Here is the beginning of the article to give you an idea of why I'm questioning the man's sobriety:
February 10, 2008 -- When Alex Rodriguez opted out of his Yankee contract during the World Series, the Bombers had a chance to rebuild around the young pitching that has prompted premature adulation.
They should have let Rodriguez dance out of The Bronx, thanked Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera for wonderful careers and sent Bobby Abreu away. They will surpass 4 million in attendance this season, the final year at Yankee Stadium. Next season, the new ballpark will be filled with corporate stiffs. So, the Yankees should have taken a shot at 2010 when the pitching Hank Steinbrenner believes is the best in baseball would have had two years experience.
Instead, the Yankees took back Rodriguez and gave him a raise to $275 million, dumped $52.4 million on Posada, $45 million on Rivera and picked up a $16 million option on Abreu. With spring training starting this week, the Yankees are worse than they were that October night when the Indians ushered them out of the postseason in the first round, the third straight season the Yankees have endured such a fate.
Going into camp, there are more than a dozen issues facing a flawed and expensive Yankees team that won't make the playoffs.
So you think it would be better to rebuild around young pitching and "take a shot in 2010", instead of trying to contend around that same young pitching, and take shot, not only in 2010, but in '08 and '09? Seriously George, I really need to know where you get your stuff, because it must be amazing.
I'd like to know what the "more than a dozen issues" are that Mr. King mentions, because I can't seem to find them. Yes, the pen, young starters, first base, and the new manager are all concerns, but what are the other eight?
9 Comments:
First off, I don't agree with the article 100%, BUT, there is a point to his "highness". Taking back Posada and Rivera to the tune of $95million, was not a great move. Signing Posada to a deal when everyone in baseball knows he's not going to be catchiing in 2 years was dumb, at that point, we'll be stuck with a 38 year old DH who will never come close to his numbers of 2007. What do you do then with a 38 year old .260 DH that you're paying $16 million dollars to? As for Mo, another bad deal, as we saw this year, he was far from his dominating self, and it's probably not going to get better in 3 years time. So again, in 2 years, what are we going to do with a 40 year old "closer" who's making $15 million dollars? Now to the young pitching, we've got Joba and Phil, who are as good a prospect we'll see in baseball and about 4 others a year or two behind them. So I think we'll be fine, but to have a chance to land the most dominant pitcher in teh game, who will still be in his prime in 4-5 years, was a mistake, and the only reason why we couldn't sign him was because of AROD, Mo and Posada.
You're right about the money with Mo and Jorge. It is a lot, but we are still talking about the Yankees, and not the Twins, Pirates, or Royals, With the new Stadium, and all the money that will bring in, they should still be able to spend a ton of money in the years to come. And if Jorge is the DH/1B in two years, is that really such a big deal? I don't think so.
As far as Mo's "down year," if it wasn't for that bad outting in Baltimore at the end of the year he would have had an era around 2.80, and his year would have looked just fine. His year was very similar to the years he had in 2000 and 2002. I've been hearing how Mo is done for three years now, and he keeps proving those people wrong. He did also pitch 4.2 scoreless innings vs. Cleveland in the ALDS.
Johan isn't a Yankee for more reasons than just the money spend on Jorge, ARod, and Posada. The Twins asking price from the Yankees was way too high. Espcially when you compare it to the bargain price they gave the mets.
Cashman also pulled Hughes off the tables long before anyone was aware. Sometime in December according to recent reports. So the Yankees were never as close to a deal as the media made it seem. It was money + the asking price that kept him out of the Bronx.
First let me say that you're right when it comes to the Money for Posada and Rivera - who cares, just a drop in the bucket in comparison, and they have paid their dues.
I'm excited to see this "best rotation in MLB" by 2010. In Joe you have the perfect man at the helm to guide the youngsters.
Mr. King, as you so eliquintly put it, is another Peter Gammons-esq hater - I pay no mind. Love this quote: "Rodriguez won't hit .314, club 54 homers and drive in 156 runs. " We're not talking about Brady Anderson here...
I disagree with Mo, he was very pedestrian out there in 2007. I saw alot of games where he could not get lefties out and was having trouble striking out anyone. Whereas in the past, he'd throw 95-97 up in the zone and have guys whiffing, last year average to good hitters were fouling off pitch after pitch. There was also far too many outtings where he was barely getting out of jams (remember that baltimore makeup game?) As for Posada, I don't really think I want a 38-39 year old DH/1B who's probably going to hit in the neighborhood of .250-.270. Last year his defensive catching skills were at an alltime low. I couldn't bare to watch the Yanks play teams like the Mets or D'Rays, and see 3-5 stolen bases in any given outting. It was to the point where he was overmatched behind the plate. Getting to Santana, if Phil Hughes pans out to be 1/2 the starter Johan is, that would be a good thing, but to get the real deal and trade Hughes and Melky would have been worth it. Santana brings instant credibility to a rotation that has alot of holes and it would have allowed Joba to start the season in the rotation. I'm sure the Twins called hank right before they completed the trade with the Mets and if the Yanks would have put Phil, Melky and anyone else back on the table, Johan would be a Yankee. But I think that the Yanks saw another $170 million on top of the $360 million they spent on AROD, MO and Posada and didn't have the will to spend the money. So yes, I think money played into Santana not being a yankee. Personally, I'm sick of the "who cares about the money, it's the Yankees" creed many Yankee fans have these days. It seems the more we spend, the worse we get.
thanks for the "drop in the bucket" comment Nick, you made my point perfectly. It seems that far too many Yankee fans love to spend money on average talent, and lets face it, these days Posada and Rivera are more towards the middle of the pack at their respective positions than the top. So to spend $15-$16 million on both is ludicris. Who cares about the money? Well somebody should. What has a payroll over $200 million paid for in the last 3 years? A 1st round ass whipping, that's what. Personally, I'd much rather see #57 wearing Yankee pinstripes next year, than Mets stripes, and spending a collective $30 million the next 3 seasons on 35+ year old players is a huge reason why he's not going to be the opening day starter in teh new stadium in 2 years. So everyone, keep up the "spend, spend, spend" attitude, it sure has worked.
Mitch,
I can see your major beef is about Santana. Posada and Mo and A-Rod to you are reason's why Santana isn't a Yankee. But I must ask you, do you really think they would be a contender without Mo, Posada, Melky, A-Rod, and Hughes, but with Santana? I don't. I think they'd be worse overall.
Who would you have signed/traded for to be the 2008 catcher, closer, and third baseman? And who would play cf?
One thing I do have to mention is that Cashman was against re-signing A-Rod, and maybe in his mind it was A-Rod or Santana, but we will never know for sure. If you ask me, between the two, I would rather have Santana.
But with that said, I feel the Santana issue should be a dead one for all Yankee fans, he's not here, he'll never be here, and that's that.
One of the problems over the past few seasons has not been that they've spent money, but that they've ignored certain issues - primarily the middle relief and the starting pitching.
The Yankees feel they have answered the problems with the starters by drafting pitchers like Hughes, Kennedy, and Chamberlain.
And from everything I've read or heard, Cashman believes the bullpen can also be fixed from within. And the additions of Jonathan Albaladejo, and Latroy Hawkins should also help.
This is Cashman's plan, and his job depends on how well it works or not.
You do have valid points, though. And I'll tell you this much, I respect your opinion much more than George King's.
Greg,
Yes, I do think the Yankees would be better without Melky, Mo and Posada and with Santana. Why did we lose over the past 4 years? Pitching and defense, plain and simple. We went from a great staff to a middle of the pack, overpaid bunch of slobs. With a rotation of Santana, Wang, Pettitte, Kennedy and Mussina (yes Moose as a #5), we could have easily still had the run scoring potential with the likes of AROD, JETER, ABREU, DAMON, CANO and GIAMBI. Now we still have the same holes at the front and back of the rotation.
I respectfully disagree.
And I still believe there was no way Cashman was going to part with Hughes. So even if the Yankees didn't resign anyone, Santana was still not coming to the Bronx.
But we're getting off topic. George King wanted to let Abreu, ARod, Mo, and Posada walk. You are only talking about Mo and Posada. So what you are saying is much different than what King wrote.
I just wanted to add this quote from Cashman about Johan. It's from Kat O'Brien's article from Sunday's Newsday.
"I did not not want Johan Santana. It's just a matter of the price and the players, the young talent that you'd be giving up. Basically, we're going to have to wait and see how it turns out."
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