.

UPDATE: The Yankees have traded Edwar Ramirez to the Rangers for cash considerations.

The Yankees have signed 36-year old righty reliever Chan Ho Park to a 1-year, $1.2 million dollar deal. Park pitched in 45 games (7 starts) for the Phillies last season and he was 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has now pitched in 423 games (287 starts) in his major league career and he is 120-95 with 2 saves, a 4.35 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Yankees as Park can work a lot of innings for them in 2010.

The Yankees have signed 28-year old righty reliever/starter Dustin Moseley to a minor league deal. He pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Angels last season and he was 1-0 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Moseley has now pitched in 64 games (23 starts) in his major league career and he is 8-7 with a 5.41 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. He will likely compete for a long relief role this spring with the Yankees.

The Yankees have signed 32-year old righty swinging outfielder Marcus Thames to a minor league deal worth $900,000 bucks if he makes the team. Thames played in 87 games for the Tigers last season and he was 65 for 258 (.252 avg, .777 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 13 homers and 36 RBIs. Thames has now played in 522 games in his major league career and he is 376 for 1,549 (.243 avg, .797 OPS) with 230 runs scored, 101 homers and 261 RBIs. This was a outstanding signing for the Yankees this late in the off-season as Thames should give them a big bat off the bench in 2010.