Which center fielder do you like?
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 11, 2007 
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Watching Ichiro makes you think, which of the free agent center fielder would you want the Yankees to go after next season?
There’s Ichiro, Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter.
It’s an interesting call. Do you keep Bobby Abreu and chase an outfielder? Can Johnny Damon play left field? Do you try Damon at first base?
I love Andruw Jones and his power is appealing. But Ichiro, Damon and Jeter at the top of the order would wear teams out.
A lot depends on whether A-Rod is around. If they lose Alex, they will need a slugger.
Don’t keep Abreu – lets see how they all do at season’s end but for now I’d say Jones first (Cash was smart not picking up Abreu’s option last year as part of the deal) but didn’t Jones state his preference for warm weather cities?
They need a slugger next year with Alex or not.
I think Jones could get used to the temperature in NY in October.
I’d love to see Ichiro in pinstripes.
I wouldn’t think of retaining Bobby Abreu under any circumstances.
As we are seeing this year, he is a dog with fleas.
I give Ichiro whatever he wants. He would hit HR’s in the short porch, steal bases, and get everything in the alley’s.
He would be a great fit in NY.
I’d also shop Damon in the off-season. Great guy but, his body is falling apart. I can’t see him holding up over the last two years of his deal.
Its time to flush out the age and bad contracts on this team, if possible.
If not, they are in trouble.
Considering we prolly won’t get much slugging from Giambi, Matsui, Damon, or Abreu next year… and Cano and Melky are not going to suddenly develop into mashers.. yes, another slugger would be nice.
I’d go for Andruw. You should make it a poll Pete.
Arod isn’t going anywhere.
Lose Bobby and Melky, pick up Ichiro and get a power hitting 1st baseman. And of course, look for some decent pitching…..
What team in their right mind would take Damon without giving up crap for him and the Yankees eating %70 of the remainder of the contract?
NOT ICHIRO. He is not a slugger. He’s a slap hitter.
Abreu is a joke.
SJ44…..you are not going to get anything for the remains of Damons body unless John Hopkins is interested…
The last two years of that contract are going to have to be swallowed as he becomes a co-DH with the what is left of Giambi…
good thing the sox lost tonight
Let Bobby leave! He looks terrible this year, even when he was hitting good he looked like a butcher in the outfield. Everyone warned us about him, and his phobia of the wall. Well we’ve seen it this year!
lf-matsui
cf-damon
rf-ichiro
yea….go ahead and sign Ichiro to a 4 year deal and eat the last couple years of that contract…he would be about 40 by then..
I like the idea of Ichiro and a big hitting first baseman. Ichiro and Jeter at the top of the line up makes me drool.
Ichiro, nice arm good bat and speed. Plus Boras promised to make Jones the next 200 million dollar man. Abreu is killing me, I understand he is slumping but Jesus.
I’d rather get Rocco Baldelli for a pitching prospect or two. It’d be nice to have someone in the OF that’s not a card carrying member of AARP
Jones is by far the best of those 3 players.
Funny it wasn’t that long ago that everyone was saying Abreu at $16M was a great deal. No one is saying that during this prolonged slump. I think he’ll come out of it eventually.
Carl Crawford would be nice
Why not put Fukudom in there with those three?
I dunno, I don’t really want Ichiro. He will already be 34 next year and he will definitely want a decent length contract. We’ll be in the same situation the last couple years.
Jones is the best option I guess because he has power and he is the youngest. He will get a ridiculous contract though.
watch your mouth THU!
The team that loses a CF might be interested in Damon because it would only be a 2 year commitment. You never know. Its worth asking.
They don’t need power hitters, they need hitters. Ichiro is, far and away, the better all around player. He’s the guy and you don’t lose any prospects to get him.
Cash seems commited to developing the young players and staying away from 6/7 year deals for $80M plus. Resigning Abreu (assuming he turns things around) and having Tabata lined up for 08 could be an option. A lot will depend on how Cabrera does this year though. If it is clear he isn’t up to stepping in for Damon at centre then Cash may opt for a safer option even if it costs him. With the young cheap pitchers coming through he will be saving money elsewhere.
Ichiro and Jones will take huge cash to sign. I know Jones has Boras representing him so lets leave it to Boston or the Angels to overpay him.
I’d like Ichiro but his speed is a major part of his game. If its gonna take 6 years to sign him then I pass. By the end of the deal he’ll have lost more than a step. He has had huge pressure on him his whole career though so I like him to handle NY the most.
I pass totally on Hunter. His offense is declining and will continue to do so.
being as JOnes is not an option at least for now as he has said he wants to play in warm weather I woudl go with Ichiro
Ichiro is one of the most overrated players in the game. Yeah, he runs fast, but he’s a singles hitter. Let’s give Abreu a chance to come out of this before we throw him under the bus…..
Melky is not the answer for anything
LOL yeah, any Devil Ray outfielder would be nice.
Arod’s D is much improved this year.
It doesn’t do any good if Abreu “comes out of it” eventually, if “eventually” is two or three months from now.
They got a half season out of him which is more than Philly got out of him the last 5 years. I’d still do that deal again.
Saying that, I don’t care what he does the rest of the year, and it doesn’t look like much, there is no way you pick up his option.
Re-sign Posada and ARod. Give Ichiro whatever he wants, build the starting staff around Hughes and Wang, and its a start.
Try to get rid of as many bad contracts as you can in the off-season and make the team more athletic. If Cashman can do that, this will be the only bad year he will suffer.
If he can’t, and keeps too much of the status quo, we will see the same miserable baseball we are seeing this year.
At some point, everybody, even the Yankees, have to re-tool. This seems to be the year to do it.
Melky is the answer for a decent 4th outfielder. Definitely not for an everyday player though.
I’m tired of watching Abreu drift back for balls and then hurl himself towards the wall. He looks like he’s just out there collecting a paycheck.
Cashman should stay away from contracts longer than 4 years, we need to stop getting burned by these long term backloaded contracts.
HMM they must have dinner plans, swinging at the first pitch.
Bobby is a Cadillac. He just needs a little work on his alignment and he will be riding as smooth as ever. Let’s not give up on him just yet.
As for the big three CF’s, they all have their fair share of miles on them, but I’ll take Jones over Hunter and Ichiro (although I agree that Ichiro is intriguing).
Ichiro if Alex stays.
Seems like Matsui’s bat left with his broken wrist last year. Cash should go ahead now and resign Arod and Posada. No sense in waiting around. They need both of them back. Then try to pick up some pitching and outfield help next year.
Pete who is the fA outfielder in Joana that you mentioned eariler this year?
Any wagers on Cano striking out here?
SJ44 who do you suggest we get rid of?
Giambi 08:$21M, 09:$22M club option ($5M buyout) plus full no trade, who will take him for 26 million??
You’re not going to trade Jeter, Arod.
This entire team looks dead and awful. I say build around Jeter, A-Rod, Cano, Posada and dump the rest and get people who can actually play. It’s clear that most of this lineup is not working.
This has been a pretty pathetic display of offense so far
I like the fact that Posada is quietly hitting 362 this year, not to bad for a catcher huh..
Pete or anyone?? Anyone know if the yankees have to pay the luxury tax this year? I thought I heard if you are building a stadium you don’t.
I can’t believe this is the potent lineup people have been talking about. A three run lead seems almost too much for the Yankees. I’m trying really hard not to be pessimistic, but at this rate, that almost seems impossible.
whu no votes for torii hunter?
p.s. Rasner really needs to build up his arm strength to go over 80 pitches
There are 5 people in the lineup today hitting under .260
This has all the makings of a shutout.
When does Kevin Long get in the hot seat?
The Yankees have 3 good hitters on the team right now.
I think they still have to pay the luxury tax but get some other financial breaks.
Poland– that’s strong words for the team leading the AL in batting. I understand the frustration with a few slumpy players– but 90% of the teams in the majors would kill for this lineup.
Age is the real concern. It looks like it’s catching up to us this year.
I just read on espn.com that Clemens will make his first minor league start next weekend, either Thurs, Fri, or Sat in Tampa
I will admit I’m letting frustration take over…
“Watching Ichiro makes you think, which of the free agent center fielder would you want the Yankees to go after next season?
There’s Ichiro, Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter.”
another option is that any one of those players could play right field. that way there would be in effect two center fielders with damon still in center.
Peter,
Would you please ask Torre why Rasner cannot throw more than 81 pitches. Check his gamelogs, including tonight.
Why?
Are you guys talking about the same Yanks lineup I’m talking about? This year we are 1st in the AL in average and RBIs, 2nd in OBP, and 3rd in slugging.
Relax…
Since when is center field a top priority for next year? Damon is still capable of playing an above average center field, and I’ll trade Abreu’s poor defense for his bat once he rebounds out of this slump he’s been in.
Honestly, signing a center fielder didn’t even cross my mind. This team has other wories than just going out and signing a big name just to replace A-Rod if he opts out. The only outfielder the Yankees should push extremely hard after is Ichiro. Hunter, Jones…I’m not interested.
Please ask Torre why none of his pitchers can throw more than 80 pitches…
it depends? Can Ichiro throw a cutter?
What’s with the Ichiro love? Everything he gains from hitting a bunch of singles is lost when he doesn’t walk ever. A .375 career OBP for a guy who consistently bats over .300 isn’t that great – at least the walk-taker wears down the opposing pitcher and makes him throw more pitches.
I’d take Torii Hunter hands down. Average hitter – not so bad that he’d be a liability at the plate, and absolutely amazing defense.
do you think Torre will have Proctor throw 100 pitches before he goes out on his suspension just to ensure he is overworked ? Or maybe Proctor will toss a simulated game or two…
What is the issue with Rasner not going over 80 pitches ? This is borderline insane
Damon won’t play much above average center field on the DL or nursing one of his 57 minor injuries. I like the guy, but if he’s not hitting well he doesn’t offer much to this team. His well below average arm negates any range he’s got out there.
Its real easy to figure out who to get rid of.
1. Abreu. They don’t have to pick up his option. That’s $16 million to play with right there. That money should go right to Ichiro, with a little more to add to the total.
2. Shop Damon. Perhaps there are no takers but, it doesn’t hurt to ask. A team that loses a CF may see him as a 2 year stop gap for somebody. Great guy, but won’t outperform his contract any longer. We may have gotten the last great year out of him. Better to move him a year early rather than a year late.
3. I’d ask around on Cano. You can find second basemen around baseball. You don’t need an all star at every position and if you can get a young OF and/or an arm with upside, I’d think about it. As much as he has upside, he also has a lot of dog in him. If I could get a couple of good players for him, he’d be gone in a NY minute.
If they sign an Ichiro, for example, you can get anybody to play a solid second base and not break the bank. The lost offense, you replace with a better offensive player (Ichiro). Its something worth looking at, IMO.
If they could trade Johnson and Sheffield, you can trade anybody. Its just about being commited and creative.
I watch this team every night and I say, “tonight is the night they look like the Yankees again”. I go into every game believing we will see Damon, Abreu, Cano and Matsui play up to their standards.
But, its the same thing every night. Dead team, 5 guys who can’t hit the broadside of a barn and, if Posada, Jeter and ARod don’t hit, they can’t score.
Its an old unathletic, dead baseball team. I’d feel worse about it if I wasn’t so stoked about the options they have in the system that are a year or two away from being major contributors.
IMO, the future is as bright for the Yankees as the present is as bleak. This is not a good baseball team, hasn’t been a good baseball team all season and, frankly, is not good enough to just turn on a switch and play better. This is what they are….a very average team.
They won’t win the AL East, that’s obvious. The Wild Card? If this roadtrip plays out in 3-6, 2-7 fashion, they will have a hard time keeping up with the Tigers and Indians unless both teams struggle.
I can live with a bad year if they use this off-season to re-tool the everyday lineup. If they do that, this will be the last bad season for awhile for the Yankees.
Hey, Peter, Andruw Jones. he can cover the outfield, has strong arm than Damon and can hit for power. I hope Yankees don’t resign Abreu.
Really, why should I relax and take solace in the fact that we lead the AL in runs and other vanity statistics when we’re below .500, 7 games out of first, and are playing very poorly? I could care less how much we score on paper and how many stat categories we lead when do not WIN. WINNING is what matters here.
I don’t think its fair to say the Phillies didn’t get anything out of Abreu the last 5 years. He averaged over 20 HR’s, just about 100 RBI’s, 30 SB’s and about a .290 average. In fact he has pretty much never had a bad year in his career dating back to 1998. He will come around, and yeah if it’s two months from now we have no choice but to wait him out unless we are willing to give up the youth program and trade for a new OF’er. Love ‘em or Hate ‘em, Bobby is ours.
Abreu ripped that one by the way.
If ARod leaves, we’ll need a lot more than a slugger.
Ichiro – it seems like the same arguments for and against him have been raised a dozen time on this site, and they never change. For: he has leadoff hitter skills and plays a good center field. Against: he is too old, he would cost too much, he really doesn’t get on base *that* much, he has no power.
Jones is 3 years younger and has better overall numbers. He’s better than Ichiro in every way.
Wow has this gotten negative again quickly. You’d think the team was last in the league in offense not first. Remember Matsui has had some inuries to deal with this year. He’ll be fine. Anyway in the hopes of turning the mood around a bit here are some reasons to be cheerful!!
1- Tavarez started for Boston tonight. He is 1-4 with a 6.60 ERA. Boston has nobody near ready to replace him. Expect him to be about 1-7 with an ERA over 7 and an average of less than 5 innings per start before the finally yank him for Lester.
2- Wakefield hasn’t had an ERA under 4 for 5 years. This year he has a 1.79 ERA. Is it likely that at 74 years old he discovered how to throw a better knuckleball? I doubt it. Expect his ERA to be almost 4 by the end of the year.
3- The only injuries I can think of in Boston have been to Lester and Timlin who were never scheduled to be in Boston at the start of the year anyway. Expect Beckett and/or Schilling to spend time on the DL at some point. Drew and Varitek are almost a lock for the DL. I’m not wishing anyone ill here, but common sense says in a long season they will have some injuries too.
4- 38 and Beckett started off hot last year as well. It didn’t last 2 months.
5- If Lugo is still struggling by the all-star break the Boston media will treat him like they did Renteria (who Boston are still paying to hit .330 in Atlanta) and his play will deteriorate further. My prediction is that Lugo, Crisp, Varitek, Pedroia, and possibly Pena will finish the year hitting under .260. For all the hype that is not a good line-up.
6- DiceyK is in a 5 man rotation for the first time. His performance will probably improve soon, but it is a long season, and as much as he is famed for his stamina, he is throwing 110 pitches routinely just now. Come August that could be catching up with him.
7- Any injuries to starters (and remember 38, Beckett and Wake all hit the DL last year) and they will struggle. If they had anyone better than Tavarez they would be playing now.
8- Their bullpen has looked good because only Pap, Donelly and Okajima play in games that are still a contest. Once their rotation starts to falter (and history/ common sense says it will) then their frailites will be exposed. They were clearly expecting Delcarmen and Hansen to return to the bigs mid year after some polishing at AAA, but both have ERAs over 6. Think they will enjoy seeing Piniero in the 8th inning during a Yankees game? Again not meaning to wish the guy ill, but their own doctors told them not to put Pap back in the pen. If he has shoulder trouble again then they might as well pack up and go home.
9- Overall, things can’t get any better for Boston, they cant get any worse for us, and we are only 7 games back. Most of those came from head to head games when we were sending nothing but rookies to the mound.
10- We haven’t had a fully healthy (and ready – remember Muss is still on a pitch count and Wang is working his way back too) rotation yet. Damon, Giambi, Matsui, Abreu, Posada have all had injuries as well as Muss, Wang, Pav, Franchise, Sanchez and Karstens.
11- Also expect improvements from Rivera, Cano, Igawa, Matsui, Damon, Melky, Minky, Abreu.
12- Clemens.
Of course winning matters. My point is that it’s silly to sit here bemoaning our offense on a bad night. The Yanks don’t have a bad offense, and there’s no way you can blame our record on a lack of offense. Our record is what it is because of EXTREMELY poor picthing.
However, unlike SJ, I’m not ready to throw in the towel. If we can hang about 5 games out till June when Clemens and Hughes return, this team has an excellent chance to make the playoffs.
Thank you Brian. There is no way Boston will continue playing this well. Right now everything is clicking for them, but their pitching and hitting won’t be that good all year.
I am not worried about Boston, I am worried about the Yankees.
Anyone else watching the FSNNW broadcast on Extra Innings? The local Seattle broadcasters might actually be bigger homers than Chicago. Okay maybe not, but pretty close. Had to spend 15 minutes watching an interview with the dork that caught the homerun ball. The kid mumbled two words.
Frustrating game…The Yanks have a real knack for making mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young.
Anyway, my vote goes to Jones. Ichiro’s talents are completely dependant on his speed, which is likely to slow as he’s getting older. Hunter has been ridden hard in Minn. and is already in decline. Jones is the way to go, but it will unfortunately necessitate a major fleecing by Boras.
Boston is due for injuries, with two starters that are 40+, it’s bound to happen.
1. Ichiro CF
2. Damon RF
3. Jeter SS
4. A-Rod 3B
5. Matsui LF
6. Teixiera 1B
7. Posada C
8. Cano 2B
9. Anyone but Nieves DH
Washburn is pitching the game of his life
The Seattle broadcaster sounded like he creamed his pants on that last strike out
Time for some 9th inning magic
Yeah, the Seattle broadcasters are ridiculous. I can’t believe that guy just said “Rock the House!” when Matsui struck out…
By the way, building the new stadium saves the Yanks some money in revenue sharing. It does NOT save them anything on luxury tax. They are seperate costs.
this team just look lifeless
Keep wishing for injuries from the Red Sox. They have a 7 game lead. They can afford injuries.
If the Yankees can’t even play .500 baseball all the worry about the Red Sox is a waste of time. The Red Sox are the better team and its not close. Unfortunate, but true.
Some of you guys live and die by stats. Watch the games.
If the Yankees score 12 runs on day and 2 the next, that’s a 6 run average per game. Does that make them a “great” offensive team? No, it doesn’t. That’s how the Yankees run up their glorious stats.
Who is hitting in this lineup? Three guys, ARod, Jeter and Posada. Nobody else even has good AB’s. That’s why the stats are so gaudy. There is no balance at all in this lineup this season. Zero.
This is not a 5 or 7 game deal. Its been like this for most of the season. Which is why they are under .500.
The rest of the lineup. Automatic outs. Have been for the last 4 weeks and none of them are showing signs of breaking out of it.
It is what it is. Its a bad ballclub for a reason. The names mean nothing to me. Its about production. So far, the production is laughable.
They are getting dominated by slugs like Brandon McCarthy and Jarrod Washburn. Take out the 5-1 record against the Rangers, the Yankees are 11-17 against the rest of the AL.
Talk as much as you want about, “its early” but, that’s awful.
It would be one thing to see signs of things getting better. But, we aren’t. Even those with Pinstripe glasses have to admit this team looks dead more than it looks alive in most of the games they play this year.
Tonight is just another pathetic effort. Will probably be the same tomorrow night.
It ain’t changin’ until the guys who haven’t done anything this season decide its time to play baseball. If they decide to keep mailing it in, this will be a season long malaise.
Even Roger Clemens can’t fix what’s broken on this team.
UNC my point is this. The Yanks have a great offense. And it is getting better. And much much better pitching can be expected. So don’t panic. And since Boston has been riding high and will falter we shouldn’t give up hope yet. I don’t think Cashman just spent all that money on Clemens because he is writing off the season.
And come playoff we will have – for the first time in years- 4 guys in Wang, Clemens, Pettitte, and Wang who you are happy to start in any game. And if Clemens only goes 6 it wont matter becasue Franchise, can be the long man.
BTW SJ44 we will NOT trade Cano because it makes no sense to trade a solid second baseman with one of the best swings in baseball, esp when you are trying to get younger, more athletic and cheaper!!
Ichiro all the way. Plus defender with a plus plus arm and plus accuracy and ridiculous stolen base percentage.
“Really, why should I relax and take solace in the fact that we lead the AL in runs and other vanity statistics when we’re below .500, 7 games out of first, and are playing very poorly?”
i’m not much for relaxing either. this team is less than the sum of it’s parts.
i’d make girardi assistant gm and make everyone sweat including cashman, torre, and mattingly.
a good gm does more than make trades and plan for the future. he also should be putting pressure on daily to make sure everything is sharp. this team isn’t sharp. do you think billy beane sits around and patiently watches as his team underperforms? cashman needs a fire lit under him. i haven’t heard so many 5 year plans since the soviet union imploded.
win now and deal with the future later.like in the future.
Sweat Cash, Torre and Mattingly. Great idea Randy. I’m sure lack of pressure is the main problem with the team.
BTW Pete, I’m sure it was a bit of a throw away comment but since it hasn’t really been picked up on in the comments I want to say that of all the options you put forward playing Damon at 1st is the least likely.
You’ve pointed out how underappreciated good 1st base defense is many time s and I think Cash is on board with that one. Torre too sinse through all of Minky’s problems he stuck with him over Phelps.
Sheffield was tried there because they didn’t want $13m riding the pine, or the biggest clubhouse cancer in baseball to single handedly derail their season. On paper that killer lineup was tempting but plugging people into 1st just doesn’t work.
“esp when you are trying to get younger, more athletic and cheaper!!”
“esp when you are trying to get younger, more athletic and cheaper!!”
“esp when you are trying to get younger, more athletic and cheaper!!”
keep drinking the cashman cool aid , brian.
can you think of a younger,more athletic and cheaper team that has consistantly made the playoffs each year? those kinds of teams rise up and flame right out. name one that hasn’t.
to stay on top takes a huge amount of money each year. there is no way around it.
Ichiro is a shitty offensive player despite is flashy batting average (batting average is incrediably overrated and not very important stat). And, defense doesn’t win ball games.
+
Ichiro had a fluke season in an otherwise decling path and will suck even more next year then he is/will suck this year.
Jones is an offensive monster. Case closed.
Ichiro or Jones?
Why not both since A-Rod will leave at the end of the year and that will clear 16MM. Abreu is not coming back so that is another 16MM off the books.
NY will need a RH bat like Andrew Jones in CF.
Damon and his injuries are pathetic and to get a guy like Ichiro to play RF with his arm and batting leadoff with Jeter behind him be tremendous.
Damon has a partial NTC and he could be moved to Chicago in a deal for Crede to replace A-Rod at 3B? Cashman likes this guy and Chicago has Josh Fields in AAA. Perhaps Atlanta might be another fit for Damon.
Ichiro
Jeter
Giambi DH
Jones
Matsui
Crede
Posada
Cano
1B
I know there are new threads but I figured I’d post my two cents. I’d let Abreu walk at the end of the year, move Damon to right and put Melky in center full time.
When does Kevin Long get in the hot seat?
I think its time to look at the players individually, I’ve heard players mention both Kevin AND Don working with them on batting. Kevin helped Alex a lot, has worked with Doug who is improving.
I saw one of the line ups do you really think we can get both Teixiera and Ichiro? Do we have any indication that either of them wants to come to NY (if they have NTCs or are Free Agents?). Wasn’t that a couple of the available pitchers last year didn’t want to come to the east or to NY?
“chiro or Jones?
Why not both…?”
l like your thinking. it may not happen, but why not try to have extremely good players in new york always . the better the team . the more money it takes in. the more good players it can afford. paying a lot for young draft picks is also a way to use yankee money when boras clients for example drop down because of price. if the yankees aren’t using their money to get great players one way or another. they aren’t using their trump card.
You can’t, under any circumstances, pick up Bobby Abreu’s option? Paying $17 million dollars for an OBP-type of player who can’t hit HR’s anymore is absurd. To be honest, he is barely worth the $13 million dollars the Yankees are paying Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. As for potential replacements, I don’t know who I would put out there. I wouldn’t touch Ichiro Suzuki because he is 34 years out and I don’t want to “eat the last two years” of any contract. Plus, he’d cost a ton and he doesn’t provide any power or runs batted in. I continue to say that Torii Hunter is one of the most overrated players I have ever seen. He is a fantastic defensive outfielder – nobody can deny that. But he’ll bat .260 for you and hit 30 HR’s – does that make him worth what he’ll likely demand on the free market? Plus, he is also getting up there in years. Of the three mentioned, I’d put my money in Andruw Jones – that being said, I don’t see the Yankees doing that. In case people have not noticed, Brian Cashman is shying away from long-term contracts (see Jason Giambi). He understands that signing these six and seven year deals is a way to get your club trapped under tremendous salaries. My guess is that the Yankees will try to retain Abreu for a below-average deal, and if that fails, will probably replace him with Melky Cabrera out there. It’s become apparent that Melky is not the hitter that he played up to last year, but if he can bring his average near .270, then it’s fine for now,
Dump Abreu and use his money to go after one of these three. It’s a tough call, but the arms and OF defense of the three are a plus.
Given his speed, the lineup situation that Pete mentioned and his arm, I’d take Ichiro on a 3 year deal…by the time Ichiro’s deal is up, Tabata hopefully will be ready.
but if Alex walks, then Andruw becomes a must.
I heard someplace that Andruw Jones said he is no, not, never, playing in a cold weather city.
The Yanks need to extend Arod, Texas is going to pay part of that so it’s a nice deal for us plus I can’t imagine George letting the guy who’s gonna break the homerun record one day just walk away especially with a brand new stadium opening up. Of course Cash is running the show so goodness knows what he’ll do, probaly sign Carl Pavano’s younger brother to a 10 year deal to play 3rd for us. ::sighs::
I’m the most positive of Yankees fans and I’ll believe the Yankees have lost the Division on the day it becomes impossible for them to do so.
However, I have to agree with UNCYankee. The Yankees and not Boston need to be our concern. If you’re counting on us winning by default because Boston implodes, then you’re kidding yourself. Even if that happened, there’s nothing that automatically says it will be us who steps into first place.
Let’s get our team turned around and in contention and *then* we can start talking about Boston.
All three of those CFs are overhyped and are going to get overpaid. Ichiro and Jones are one dimensional with the bat and Tori Hunter sucks balls.