Vernon Wells won’t be wearing No. 10 in the Bronx, and he’s starting his Yankees career with No. 56. ‘I’m going to wear Lawrence Taylor for a little bit,’ he joked after his trade to the Yankees was made official.
TAMPA — The trade took two days to complete, but Vernon Wells is officially a Yankee.
Having passed his physical earlier in the day, Wells arrived at Steinbrenner Field Tuesday afternoon and settled into his new locker.
"Just the history and the names that are in this clubhouse, and the guys that are in this clubhouse, this is special," Wells said. "It's obviously a huge commitment to put the pinstripes on, but this is baseball. This is the center of it all and this is a fun way for things to go toward the end of my career."
Wells was assigned No. 56 — "I'm going to wear Lawrence Taylor for a little bit," he joked — though he figures to be assigned a lower number once more cuts are made this week.
The Yankees sent minor league outfielder Exircado Cayones and minor league left-handed pitcher Kramer Sneed to the Angels for Wells. The Angels will pick up roughly $29 million of the $42 million Wells is owed over the next two years.
The 34-year-old was excited by the trade, wasting no time when the Angels asked him to waive his no-trade clause to approve the deal.
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"It just came as a shock, I think," Wells said. "Once you get toward the end of spring training, you think, all right, this is how it's going to be. They called in the office and said, 'We have a deal in place. It's just a matter of your approval.' Then they told me the team, and I tried not to smile too big in the office. Went and called the wife — obviously we have to clear everything with them first — and she was excited. And I'm here."
Wells said he has always admired the Yankees from afar, going all the way back to his days in Triple-A.
"I remember the first time I played the Triple-A Yankees when I was 20 years old and (Darryl) Strawberry was on that team," Wells recalled. "It was the first time that I actually got goose bumps playing against another team. From that day, I've quietly been a Yankees fan. Obviously not when we played against the Yankees, but every time or any time the Yankees were in the playoffs and I was sitting at home, I was cheering for the Yankees. This is somewhat of a dream come true."
Wells was in the lineup for Tuesday night's game against the Astros, hitting sixth and playing left field. He's expected to be the everyday left fielder until Curtis Granderson returns from the DL in early May, a task Wells is excited about after retooling his swing during the offseason.
"Coming into spring training and throughout the offseason, my goal was just to get back to the basics and just put the barrel on the ball as many times as I can, shorten my swing and use the other field," Wells said. "I forgot what right field was like for a couple of years. You get caught up in hitting home runs and seeing how far you can hit them, and your swing changes.
"I was able to take some time this offseason, look at a lot of video from when I was younger and just spraying the ball all over the field. Once we got into spring training, that was my goal. And so far, so good. Getting back to just being short and quick, and balls are still jumping off my bat and my hands are still as quick as they were when I was younger."
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