Waiver Wire: Justin Morneau Placed On Waivers

Since Mark Teixeira went down for the season because of wrist surgery, the Yankees have been looking for another bat, preferably a first baseman, to provide a reliable backup for Lyle Overbay. The Yankees have used David Adams and even Vernon Wells at first, but acquiring a real first baseman isn't out of the question.

A first base bat the Yankees have had interest in is now on the open market. According the multiple reports, the Minnesota Twins have place left-handed hitting first baseman Justin Morneau on waivers. The 48-hour waiver period expires Wednesday at 1 pm EST.

The Yankees are in a good position to claim the former all-star, as they are currently ahead of the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland A's, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox, in that order.

The waiver order is based on the American League standings entering the day, from worst to first. Being ahead of other contending teams, the Yanks have a chance to either claim him, or keep the other contenders from grabbing.

Morneau is currently hitting .262 with 14 home runs and 67 RBIs, and he's still owed $3.67 million for the rest of the season as of Tuesday, entering free-agency this offseason.

Any team that might claim him would be getting him at a good time, as he's been hitting the ball well lately, with six homeruns over his last 12 games, with 52 at-bats in that span. Three of those homeruns came over the weekend while the Twins were playing the White Sox in Minnesota.

"I don't think a hot streak or a cold streak will affect that too much," Morneau said of his trade value. "If there's a team that feels like you can contribute, if they feel like it's worth giving up something, that will happen. If not, I'm happy here."

If the Yankees did claim Morneau, the two teams would still have to work out a trade for the slugger, or the Twins could let Morneau go to the Yankees for only the cost of his salary.

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