Yankees pick up options on OFs O'Neill, Strawberry
— -- BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- The world champion New York Yankees today began work on defending their 25th title by exercising the options on veteran outfielders Paul O'Neill and Darryl Strawberry. O'Neill will be paid $6.5 million in 2000, while the often-troubled Strawberry was brought back to the team for a paltry $750,000. The 36-year-old O'Neill had a down season by his standards, hitting .285 with 19 homers and 110 RBI. It was the first time in seven seasons as a Yankee he failed to bat .300. O'Neill played the entire postseason with a broken rib he suffered on the last weekend of the season in Tampa Bay but delivered some key hits for the team. His two-run single off lefthander John Rocker put the Yankees on top for good in Game One of the World Series and his RBI single began their offensive onslaught against Kevin Millwood one night later. Forced to play the decisive Game Four of the Fall Classic hours after the death of his father, O'Neill broke down during the on-field postgame celebration. O'Neill had a career-high 191 hits in 1998, when the Yankees won an American League-record 114 games. Strawberry missed the first five months of the season because of colon cancer surgery last October and a March arrest in Tampa, Florida on drug and solicitation charges. He returned in time to bat .333 with two homers and four RBI in seven regular-season games and belted two home runs in the postseason. The 37-year-old Strawberry was once a phenom with the New York Mets but has had his career sidetracked by numerous off-field problems. Speaking to fans during the Yankees post-parade rally at City Hall, he broke done as he thanked manager Joe Torre for caring for him. O'Neill is entrenched as the everyday right fielder, but where Strawberry fits is more of a question. It is possible that Chili Davis, who spent the majority of the season as New York's designated hitter, will retire and the Yankees will need to make a decision on the status of Jim Leyritz, who could serve as a right-handed DH to complement Strawberry.
