NEW YORK—Morgan Ensberg was so excited about the chance to play for the New York Yankees that he was willing to make a switch to first base.
"The opportunity to hit in that lineup is really appealing to me," he said Thursday after agreeing to a minor league contract. "This team, obviously, always competes for a championship."
Ensberg would get a $1.75 million, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster and would have a chance to earn $2.25 million more in performance bonuses. He would get the full amount if he has 525 plate appearances.
"He's a right-handed bat in a lineup of left-handed hitters," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "He's someone that's had success clearly in the major leagues, been an everyday player."
Jason Giambi, heading into the final season of his $120 million, seven-year contract, played only 18 games at first base last year and 53 at designated hitter, hobbled for much of the season by a foot injury.
New York is unsettled at first base: Wilson Betemit, Shelley Duncan and Jason Lane -- Ensberg's college teammate at Southern California -- also are possibilities.
Ensberg has been primarily a third baseman, playing one game at first base and one at shortstop in his major league career. The 32-year-old worked out regularly at first after San Diego acquired him from Houston last July 31.
"I think mostly it's seeing the ball off the bat, seeing the different spin and the different angles, and also just seeing what pop flies look like going from left to right instead of right to left," he said.
Three years ago, Ensberg was an NL All-Star and finished fourth in MVP voting after hitting .283 with 36 homers and 101 RBIs for the Astros. His batting average was in the .230s in each of the last two seasons, his home runs dropping to 23 in 2006 and 12 last year. His RBIs fell to 58 and 39.
Ensberg tore a tendon in his right shoulder diving for a foul ball in June 2006 and never regained his stroke.
"From that point, I was just bad," he said. "I made a really poor decision to continue to try to play, and I couldn't even lift my arm."
Mike Lamb wound up taking over as Houston's top third baseman, and Ensberg couldn't get his rhythm back at the plate.
Ensberg made $4.35 million last year and became a free agent in December when he wasn't offered a contract by the Padres.
If Giambi doesn't play first base, the Yankees would have a potential logjam at designated hitter. Left fielder Hideki Matsui is coming off knee surgery and Johnny Damon lost his center-field job last year to Melky Cabrera.
Cashman had been speaking with Ensberg's representative for about two weeks. He wants new manager Joe Girardi to have options at first base.
"I wouldn't say anyone is a projected starter," Cashman said. "There's a job at first base that either someone is going to earn outright or it's going to be an opportunity to mix a few different people in there. Basically, everybody's got to earn their keep, whether you have a big contract or you're competing for a spot on the club. Joe Girardi will look at everybody fairly and objectively and put the best team out on the field on any given day that he thinks can give us a chance to win, period, and he's not looking at salary."
Notes:@ The Yankees still have not finalized 2B Robinson Cano's $30 million, three-year contract, a deal potentially worth $57 million over five seasons. Cano would get $3 million this season, $6 million next year, $9 million in 2010 and $10 million in 2011. The Yankees would have a $14 million option for 2012 with a $2 million buyout. If that option is exercised, the Yankees would have a $15 million option for 2013 with a $2 million buyout.
