It appears the Yankees will acquire Lance Berkman tomorrow. Here’s Rob Neyer’s take:

But the Yankees have more loose money than a Saudi prince, and a Berkman/Thames platoon will look pretty good in October (the switch-hitting Berkman’s been significantly better in his career against righties than lefties). So why not?

My question is, why didn’t other teams take him? The Yankees seem to be giving up nothing for him, and the Astros are picking up some of his contract. He would give the Rangers a bigger boost than Jorge Cantu. He could give the Giants more selectivity at the plate. He could be a good designated hitter for the Rays. The Yankees didn’t send a lot to get him, so the loose money doesn’t matter that much. He was cheap, and the Yankees took advantage of that when others didn’t.

This is a throwback to the Yankees of late 1990s or early 2000s who would pick up someone like Cecil Fielder or David Justice just before the deadline.