I suppose its an old story. Guy falls in love with team, team dumps him for flashier player, guy can't get over team and comes crawling back.
At least that's how the story reads to me. The Phillies and their "genius" GM Ruben Amaro decided to trade Cliff Lee during the offseason after he pitched them to the NL pennant and won the only two games Philadelphia would win in the 2009 World Series.
The move was stupid and Amaro admitted as much when he made the deal to acquire Roy Oswalt from the Astros in July. Luckily for him Lee and his family held no ill will toward the Phillies for bouncing them to the Pacific Northwest. Lee inked a very lucrative deal with Philadelphia (Don't let anyone tell you he took less money, if you maxed out the value of both the Yanks and Phillies offers, the Yanks only come out ahead by about half a million) and will become part of the most touted rotation this side of the Braves circa 1996-2000.
One last thing about Philadelphia, don't let anyone tell you the Phillies are a World Series lock. Sure their rotation has now reached a historic level, their once vaunted hitting has regressed quite a bit. Raul Ibanez has begun showing his age dramatically, the loss of Jason Werth leaves them depending on rookie Dominic Brown and platoon player Ben Francisco to replace elite level production and defense and their middle infield is rapidly aging. Oh and Ryan Howard still strikes out a ton.
But Ii digress to the Yankees who will feel the hurt from this rejection in the short term. The Yankees will need help for the rotation next year and they will be in a world of trouble if they can't convince Andy Pettitte to come back for one final season. Even if you are being generous, there are only two solid pitchers for New York in CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes. A.J. Burnett is a huge question mark and beyond that is the great unknown.
Brian Cashman probably has some kind of back-up plan that he was hoping to avoid should Lee go elsewhere, but clearly it wont replace what Lee would have brought to New York next season.
The Yankees wont deal for Zack Greinke or Felix Hernandez or Josh Johnson. In the case of Greinke it would deplete the farm system too much right now for Cashman to justify the move. Hernandez and Johnson are just pipe dreams Yankee fans will spout over the next few months.
As a Yankee fan though I can take away some kind of a silver lining. The Yankees struck out on Cliff Lee twice. The first time they were able to hold on to Jesus Montero which will be a huge plus when it comes to rejuvenating the Yankee lineup with a youthful bat. This second strike out will save them millions of dollars. If the Yankees had signed Lee their payroll would have sky rocketed and if you believe the Yankees have some semblance of a budget, it would have severely impaired their ability to field a competent team. In 2014 the Yankees would have had close to $100 committed to just four players and that doesn't count arbitration eligible players either.
The long and short of it is the Yankees will suffer next season. They may still make the playoffs and compete, but Cashman will have to pay in prospects at some point this offseason or before July 31st to get that other front-line pitcher the Yankees desperately need. Three or four years from now though, the Yankees may be happy that this one got away... I doubt it though.
Showing posts with label Brian Cashman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Cashman. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Burnett stops the bleeding... again.
Well it doesn’t really need to be said, but A.J. Burnett gave the Yankees everything they needed last night. The bullpen was dead after Chien-Ming Wang went out and got pounded by the Rays in the first game of the series. Burnett gave them eight spectacular innings and kept all the arms in the pen on ice and Nick Swisher and his cannon in left field.
It seems interesting to note that both times Burnett took the mound for the Yanks, they needed a big performance. He stepped up after CC and Wang flopped in Baltimore and now he stepped up after the bullpen let down Joba and Wang failed to get out of the second. He is quickly turning into a stopper for the Yanks and he is looking more and more like a pitcher who is on a mission to fix his legacy.
On the other side of the ball – when did Nick Swisher decide to become Albert Pujols? His four homers only trail the Rays Evan Longoria and the same goes for his 11 RBI which leave him one behind Longoria and another young phenom, Adam Lind of Toronto. Swisher may be doing himself a disservice though, lifting Yanks fans expectations for him beyond what his skill level will actually produce.
At least he will have more than enough opportunities to show Yankee fans this quick start is for real. According to Pete Abraham, Xavier Nady had a sharp pain in his elbow as he threw the ball back into the infield during Tuesday’s game. Nady will get an MRI tomorrow and we will find out what this means for the Yanks for the long term.
Good thing Cashman decided to sit on both outfielders despite overtures from other teams looking to pry one or the other from the Bombers. The depth of having both looks like it will allow the team to absorb this setback until A-Rod returns later this month or early next. I would prefer having Nady around though, as it would mean Melky Cabrera gets little to no at bats and that Matsui would be one person further away from every seeing the outfield grass.
It seems interesting to note that both times Burnett took the mound for the Yanks, they needed a big performance. He stepped up after CC and Wang flopped in Baltimore and now he stepped up after the bullpen let down Joba and Wang failed to get out of the second. He is quickly turning into a stopper for the Yanks and he is looking more and more like a pitcher who is on a mission to fix his legacy.
On the other side of the ball – when did Nick Swisher decide to become Albert Pujols? His four homers only trail the Rays Evan Longoria and the same goes for his 11 RBI which leave him one behind Longoria and another young phenom, Adam Lind of Toronto. Swisher may be doing himself a disservice though, lifting Yanks fans expectations for him beyond what his skill level will actually produce.
At least he will have more than enough opportunities to show Yankee fans this quick start is for real. According to Pete Abraham, Xavier Nady had a sharp pain in his elbow as he threw the ball back into the infield during Tuesday’s game. Nady will get an MRI tomorrow and we will find out what this means for the Yanks for the long term.
Good thing Cashman decided to sit on both outfielders despite overtures from other teams looking to pry one or the other from the Bombers. The depth of having both looks like it will allow the team to absorb this setback until A-Rod returns later this month or early next. I would prefer having Nady around though, as it would mean Melky Cabrera gets little to no at bats and that Matsui would be one person further away from every seeing the outfield grass.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Cashman still wheeling and dealing in Vegas
Cashman may not have received a mandate from the Steinbrenners to win this year, but he sure is acting like he has to win now.
After handing out the largest contract ever to a starting pitcher, he is supposedly deep into talks with A.J. Burnett and it looks like the Yanks are in prime position to steal him from the grasp of the Braves. The rumored deal is for five years and somewhere between $80 and $90 million. Now obviously this money is pretty absurd for a guy who has only been sporadically healthy through his career and only shows up against certain teams or when he his playing for his next contract. But the one thing I like about Burnett is that he shows up against both the Yanks and the Sox. If all he does is kill the Sox the $16+ million a year would have some value if only to see how mad Red Sox Nation gets when Burnett is 14-11 with a 4.50 ERA and still schooling them when he can't beat the Royals.
The other deal that Cashman has just about completed is the one to send Melky Cabrera to the Brewers for Mike Cameron. Much like getting Nick Swisher for Wilson Betemit, this a steal of a deal. Melky has potential but I get the feeling he won't reach it or it will be a very long time before he does. Plus the Brewers may eat some of Cameron's contract. Cameron may not be long for the Yanks, he is likely to be just a place holder until they feel that Austin Jackson is ready, so he doesn't cost the Yanks a lot but he upgrades the lineup and the defense in the outfield.
So far the Yanks have spent a lot of money, even by their standards. But on paper they are a much better team and that's all Cashman can do is put the best team on paper and then hope they perform on the field. What I like about all these deals is that he hasn't given up any of the Yankees future. He has held all of the major young pieces that he wants to keep and traded away others that were expendable.
I can't argue with what Cashman has done. I probably would have made all the same moves too. Ironically the Yanks payroll will probably still fall this off-season and next year it will drop a little further.That's a feat in itself.
After handing out the largest contract ever to a starting pitcher, he is supposedly deep into talks with A.J. Burnett and it looks like the Yanks are in prime position to steal him from the grasp of the Braves. The rumored deal is for five years and somewhere between $80 and $90 million. Now obviously this money is pretty absurd for a guy who has only been sporadically healthy through his career and only shows up against certain teams or when he his playing for his next contract. But the one thing I like about Burnett is that he shows up against both the Yanks and the Sox. If all he does is kill the Sox the $16+ million a year would have some value if only to see how mad Red Sox Nation gets when Burnett is 14-11 with a 4.50 ERA and still schooling them when he can't beat the Royals.
The other deal that Cashman has just about completed is the one to send Melky Cabrera to the Brewers for Mike Cameron. Much like getting Nick Swisher for Wilson Betemit, this a steal of a deal. Melky has potential but I get the feeling he won't reach it or it will be a very long time before he does. Plus the Brewers may eat some of Cameron's contract. Cameron may not be long for the Yanks, he is likely to be just a place holder until they feel that Austin Jackson is ready, so he doesn't cost the Yanks a lot but he upgrades the lineup and the defense in the outfield.
So far the Yanks have spent a lot of money, even by their standards. But on paper they are a much better team and that's all Cashman can do is put the best team on paper and then hope they perform on the field. What I like about all these deals is that he hasn't given up any of the Yankees future. He has held all of the major young pieces that he wants to keep and traded away others that were expendable.
I can't argue with what Cashman has done. I probably would have made all the same moves too. Ironically the Yanks payroll will probably still fall this off-season and next year it will drop a little further.That's a feat in itself.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Cashman Returns
Rest easy Yankee fans. There will be no chaos in Yankee Universe this off-season. Brian Cashman has resigned with the New York Yankees for three years. He will get his chance to see through his hand picked manager's contract and to make sure his plan towards a youth movement will be fulfilled.
This will make getting through the off-season much easier for me and hopefully most Yankee fans. There will be no desperate signings and the rejuvenated player development system will get its chance to produce more homegrown talent.Sunday, September 28, 2008
Rain Delay Ponderings
The rain is coming down in Boston right now and it looks like they're going to do everything they can to get in at least one game for Moose and his quest for 20 victories. It would be a travesty is Mussina missed out on his last chance for 20 wins because of a weekend of bad weather.
Anyway, through this delay I have been thinking a lot about various off-season decisions the Yanks are going to have to make. New York will be in a good position to contend next year. They have all the pieces they need to be successful next season, it seems to be more of a matter of execution by the players and their manager who now has a year of experience in the Big Apple under his belt.
Everyone knows that their first off-season move will concern Brian Cashman. The Steinbrenners have been nothing but vocal about their desire to bring back Cashman and pretty much every fan and media personality says they should bring him back. The only question is whether or not Cashman wants to come back. Obviously I don't have access to Cashman like some in the media, but I find it hard to believe that he would leave now, right as he is on the precipice of seeing the benefits of his rebuilding of the farm system. Not only that but Hal seems to be controlling his brother Hank a bit more which would also give Cashman more of that autonomy that he craves. I would have to say Cashman is probably coming back to the only organization he has ever known.
The next big question will be what free agents the Yankees decide to bring back. I think the answer to that question is fairly simply. You let almost of of them go.
Of the list only Pettitte and Mussina should come back, unless they sign a big free agent like CC Sabathia or Burnett (though they should avoid Burnett like the plague, all the numbers point to him being Carl Pavano Part II) then they should only bring back one of them.
They can afford to let Giambi walk even though he has been productive this year. I like Giambi, but he is 37-years-old and to much of an injury risk. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui have both expressed interest at playing first base and in Matsui's case he can probably do little else anymore. Matsui at first base would be a smart move as the Yanks would lose little in terms of offensive production while insuring that Matsui could play most of the year.
The last move would be to let Bobby Abreu walk. Abreu is an ok player but he isn't great defensively and his bat will only get worse. He's 34 and will only get slower and more afraid of the outfield wall.
Of course they should offer all of these players arbitration. It would be stupid to let any of them walk without getting something for them. The only one who might accept it is Abreu but all of them are probably looking for one more big contract and if Abreu does accept it then the Yanks can tolerate one more year of good production from him.
All in all the Yanks should have $60 million coming off the books this year and an additional 25 next year. If Cashman comes back he will have a lot more flexibility in payroll and the Yanks will get younger and cheaper. Plus, if all of their free agents do sign elsewhere, the Yanks could have a treasure trove of draft picks next season.
That will be important considering the Yanks have got little to nothing out of their past four 1st round draft picks.
The tarp is off the field so I am off to watch the last meaningful game of the 2008 New York Yankee season.
Anyway, through this delay I have been thinking a lot about various off-season decisions the Yanks are going to have to make. New York will be in a good position to contend next year. They have all the pieces they need to be successful next season, it seems to be more of a matter of execution by the players and their manager who now has a year of experience in the Big Apple under his belt.
Everyone knows that their first off-season move will concern Brian Cashman. The Steinbrenners have been nothing but vocal about their desire to bring back Cashman and pretty much every fan and media personality says they should bring him back. The only question is whether or not Cashman wants to come back. Obviously I don't have access to Cashman like some in the media, but I find it hard to believe that he would leave now, right as he is on the precipice of seeing the benefits of his rebuilding of the farm system. Not only that but Hal seems to be controlling his brother Hank a bit more which would also give Cashman more of that autonomy that he craves. I would have to say Cashman is probably coming back to the only organization he has ever known.
The next big question will be what free agents the Yankees decide to bring back. I think the answer to that question is fairly simply. You let almost of of them go.
Of the list only Pettitte and Mussina should come back, unless they sign a big free agent like CC Sabathia or Burnett (though they should avoid Burnett like the plague, all the numbers point to him being Carl Pavano Part II) then they should only bring back one of them.
They can afford to let Giambi walk even though he has been productive this year. I like Giambi, but he is 37-years-old and to much of an injury risk. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui have both expressed interest at playing first base and in Matsui's case he can probably do little else anymore. Matsui at first base would be a smart move as the Yanks would lose little in terms of offensive production while insuring that Matsui could play most of the year.
The last move would be to let Bobby Abreu walk. Abreu is an ok player but he isn't great defensively and his bat will only get worse. He's 34 and will only get slower and more afraid of the outfield wall.
Of course they should offer all of these players arbitration. It would be stupid to let any of them walk without getting something for them. The only one who might accept it is Abreu but all of them are probably looking for one more big contract and if Abreu does accept it then the Yanks can tolerate one more year of good production from him.
All in all the Yanks should have $60 million coming off the books this year and an additional 25 next year. If Cashman comes back he will have a lot more flexibility in payroll and the Yanks will get younger and cheaper. Plus, if all of their free agents do sign elsewhere, the Yanks could have a treasure trove of draft picks next season.
That will be important considering the Yanks have got little to nothing out of their past four 1st round draft picks.
The tarp is off the field so I am off to watch the last meaningful game of the 2008 New York Yankee season.
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