Yanks reportedly add veteran arm Baker on Minors deal

The Yankees signed right-hander Scott Baker to a one-year, Minor League contract on Friday, according to multiple media reports.

Baker has appeared in just 28 games in the Majors during the past three seasons, making just 11 starts, but could get a chance to prove himself as a starter in 2015. The club has not confirmed the deal.

If Baker, 33, makes the Major League roster, his contract will be worth $1.5 million, according to CBS Sports.

The move gives the Yankees potential depth at the back end of their starting rotation if Baker can pitch closer to his performance before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2012. At the very least, it is a low-risk deal that provides New York with another pitching option.

The Yankees enter the season counting on the health of three starters -- Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda -- who all missed significant time in 2014 with injury along with right-hander Ivan Nova, who is expected to miss at least the first month of the season to recover from his own Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees have yet to announce their non-roster invites for Spring Training, but Baker figures to be a candidate. He collected a 5.47 ERA in 25 games for the Rangers last season, and allowed 15 home runs in 80 2/3 innings.

Baker, a second-round pick by the Twins out of Oklahoma State in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, was a solid starter for Minnesota prior to the surgery, accumulating a record of 63-48 and a 4.15 ERA during a span of seven seasons.