Missed opportunity for Yankees
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- July
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I just noticed this: The Red Sox are 5-7 since June 18. Had the Yankees managed to go just 5-4 on that road trip and 2-1 against Oakland, they would be six games out and everybody would be talking about a summer pennant race.
Instead they are 11 out. Talk about missing a big chance. The Red Sox have been asking to get caught and the Yankees went the other way.
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on Sunday, July 1st, 2007 at 7:04 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Yeah, it makes me sick.
They are literally inviting us to make this a race. Im not giving up hope just yet, the annual Red Sox meltdown is approaching like clockwork and if the Yankees can get their act together NOW, maybe, just maybe…..I can hope right?
The bill is due and things can actually get worse..
Posada will not leave but he could if he wanted to.. he also is a 35 yr old catcher. jeter is 33 and Arod can do whatever he wants….
things can get worse..
If everything that can go wrong in the offseason does the Yanks will need a new; 1b,3b, rf, closer, and catcher. they obviously will also need minimum 1 starting pitcher and have very little for next yr offensively in the minors…
If you would have told me pedroia would have had a better season by far so far then cano before the season started I would have laughed, the same with JD Drew vs Abreu and the same for crisp and damon.
the Yankee lefty hitters hav been atrocious….
crisp offensively is a zero but defensively he blows damon away.
newsflash the AL east stinks… 1 team above 500…
it stinks, I see no dominating teams in baseball at this point.. detroit has a bad closer, boston seems more balanced but hav issues, the angels need another bat(for like the 5th yr in a row.), and seatlle will fade, clevelands pen stinks, etc.
And to think the Yankees cannot make the wildcard is some statement…
Forget the Redsox or the wild card. Please. It will only hurt you. Let’s concentrate on .500!!!
The Yanks can’t do a damn thing unless they are above sea level. They’re going to drown if they don’t stop the bleading, the sharks can taste the blood.
No big trades can even be considered, no magical come from behind second half of the season….NOTHING without 500.
I think the Yankees should start a fight, a brawl. Get the blood pumping. Have everyone shave their head, SOMETHING.
I love Torre but… This team is not a cohesive unit. They are not playing as a team. Who would have thought that after getting rid of Randy and Sheff the clubhouse would be worse?
Ultimately it’s Torre’s job to get them to work together. And don’t think that Jeter is beyond some blame, he is. He is and will go down as one of the best Yankees ever. But he will be a Yankee for years to come, Torre will not. Jeter needs to bust some ass in the clubhouse. Kangaroo court..something. He has never led in times of turmoil, only in time of triumph.
The way the Yankees play the rest of the year will shape the next few seasons. Will Arod leave? will Posada leave? Will Mariano leave? If the ship keeps sinking…they really might. Then where are we?
Torre needs to fight for his job
Jeter needs to fight for his legacy
This post makes me want to throw up. Just PATHETIC.
THIS SUCKS, However:
They’re whay 9 games behind DET?
If they gain 3 in July, 4 in AUG, and 4 in SEP they’ll get the WC. However CHANGES HAVE TO BE MADE.
George has to tell Cashman this: Either Toree gets fired, or BOTH TOREE AND CASHMAN GET FIRED.
Hire Giradi as manager. If Cashman resigns, or opts to get fired, hire Gene Michael as GM.
DFA MYERS and FARNSWORTh. Myers will end up getting released, but they maybe able to get SOMETHING for Farnsworthless.
Call-up Britton or Henn and Shelly Duncan. And then sit back and see if they can get thir act together.
If they are say 6-7 games out of the WC on July 31st, then try and add to the team. Get Jermey Affeldt, if COL is out of the NL East(and they probly will be), for say Brett Smith.
Trade for Zambrano if CHC is out of it, for say Alan Horne?
Get Josh Bard for say Chase Wright?
And id possible get Texeria. Or get Scott Hattebburg or Ty Wiggington.
If thir say 8+ games out have a FIRE SALE.
Trade Pettite,Posada, Rivera,A-Rod, Abreu,Mussina,Damon.maybe even Clemens if he wants to pitch in the playoffs. I know almost all of those guys have a no-trade but chances are that they’ll want to play in the playoffs and would waive it for say $50,000
Oh and sign Rivera,Pettite and Posada(if he’ll take 2 years + team option) in the off-seaon
if
i would have titled this post “Yankees begging to be buried”. The sox missed an opportunity to bury the yankees.
yes the sox were looking to be caught, but unlike the yankees they have some balance and are a good team, the mets had their losing streak and now they are playing good baseball, the sox will bounce out of this – the lead is 11 games – i’m not sure this team could even win 75, i read some comments about the team being unwatchable – besides waiting for arod ab’s i agree
Bob are you on acid. 1st Colorado plays in the west…
the Yanks are basically unwatchable… It is simple the bullpen really does stink, they have some potential options in the minors but Torre only trusts guys over 30.. YEA YEA YEA, Franki rodriguez came from AA and others have also.
And the 4 lefty batters have all been disasters; damon, abreu, matsui(to a lesser extent), and cano… these guys are brutal,, combined they have about 15 HR’s and are hitting about 265 on avg… that is catastrophic and Gimabi being hurt in the long run does hurt….His OBP and power is gone……….
Per Buster Olney’s blog:
Here’s a reason for the Yankees to think they could climb back into the race: After the All-Star break, their first 28 games are against Tampa Bay, Toronto, Kansas City, Baltimore and the Chicago White Sox. In other words, a month of games without playing any of the elite teams in the AL.
You have to think that Cano/Abreu/Matsui/Damon will each get hot eventually. At least a couple of those guys, anyways. Hughes will be back in a few weeks, which will most likely be an upgrade over Igawa.
Still a glimmer of hope.
there is a chance but they need to play much better and they need to shake things up..I mean they need to get rid of older guys that are not performing and will be gone after the yr. anyway..
they are not out of it but they are not looking like a good team right now…
“In other words, a month of games without playing any of the elite teams in the AL.”
Yeah – the Yanks did great against those scrubs in Colorado and San Francisco…
Gene Michael is (or is going to be later this year) 69 years old. Do you really think he wants the GM job?
Zambrano for Horne? Are you high?
Cubs GM: Hmm, let’s trade our established ace for an unproven AA pitcher with good numbers!
50,000 to waive the no trade? What, so they have some money to tip their waiters when they’re making 10 million (at least) per season? If you made 10,000,000 a year, 50,000 is like 500 dollars to someone making 100,000 a year. Would you take 500 dollars and then move your entire family and switch jobs?
Bob
“Trade Pettite,Posada, Rivera,A-Rod”
“Oh and sign Rivera,Pettite and Posada”
What?!?
I’m setting the over-under on Bob’s age at 15.
Other recent missed opportunites for the Yankees: scoring runs in baseball games.
“I’m setting the over-under on Bob’s age at 15.”
How about 10?
There is nothing wrong dreaming playoffs.
There has to be some shakeup soon to wake this team up.
Sadly, the number of typos is much higher.
IT’S ALL BERNIES FAULT..SHOULD OF ACCEPTED THE INVITATION
When did Bernie learn how to get lefties out?
Posada game calling…
Sometimes I wonder if is me been to picky or Posada game calling, I see where the pitcher get two quick strikes on the batter by throwing down and way then posada calls for a pitch up, then in, then on the low dirt, now is 3-2 next pitch have to be down the middle and usually get hit pretty hard, to many wasted pitches.I know is normal to waste a pitch,but not to tke it to full count.
I blame Posada for last two games and his game calling. The Yankees won on Fri with Nieves starting and catching Mussina. The two losses were when Posada was in the lineup .
Opinions…
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As always, the sky is falling until it’s not. While the team has severe problems, given the level of competition, and the talent in the lineup, they still have a shot at the Wild Card.
Let’s see. Hope is not a strategy. But neither are panic and despair.
the only thing we got is our schedule after the allstar game is we could get one game within 500 by the break and we could get a nice thing gion like 16 out of 19 or a good run will be in it
Why do people think an easier schedule will help us? The Sox have all 19 games left against the (Devil) Rays, and loads of other games against below-average teams.
red sox always have trouble against the d rays and im not talkin a bout the red sox i dont think we can catch them im talkin about the wild card
Ugh, I know. That’s one of the worst things about the way the Yankees are playing.
Sawx in June — 13-14, and they didn’t exactly have a hard schedule.
Fact is, I wouldn’t be surprised if they play at that level the rest of the way.
Problem is, 3 months of .490 ball might still be enough to beat us, considering the past 2 weeks.
that’s incredibly depressing pete.
Anyone looking to dump Cano off of 3 months of so-so play is out of their friggin’ mind. The guy hit .342 last year (342!), was our best hitter down the stretch and led the sport in RBIs in the second half. He’s got good range in the field, soft hands and an absolute gun for an arm, and he’s 24 years old.
As bad as he’s been, he’s still hitting .270, he’s fifth in the league in doubles, and he’s on pace to drive in 80 runs. He will make adjustments, and moving him while his value is at its lowest would be insanity.
Also, disagree on Todd Helton. It’s been reported multiple places that Colorado will eat half his salary to make a deal happen. That makes it roughly 4 1/2 years, 45 mil. for a .320/.420 guy who plays excellent defense and, granted, will be 37 at the end of the contract. If Texeira falls through, who are we getting of similar quality for a less or equal outlay?
If I’m Cash I’d be agressive there and look to grab Brian Fuentes in the bargaign. If it happened, I’d call Philly and offer any one arm from our bullpen but Mo and Fuentes, and a top prospect, for Aaron Rowand.
Fact is, I wouldn’t be surprised if they play at that level the rest of the way.
Fact is, you’re delusional. The sox won’t go crazy like may, but they’re too good a team to continue junes record. Man, the nuts that come out on the net.
No offence folks, but we’ve all been saying stuff like “they can turn it around but they have to do it RIGHT NOW” since about May. Every day that’s passed since then is another reason it’s probably not gonna happen.
Here are a few other reasons the odds are bad: Kyle Farnsworth(less) Mike Myers, Kei Igawa, Roger Clemens, a glaring lack of a first baseman, Phil Hughes’s legs, the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers,Damon, Abreu, and Cano, all heroes just a year ago, swinging the bat like they’re blind, and the fact that our best relievers not named Mo are Scott Proctor and Brian Bruney. That ain’t good.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing mor that to be proven wrong, but until I have reasons to believe otherwise, I’m afraid the 07 Yankees are a sinking ship.
(Sorry, I didn’t mean to go all Shea Hillenbrand on everyone there at the end. My bad.)
Oops, I finished that last post a little early. My point is: maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to start looking to the future. Start testing some fresh meat, aquire some more prospects, get younger, stuff like that. This year is bad enough, the last thing I want is another season like this in 08.
You read the papers, the websites, the magazine, and listen to the radio and all you hear is suggestions, suggestions, suggestions. Maybe it’s time to realize that there’s no magic bullet that can save the 2007 Yankees. I have trouble envisioning a series of moves that’ll turn a team that has trouble playing .500 ball into a playoff contender. Do people really think Joe G., a new GM, and trading a couple good AA pitchers for some veterans is really going to make the difference? C’mon people. The Yankees have borrowed against the future for years to deliver 95-100 win seasons to a seemingly insatiable media and fanbase. At some point, the debt was going to get called in; and now it has. The fear has always been that age would catch to the Yankees and now it has: we’ve got one SP, a couple of RP, a 2B, and OF under 30. That’s it. We’re stuck with aging, past-their-peak players like Giambi, Mussina, Matsui, and Damon (and the Yankees are set to sign two more past-their-peak players to extensions in Rivera and Posada [I've been huge fans of both these guys, but they can't keep it up forever]).
So, all those people who think that trading the farm for another patch: just stop. The Yankees may be better off in 2008 and 2009 and 2010, if they let 2007 go.
And, what Mike said.
See, the Yankees are making this interesting. They COULD have won all these games while the RedSox were stinking it up, but then we wouldn’t have had an exciting AL East end race!
Don’t worry guys. Yankees are going to go 1.00 for the last 60 games of the season. Wang will be an ace. Igawa is going to throw 5 full games. Hughes is going back to AAA so he he doesnt tear any more muscles with the intent to join mid way next year.
Yankees will win the AL East in a Thriller as good as a movie. AROD will bust the HR record by Bonds, saying “i love jeter. i love cashman. sniff, i just love you all” and then kisses peter
Postseason: Yankees’ momentum of the season stops right in its tracks when AROD loses his swing. But due to some late game shut down pitching by Rivera and clutch hitting by Jeter, Yankees get into World Series.
At the World Series, facing the Arizona Diamondbacks, AROD discovers his swing with a HR in each game while Yankees win in 4 games.
It’s gonna happen. Just watch.
And please, if there’s a God in heaven, I only ask one thing of you: please do not let the Yankees trade for Todd Helton. That would be a sign of very bad things to come.
they are not trading the farm to hold this thing together those days are over…
if they were crazy they could trade chamberlin, kennedy, and others for help today.. and they would regret it for yrs. the yare sinking ir swimming with basically what they have. I suggest minor tweaks basically callups.
again if the established yankee lefty hitter stink like they have so far the yare toast. if these guys played to there baseball card they have a chance..
it is that simple… the pen is atrocious and if torre does not find out if any of the young guys can pitch they are toast als.
Pete’s comments about Hughes earlier today are worng. the yanks have a philosophy to protect there big time pitchers in the minors and that is why the innings are low.. some people would say babying starters in the minors leads to these injuries and think they should work them harder in the minors the yanks obviously disagree. Hughes injury this yr was the hammy and then the ankle doing drills, the ankle injury should have never happened…
I think he is going to be fabulous, we will see if I am right…
Cano should be traded. He isn’t that great. We could get a nice return on him that is above and beyond what Cano does for us (which is nothing this season). Forget about past seasons. They mean nothing now.
Package him in for a trade to get Tex. Play Andy Phillips at 2nd. He seems to have found the magic potion that get him hits up in the bigs. He can also play a decent defense.
Losing one pitching prospect and Cano would be worth what we are getting from Teixeira. We just need an extension window to sign him for 4 years minimum to make it worth the loss of a prospect. Remember, not all prospects do well in the bigs.
Teixeira playing everyday will do more for the team than a pitcher every 5 days. He hits and he hits with power.
Imagine Damon Jeter Tex Arod Posada Matsui as the 1st 6 up.
Then Phillips and Melky. Things can get done. I didn’t include Abreu as he is Mr. Useless and should bat 9th with zero expectations out of him. Abreu won’t get traded so we are stuck till 2008.
As for the relievers.. we are sunk.
We aren’t getting to the playoffs. We could have made up ground and didn’t. The Blue Jays are more of a threat to Boston that the Yankees are and no way the Yankees are going to catch up to the Indians or Tigers. Dream on if you think that is going to happen.
This season is lost and best to trade and get some talent for 2008.
Marius, newsflash Abreu is done after this yr. the yhave an option for 2008, they will not excercise it.. also if they are not going to make the playoffs this yr. they can trade for Tex in the offseason no need to do it now..
Phillips is to slow and immobile to play big league 2b
PETE YOUR ON 660AM WFAN NICE TO HEAR YA !!!!
it’s weird to have been around this blog long enough to actually have a day-by-day account of people’s hope fading. people going from chastising those who criticized the team to saying things like “this season is done” in the span of a couple of weeks. weird stuff.
look, this season happens to every organization eventually. the real test for the yankees will be trying to bounce back and make sure this down season doesn’t turn into a decade of futility.
teams lose. it happens. bandwagon fans will stop following this team for a few years and buy a tigers hat or something. that’s fine.
Stuart… I said till 2008. Which means just that and does not mean ‘including 2008′. I can see by your posts you aren’t exactly the master writer, so I suggest reading some book on grammar.
Actually Phillips is actually quite a good infielder and isn’t immobile as you stated. You really don’t have a clue do you?
Peter-Are you hearing any whispers about Gagne or Teixeira or anyone?
giantthinker – The Texas Rangers want top tier players for Tex and Gagne. Yeah, that’s not happening. Cash will wait them out. Meanwhile, we should be trading Farns and Myers for Michael Bourn of the Phillies. Chris Britton and Edwar Ramirez can take their spots. I’d trade for Cesar Izturis too, but that’s just me.
Monday’s New York Post attacks ARod’s “wife”:http://www.nypost.com/seven/07022007/frontback.htm
Please. No Texiera. No Helton. Any trades this year, the Yanks should be sellers. I’m tired of seeing other teams’ former stars wearing Yankee uniforms. That used to be fun when I was a kid. Now, I’d rather see the team prosper from making smart moves with talent from within the organization.
So, we don’t make the playoffs. Big deal. The Stadium is sold out for the next 10 years anyway.
I love the post “Cano is not that great….we should trade him….we can get a nice return”…..if he is not that great and a internet poster knows that, I’m guessing the Texas GM does also and we probably won’t get a nice return for him……just a guess though
Farnsworth is a joke, he does not deserve to wear the pinstripes,…read this from George King, NY Post today’s edition….Two days after pitching poorly, showing up his manager and getting a blistering lecture from Torre, Kyle Farnsworth yesterday informed the Yankees that he was unavailable to pitch because of a stiff back. Upon being taken out of the game in the eighth inning Friday night, Farnsworth gave the ball to Torre on the run while leaving the mound, shook his head in disgust and threw his glove into the dugout. Afterward, Torre gave him a heated talk.
Enough said on Farnsworth…that is an embarrasment………..
What does everyone think about a Cano, Chase Wright and Desalvo(or Kennedy provided Tex agrees to an extension) to Texas for Texaria and Wilkerson trade, ala Hitchcock and Russ Davis for Tino and Nelson, that was a trade that helped the dynasty…I think it would be easier to find a second baseman…finally I agree with Sherman in today’s post and feel trading AROD(our Hershel Walker) is a good move if he agrees to it to the Angels for some great prospects…I don’t see the Yankees keeping AROD at 8 years 200 million next year anyway…frankly I would rather go after pitching like Zambrano and someone like Ichiro, let AROD go…I hate to suggest this but is he playing great b/c there is no pressure and we stink? Oh and the wife’s shirt is hilarious…..
I go away for the weekend, and suprise the Yankees continue to stink.
Krazy Kyle Farnsworth thinks he is 10 again and throws a temper tantrum, Scott Proctor thinks he is at a beach and starts a fire. Crazy weekend in Yankee land. When is Jeter going to earn that C and call out his teamates?? He needs to do it in the media cause whatever he is doing isn’t working right now!! I heard Jorge had a little something to say, maybe he should be captain.
Her shirt was not XXX, give me a break!! Was it appropriate heck no, should she have worn it no, should it be the cover story of a major newspaper NO, espically when we have been warned that another attack is planed!! If you didn’t already know this shows why the NY post is a RAG!!
who signed farnsworth? wouldn’t that be cashman?
it’s time for everyone to realize that cashman is one of the problems and not one of the solutions.
he’s a decent supporting actor, but he’s not a main man.
look at his handling of sheffield. he trades him to a team the yankees have to beat now for players that may help later knowing sheffield would help the tigers now.
cashman is single handedly dismantling the yankees. these are not the yankees. this is cashman’s frankenstein idea of a team.
he needs to go to a small market team where his “younger and cheaper” developmental ideas will fit comfortably at the bottom of the standings. sheffield was “older and good”. i ‘ll take that any day over cashman’s pie in the sky developmental theories. anyone that thinks the yankees don’t miss sheffield’s right handed bat and his no nonsense attitude is not basing their opinion on reality.
Boston isn’t this great monster everyone seems to think they are.
Yankees have to win games to even discuss making up ground, but Detroit and Anaheim are far superior clubs to Boston.
Gotta love the NY Post. But, what was Mrs. A-Rod thinking? Oh, well. Maybe another A-Rod controversy will the get the Yankees going.
I’ve decided to just go with the flow with the Yankees, up or down. As a fan, I can’t make changes, can’t have any impact on how the team does. I’ve officially gone into rubber-necking mode — that is, in a game like yesterday, being unable to look away.
Good for the NY Post. Anybody else who would have worn an XXX shirt like that would have been immediately asked to leave the stadium.
Morality is in short supply these days, I guess.
Mr. A-Rod was making a commentary on the press. I see nothing wrong with it so long as it isn’t an every appearance type thing.
That was her giving the finger to those who put the rags together.
hey doreen-
i’m into season on cape cod so i have to just comment and run for the next few months, but i want to say that you a single fan can make a difference.one opinion can turn into hundreds,hundreds into thousands,thousands into making a statement. peter a. can very easily take the collective thoughts here and run them by the main stream press if he thinks they are on point.
my point until he’s gone is going to be that cashman is a major problem and the architect of this frankenstein of a team. i know you have more moderate opinion of him, but cashman has to be held accountable for this mess.
Randy1
Well, someone does have to be accountable. Right now, I’m still at the point where I think it’s the players themselves for their own performance. However, I did not like Cashman’s handling of the 1B situation — that’s my major complaint. My major complaint with Joe Torre, of whom I also have a more moderate opinion, is he sticks with veterans too long.
I think if you are going to blame Cashman for things, you have to be on target with the things he deserves blame for and the Sheffield situation is not one of them.
Igawa? No question, he deserves the heat for that signing. Even though he was going on his scouts recommendation, that’s on him. You can’t waste that kind of money on a kid who isn’t good.
The backup catcher situation? Again, he has to take the heat for that. Can’t put it in the hands of Wil Nieves. Especially when your starting catcher is 35 years old.
Sheffield? No way does he get the blame for that.
There is too much revisionist history when it comes to the Sheffield situation. He didn’t want to play first base for the Yankees. He has stated that publicly and privately. He wasn’t going to be the Yankees first baseman this season under any circumstances.
He also wasn’t going to play RF over Abreu. Its easy to second guess that situation now with the year Abreu is having.
However, who among us thought he would have this kind of year after the numbers he put up with the Yankees last season?
If anybody felt Abreu would go from being a .338 hitter with a .460 OBP, to a .260 hitter with a .360 OBP this season, they certainly didn’t write about it in this blog.
Sheffield didn’t play most of last season and they still managed to hit lefthanders.
They weren’t going to extend him 3 more years, which is what he wanted, to stay in NY without a position. That would have been foolish to do.
They had Giambi as the DH, Abreu in RF, and Sheffield didn’t want to play first base for the Yankees.
So, what do you do? Not pick up his option, let him go and get nothing for him or do you pick up the option and trade him? They chose to trade him and if Humberto Sanchez pans out, nobody will be complaining about the deal a year or two from now. If he doesn’t, folks will complain about it.
That trade wasn’t made for this year. It was made for the future.
As far as where they traded him, they traded him to a place where they could have gotten the highest shot at a good return.
Humberto Sanchez is one of the Top Five pitching prospects in baseball. Break out the tape of his performance in the Futures Game last year. If he comes back strong from TJ Surgery (no reason why he can’t), the guy will help the Yankees for years to come.
Sheffield is DH’ing in Detroit. He’s not playing in the OF or first base. There was no spot for him in NY so its tough to condemn Cashman for that trade.
At some point, the team is going to have to get younger. Its just a fact of life. No team wins consistently without revamping their roster.
He isn’t afraid to spend money. He spent 17+ million on Roger Clemens. That’s not chump change.
He just doesn’t seem to want to waste money. Which, for example, is what spending 128 million bucks on Barry Zito (for example) would have been.
There is no doubt he has made mistakes. However, the decline of Damon, Matsui, Cano and Abreu as frontline players, has as much (or more) to do with the decline of the Yankees this season as the Sheffield trade or any other move Cashman made this off-season.
I have a hard time believing any GM could have seen the steep decline of Abreu, Cano and Damon coming since all three had excellent seasons last year. Matsui? Sadly, he doesn’t seem to be the same player, post wrist surgery.
This situation is no different than what Boston, Atlanta and Anaheim went through last year. They had terrible seasons but didn’t blow out the front office and stayed the course.
If the Yankees are smart, they will do the same.
They are on the right track. Its just that this year is going to be a transition year.
It happens to every team in baseball. I don’t know how folks can believe the Yankees are bulletproof from it.
While not a fan of the Post and Joel Sherman, I do think the timing of his story on asking A-Rod to approve a trade to restock the Yankees deserves merit.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07.....herman.htm
I heard that Jorge called out his teamates, and Joe’s reaction was basically you keep family business in the family. Like maybe thats the problem? Obviously staying in the fmaily isn’t working, and you need to call them out. Least Jorge has the guts to do so, unlike someone else! I really think changes need to be made, and the only place you can really start is with the manager or hitting coach. this team doesn’t hit!! that is a major problem!!
Further, I think it is time to consider showing Guidry and Torre the door. Tony Pena should be named interum manager (no not Mattingly) and either Gil Patterson or Joe Kerrigan should replace Guidry. Time to wake up the sleeping Yankees and Torre has lost the team.
Trading A Rod to the Angels or Dodgers for major-league ready position prospects and then signing him in the off-season would be one of the great coups of our time.
Here’s the problem with Sherman’s suggestion. He himself says Arod will say no to a trade.
In fact, he quotes Arod as saying so in the column.
So, I guess my question is, what’s the point of the column?
If Arod says he won’t approve a trade, its not going to happen.
Seems to me the only point of that column is to get people ticked off at Arod for not approving a trade.
I think today’s game will be interesting. Clearly Clemens with his 1-3 record and his ERA of 5.32 has not been the saviour for the Yankees that many Yankee fans were hoping for. If Clemens could get on track that would go a long way to at least making the season respectable for the Yankees.
“I just noticed this: The Red Sox are 5-7 since June 18. Had the Yankees managed to go just 5-4 on that road trip and 2-1 against Oakland, they would be six games out and everybody would be talking about a summer pennant race.
Instead they are 11 out. Talk about missing a big chance. The Red Sox have been asking to get caught and the Yankees went the other way.”
Another way of looking at this is the Yankees were asking to be finished off and the Red Sox went the other way. They could have just as easily won 2 out of 3 in Seattle and both of their last two games. That would put the Yanks at 15 GB.
Talk about missing a big chance
Even more frustrating than watching this team go thru the motions is the lack of any actions being taken by the manager, gm, and owner. Water torture painful. Torre indeed has lost this team… how can you let guys (farnsworth, proctor) react the way they did to their own inability to pitch and not take immediate action. Joe saying that its a family matter is his way of not dealing with it effectively. Cashman has done nothing either…Proctor should be in Scranton today and Farnsworth should be a bullpen statue until we trade him. Not sure what Jorge said but having someone… anyone… speak out about the lack of professionalism on the roster is heartening. At least he cares. And as great as Jeter is, he’s not acting like a captain… I mean if the play of the team this season doesn’t get him to step up and become a more visible presence, nothing will. He’s too much like Torre.
Ugh… went to Saturday’s game… going again tonight and just can’t seem to look forward to it… maybe I’ll focus on the Premio Hot Italian Sausage sandwich – the Cuban sandwich isn’t bad either…. might need both…comfort food.
sj44-
how is it possibly a good situation for sheffield to be helping the tigers right now to beat the yankees for the wild card?
with all due respect, your focus and interest is on the future as is cashman’s. i think it’s a future that will never come. it’s just an excuse for the inability to win now. the yankees’ focus always has to be win it all now.
it’s the mission statement of the team.
Someone earlier suggested signing Helton. Again, I watch Rockies every day. Helton is a good hitter but not what the Yankees need. He has had issues with his back and as a left handed hitter would suffer in Yankee stadium by trying to go deep all the time – look at Giambi, used the field before becoming a Yankee. You cannot discount the Coors field effect. You are really paying more for his fielding than hitting.
Since 2003(30)Career Year, His average has gone from .358 to .302. OBP .458 – .404. SLG .630 – .475 Games played – 160 to 145. RBI’s 117 to 81. HR – 33 – 15
BB – 111 to 91.
For his career here are the splits:
Split AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG
Home 2723 655 1003 231 23 179 629 496 308 0.368 0.465 0.667
Away 2665 401 784 200 8 114 407 432 414 0.294 0.394 0.504
I copied this from another site… This will never happen but is much more realistic and prudent then getting helton, zambrano, and every other superstar for our 2nd tier minor league talent.
Derek Jeter: Kicking ass as usual.
Alex Rodriguez: I shudder to think at what kind of team we’d be without him.
Jorge Posada: Turning into a clubhouse leader.
Melky Cabrera: You can never accuse him of not trying. Plus, he’s starting to hit better.
Hideki Matsui: People complain about him, but 1) I’ve heard it takes 18 months the time of the break to fully recover from a wrist injury and 2) he’s the only outfielder with any pop in his bat. Plus that whole no trade clause.
Andy Phillips: You know he’s out there working his ass off every day, even if he doesn’t hit as well as you’d like from a first baseman.
Miguel Cairo: For what he’s supposed to be (guy who can play nearly every position), he’s fine. You’d like to see an upgrade at some point in the future, but now it’s not high on the priority list.
Mariano Rivera: No explanation needed.
Chien-Ming Wang: The ace.
Andy Pettitte: Leader of the pitching staff, and doing mighty fine if you just forget about yesterday.
Roger Clemens: He ain’t goin’ away, whether we like it or not.
Mike Mussina: 10-5 guy signed at a discount to stay in NY.
Johnny Damon: Two and a half years left and plenty of dough on that contract. No way anyone’s taking him, and you’re not going to pay him to play for another team.
Now comes the fun part. Let’s look at the rest of the Yankees and determine their fates. I’m being dead serious in these assessment, so if you have an issue or think I’m a loony, leave a comment or drop an e-mail. I’ll be more than willing to discuss any of these assessments further.
Bobby Abreu: Let’s start off with a bang: decline his option and DFA him. It’s seriously not worth having him on the roster right now. I’m not saying he’s not trying; I’m just saying that he’s horribly inconsistent and it’s hurting the team. Let’s look at his June: .282/.395/.456. Okay, so you think that’s pretty good, right? Now let’s look at his June 15-July 1: .132/.242/.208. I’ve been defending Abreu for a damn long time now, but I’m done. His season averages are .247/.342/.347. He’s been aided by two good streaks — beginning of April and beginning of June. And he’s offset those performances with the worst slumps we’ve seen from a Yankee in a long time. Just cut bait. Stick Damon back in center, keep Matsui in left, and play Melky in right. It’s probably the best solution we have right now.
Robinson Cano: He’s had a while to figure things out, and he’s just not adjusting to the way he’s being pitched. Can he adjust in the second half? Oh, absolutely. And really, I’m not advocating a trade of Cano. I’m just saying that if someone makes a decent offer for him, you’ve gotta listen. His value may be low now due to his performance, so if the return reflects that perception of his value, you obviously don’t pull the trigger. But if you can get a package of young players, you have to at least consider it. Hey, maybe DFAing Abreu will light a fire under the guy’s ass.
Kei Igawa: He melts down with more efficiency than Mussina. Seriously, this guy is not going to help us win games. When one bad thing happens, the flood gates open — and he’s demonstrated this throughout the season. He needs everything to go perfectly for him to be effective (see the Boston game). That’s just not going to happen. Whatever they thought they fixed in the minors is still a problem. Send him down, bring up Steve White until Phil makes a return.
The entire bullpen: Other than Mariano, every single pitcher in the bullpen is expendable. It’s hard to knock Villone after his performance on Sunday, but I’d still DFA him; you know he’s just going to come out next time and screw things up. That leaves Farns, Vizcaino, Proctor, Bruney, and Myers. It’s time to cut bait with Myers, and I think that’s pretty obvious to everyone. Good guy, ineffective pitcher. As for the rest, I’d listen to any and all offers for them. They lead the league in bullpen walks, and that just isn’t going to fly.
My new roster
So there are a few moves there. The time to act is now. There are 84 games left to play, and it looks like 95 wins will be needed for the Wild Card. That means the Yanks will have to go 58-26 (.690) over the rest of the season. The team as currently constructed has demonstrated that they’re not going to do that. A shake up might not help, but it’s damn better than coasting for the rest of the season. This is how I’d like to see the roster by the All-Star break — though I’d take July 31 for the bullpen moves.
1B: Phillips
2B: Cano
3B: Alex
SS: Jeter
LF: Matsui
CF: Damon
RF: Melky
BN: Cairo
BN: Thompson
BN: Shelley Duncan
BN: Omir Santos (can’t be worse than Nieves)
BN: Basak
BN: TBA (because we don’t need 13 pitchers)
SP: Wang
SP: Pettitte
SP: Clemens
SP: Mussina
SP: White/Hughes
RP: Mo
RP: Edwar
RP: Britton
RP: Brower
RP: Henn
RP: Vizcano (because he’s been doing well lately)
RP: Bruney (because when he’s on, he’s money)
It’s not a huge mix-up, but it’s damn better than what we’ve got now.
You say this pen stinks and is unproven, I say our pen stinks and it is proven.. We will get some talent back for the proctors and farnsworth, etc of the world..
I would keep Proctor instead of Viz. proctor is a little younger and cheaper and knows NY.
WHy not to these moves?
Giambi would be the other position player.
I do not want to hear anymore that they are better without Giambi, it is not true. Yes he is always hurt and overpaid but he can hit HR’s and gets on base…
ABreu has 4 HR’s for the yr….
It is a big if but if Giambi could comeback it would help a ton…
SJ44 –
I agree with your assessment of the Sheffield situation. Sure, it would be nice to have his homeruns, his presence, but the situation was what it was, and wishing that it were different don’t make it not so. Sheffield didn’t want the Yankees on the Yankees’ terms, and the Yanks didn’t want Sheff on Sheff’s terms. As far as Sheff going to the Tigers, Sheff went on record as saying he would not show up for a team he didn’t want to go to. Now, of course, who knows how that turns out, but Detroit wanted him and were willing to give some quality minor league pitchers for him. If those pitchers work out (either for the Yankees or as trade chips), great; if not, well, that’s baseball. Sometimes you just have to be pragmatic.
A point about A-Rod “helping the Yankees out” by agreeing to a trade. Obvious question: why should he? Out of the kindness of his heart? Sure. Same goes for when people say Mo and Posada should agree to trades now and then re-sign with the Yankees as free agents. Boggles my mind.
Cash thought he could straddle the line: have the Yankees’ offense keep them in the hunt this season while improving things to keep the future rosy. It didn’t work out, but the fact is, if he did nothing for the future, the things that are happening this season would happen at some point anyway. At least re-stocking the minor leagues, while not a guarantee that the future holds another “dynasty,” is at least stepping in a better direction. You can’t have a barren minor leagues, especially pitching-wise, and keep spending money on free agents. For one thing, it is not a sure thing anymore that teams are going to let their stars walk, because more teams have money. For another, you’re almost always going to be getting a player whose best years are behind him.
Stuart –
Interesting moves. I guess you could say that any change of this bullpen would be a change for the better.
The only question I have is Damon in center. I prefer Damon continuing at DH. Also, I guess you still want Posada, right? I like Melky in center. Thompson isn’t really an everyday player; Duncan isn’t either. Anyway, I don’t think they’re going to do anything with Abreu.
I hate to give up on Proctor; I like him so much last year and he’s got grit; but he may be baked. Perhaps after the All-Star break, things could turn around a bit for him. Vizcaino really has gotten much better; too bad his second inning of work blew up yesterday, but he’d been a whole lot more consistent lately. I agree on Myers. If he can’t get out lefties, he’s not doing his job. Getting out righties is supposed to be a plus, not all he can do. Weird.
stuart,
Could you at list give rivera ave blues some credit? You just copied and pasted their entire article…
He said he copied it from another site
Randy,
How can you say for a future that will never happen? Are you saying the Yankees will never win again if they don’t win this year? Sorry, I am not buying that.
They have made the playoffs every year since 1995. They would have made the playoffs in ‘94 had Selig not shut down the season. So, we are talking about 14 straight playoff seasons. That’s better than anybody in the game right now.
Is it not reasonable to assume, at some point, they would not make the playoffs? That streak can’t last forever.
When you add in the injuries, the complete dropoff of key players such as Cano, Abreu and Damon, is it not reasonable to assume they just may not be good to make it this year?
Its not like Cashman stripped the entire team down to the bear minimum and attempted to get through the season. They still have the highest payroll in the game and Cashman went out and signed Clemens to a record deal. Its not like he is not spending money. He is just trying not to waste it.
How do you replace Jason Giambi in this lineup when he goes down for the season? How does anybody assume guys like Damon, Abreu and Cano would fall off so drastically? That’s killed this team so far this year.
Cashman has made mistakes. However, if he doesn’t think about the future, and re-stock the farm system, he would be committing GM malpractice.
You can’t run a baseball team like an ATM machine, throwing money at anybody that comes down the pike. Its one of the big reasons why they are in the spot they are in right now. Too many old guys with unmovable contracts.
You gotta achieve flexibility and balance throughout your organization. That’s what he is attempting to do.
If the team could have stayed a tad healthier, and some guys didn’t fall off the map as productive players, they would have been right in the hunt while continuing to upgrade the farm system. Which, was Cashman’s plan all along.
Today begins the Latin American signing period. This is for kids who are not draft eligible. This is how the Yankees signed Jesus Montero, who was the best prospect last year, to a deal.
This year, the Yankees have started out signing 8 players and again they signed the best player available in this group.
His name is Kelvin DeLeon and he is an outfielder. From the Dominican Republic and he was their #1 guy on the radar for this signing period.
Mark 11:43 pm, sorry to burst the Sawx bubble, but their hot start relied on decent pitching from Schilling and Tavarez, lights out pitching from Beckett, smoking hitting from Lowell and Tek and Pedroia, etc. Take much of that away and they’re a .500 team — just as they essentially were last season (see their 06 pythag).
Lowell and Tek have already cooled off (as has Youk), the former massively, and Pedroia will soon as well. The Sawx can’t count on Schilling, the more teams see Dice-average the more they figure out his schtick, Beckett’s 2nd 1/2 won’t nearly match his 1st, etc.
Now, maybe Nancy and Coco Chanel heat up and replace the offense lost from Tek and Lowell, and maybe Papi starts hitting homers like last year and Manny starts hitting like Manny and Lugo gets his avg over the Mendoza line, but I wouldn’t count on it.
sj44- the future that i don’t think will happen is the yankee minor league system spitting out enough all stars to win every year which is the yankee goal .
in your best case scenario, how many all stars do you project over a five year period that will come out of the yankee system?
i don’t think any team creates from it’s minor league system enough all stars to make the playoffs every year. you take what you can create and trade or sign for more all stars. that’s how it works . too much reliance on the minor league system is not going too work if the goal is to make the playoffs every year.
are we in agreement that the goal is to make the playoffs every year?
But Randy1 –
You have to have players in the minors to draw from. I don’t think anyone thinks the Yankees will ever have a team completely made up of homegrown players; that’s very unrealistic. But you need some combination. And you need to be able to have chips to trade, too. And they don’t all have to be stars, just steady, consistent above-average players. But if you have nothing in your minor league system, no talent at all, which is what the Yankees had done to themselves, you are in a very poor position.
Doreen is right. The Yankees aren’t looking to produce solely from their minor league system. They are looking to build the team for the future as they did in the Dynasty years.
Keep the supremely talented (Jeter, Bernie, Posada, Mo, etc) and build enough depth in the system to be able to package other good prospects for better players in trades. That’s how good teams build their ballclubs, with a mix of in house and outside the organization options. Its how the Yankees built their latest dynasty.
The Yankees will always go after free agents. That’s not going to change. Its clear though, they would prefer to build the majority of their pitching staff in house (if possible).
That allows them to get the right free agents, which is the key to free agent success.
Given the large sums of money they have blown on free agent busts on the hill, that’s not surprising.
If they can clear the decks of enough salary this season and next (which they will, IMO), they will go full bore after Johan Santana.
If they can place Santana in a rotation that features Hughes, Wang and others, then you have the best of both worlds…..using free agency and your farm system to re-build the team.
How many guys do I think are “keepers” in the system?
Right now, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain are “Hughes-type” of talents in the system. I wouldn’t trade them for just about anybody in the game right now.
Humberto Sanchez? If he comes back strong from TJ Surgery, he is another guy I don’t move. That’s three outstanding arms, all under 25. You couple them with Hughes and Wang and you have something.
Guys like Jeff Marquez, Brent Smith, Chase Wright and Daniel McCutcheon are guys that you could trade in coming years for pretty solid players to add to the team. All those guys are good prospects.
Alan Horne? Depends on the deal. He’s going to be a good ML pitcher, IMO. Another guy they could package for the “right” player.
The kids in Staten Island, Dellin Betances and Zach McAllister? I don’t think about trading those arms yet. Those two kids have the potential to be better than Kennedy and Chamberlain in a few years.
That’s what I am talking about when I discuss building up the farm system. Create balance throughout the organization. The more talent you have, the more options you have to improve the parent team.
The key is to know which are the right guys to keep and which are the right guys to move. That’s when you really need to know what you are doing.
doreen- you are always the voice of reason when things get crazy, but if the goal is to make the playoffs every year,all stars have to come from somewhere. the red sox have 5 all stars this year. one is homegrown.
that’s about what happens in reality. no team’s minor league system spits out many all stars. a team like the yankees has to collect them from other team’s systems. i like to get as much as possible out of the yankee system, but how many really is that?
cashman is just way to overboard on his reliance on the minor league system. it’s a matter of degree. he’s gone too far.
SJ44 –
Right. Key word – Balance.
Randy1 –
I want the Yankees to have the farm system for two reasons: a handful of homegrowns who can be successful and keep the payroll under control, and to have players with potential who can be used as trade chips — for those stars. Especially with pitching, it’s the only way to go right now with the very few exceptions, like, possibly, Santana.
I don’t think the Yankees will ever be in danger of not spending money on free agents, but I think they need to be careful who they spend it on. They spent it on Clemens, but I think if their season was going well, they would not have. They will spend it and continue to spend it. But the wisest course is to be able to spend money on the more plentiful and more predictably successful position players. As SJ said, they’ve been burned far, far too many times by free agent pitchers.
I’m thinking we’re all saying the same thing here in different ways.
Randy,
The Red Sox were able to get Josh Beckett because they were able to trade Hanley Ramirez and Annibal Sanchez to get him.
They have their own homegrown closer in Papelbon.
Two ways to use the minor league system to improve your team.
Cashman is doing the same thing. How has he gone too far? The Yankees were completely barren of ANY prospects as late as two and half years ago. You can’t run an organization like that. He spent over 30 million dollars this year on Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens in free agency. He spent 46 million to get Igawa (wish he hadn’t done that! lol) If you add the 26 million he gave Mussina, that’s over 100 million on pitchers in the off-season. He gave Damon 52 million last year. He’s not going overboard with the minor league system if he spent over 100 million on the open market. He just wants to add balance to the organization.
Its the right way to go.
If you think they can just build by obtaining free agents, all you have to do is look at the 80’s. They spent liberally and didn’t get anywhere.