Yankees designate Vernon Wells for assignment

The Yankees have designated Vernon Wells for assignment, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.

With Wells now off the roster, the Yankees' 40-man stands at 39, finally making room for them to add Brian Roberts or Matt Thornton to it. Should Alex Rodriguez be suspended, that would make 38, enough room for both of the players that have yet-to-be announced.

The Yankees roster was simply too crowed for Wells, with there being six outfielders on the roster after the signings of Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury, and looking to move at least one of them before the seasons begins, Wells, along with Ichiro, figured to be the odd man out.

Wells got off to a good start last season for the Bombers, hitting .300 in the month of April with 6 homeruns and 13 RBIs. But his production dropped badly over the rest of the season, hitting just 5 more homeruns and finishing with a .233 average in 430 at-bats.

Even with Wells now out of the picture, we can still speculate that the Yankees will still be trying to move Ichiro, who is owed $6.5 million in 2014. His market might not be, but finding a place to move him shouldn't take too long.

The Yankees still owe Wells $2.4 million in 2014 while the Los Angeles Angels owe him $18.6 million. That is the final year on the seven-year, $126 million contract he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2008.

Thank you @Yankees for the opportunity to be a part of such a storied franchise. #Blessed #NextChapter
— Vernon Wells (@VernonWells10) January 10, 2014

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