NEW YORK (AP) – Sidney Ponson is about to get another chance, this time with the New York Yankees.

Ponson was cut by the St. Louis Cardinals last week and the Yankees, desperate to find a fifth starter, expect to sign the talented-but-troubled pitcher on Friday.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday the deal “made sense, compared to everything else that was available to us.”

Once among baseball’s more promising pitchers, Ponson’s career has been derailed by alcohol problems. Baltimore released him last September, saying his behavior gave them grounds to terminate his contract.

Ponson is set to make his first start for the Yankees on Tuesday night at home against Seattle. The Yankees will pay between $150,000 and $175,000 to sign Ponson for the rest of the season.

The Yankees were three games behind Boston in the AL East at the All-Star break. Ponson would join Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson, Chien-Ming Wang and Jaret Wright in the rotation. Starter Shawn Chacon is still on the roster, too, but there’s been speculation the Yankees will soon make a move with him.

Released by Baltimore in the offseason, Ponson signed a $1 million deal with St. Louis. The 29-year-old righty started the season 3-0, but slumped and was 4-4 overall with a 5.24 ERA when the Cardinals designated him for assignment last Friday.

“He’s still got a great arm,” Cashman said.

Ponson won 17 games in 2003 when he pitched for Baltimore and San Francisco, but has struggled on and off the field since then.

Ponson was convicted last December of driving while impaired and sentenced to five days in jail – his arrest in August marked his third drunk driving offense. The pitcher also spent 11 days in jail in his native Aruba after fighting on a beach.

Cashman said the Yankees believe Ponson is worth the risk because he’s made changes to his life. Ponson is expected to fly into New York on Friday.

“It’s hard to upgrade your pitching, it really is,” Cashman said. “Hopefully, this is something that will work out for us. It’s low risk and hopefully we’ll get some upside out of this.”

AP-ES-07-13-06 1719EDT