Did Winfree Walk Away From A Promotion?

David Winfree seemed like a solid player throughout spring training and the beginning of the minor league season. It looked as if he didn't have a real shot with the major league team, considering they had other outfielders on the 40-man roster. Now that Colin Curtis has been recalled, did Winfree walk away from his MLB debut? Winfree left the team on June 15th and signed a minor league deal with the Mariners last night. He was able to do this because of a clause in his contract.

He had a clause in his contract that allowed him, for only one day, to explore his own options. If he found an organization willing to put him on its 40-man roster, the Yankees would have to release him so he could sign there. I do not know for certain if Winfree found an opportunity, or if the Yankees just flat released him. But today was the day for Winfree to go looking, and obviously, he’s no longer a Yankee.

As of this second, Winfree is not on the Mariners 40-man roster. He very well may be in the exact same situation that he left in New York.

With Colin Curtis' call-up (he was not on the 40 man roster) and Winfree's stats being better than Curtis', could it have been Winfree that got the call up instead of Curtis? Yes. It is not know for sure, but it is definitely possible that Winfree walked away from an MLB debut.