Comments on: The roster at the moment

By: lauren

lauren — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:59:42 +0000

obvious you r a bret gardner fan

By: sierchio

sierchio — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:33:08 +0000

no offense but anybody who plays Nady over Swisher is a moron. Swish should be in RF , NOT Nady. Nady should be on the bench. Swish is the better player, Nady just had a LUCKY year last year (look at BABIP) and Swisher was very unlucky (once again, look at BABIP) and look at career OPS+

By: bobby

bobby — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:36:51 +0000

Looks like a playoff winning roster. The chemistry of young pitchers with some up and coming pitchers looks like a devastating effect on the American League. The grinders of Nady, Matsui, Jeter, Tex, Jorgie, Damon all will wear down opposition starters.

Best of Luck to the 2009 Bronx Bombers !!!!!!!!

By: bobby

bobby — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:36:50 +0000

Best of Luck to the 2009 Bronx Bombers !!!!!!!!

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:55:08 +0000

Swisher would probably start over Nady. He’s the better hitter and the better defender. Also, Jeter should never have played 1st anyways. He’s a great hitter for a SS, but for a 1B, not so much. He’s much better suited to eventually move to the outfield. Posada shouldn’t be a 1B either. He should just DH when he can no longer catch. No reason to ever experiment at 1st with a guy who isn’t an infielder. This works out fine.

By: Rodderreo

Rodderreo — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Bottom line:

The Yankees overpaid again. Teixeira has never been an MVP candidate. Never played like the best player in the league and yet Ca$hman pays him like he is an MVP. Stupid.

All the money will set up huge expectations for Teixeira just like AROD. Is .290 35 120 worth $180 million ? Only to Ca$hman. A monkey with a cellphone and a checkbook could negotiate better than Ca$hman. Boras played him again – just like with AROD and Damon.

By: jake

jake — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:47:50 +0000

Virginia Yankee:

HUH?
Cash blew something? HUH?
He wanted to sign Beltran.
A Gardner/Cabrera combo in CF/RF? HUH?
Jeter IS the best CF the Yanks have? HUH?
Etc.
Hitting that Christmas egg nog a little too early?

By: jake

jake — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:00:49 +0000

Yes, the Yankees are going to have to make a trade. I figure that Nady is the most tradeable commodity of the group, and the one most likely to go. He’s a good player, and either he, or Swisher, would provide a solid RF bat. But he’s cheaper than Swisher, and Swisher is signed for the next three years. And the Yanks must like Swisher’s versatility and switch-hitting.
Matsui is probably tradeable, but the yanks would probably have to eat some of his salary in any deal.
Damon is probably tradeable, too, but, as with matsui, they’d probably have to eat some money there, as well.
I doubt that Nady, salaried at something like $5mil, would require any further expenditure in a trade.
Pettitte will return at $10mil. He’s just been waiting for another pitcher to sign for less money so he can save a little face.
Nady, especially if he were packaged with one of those “expendable” guys that Peter listed, like Kennedy, would bring back good value, like a good major league utlility infielder, a couple of very good position-player prospects, a good young catcher, etc.
The money’s unreal, of course, but Cashman deserves a great deal of credit. Not just for outmaneuvering all the other GMs, but also for standing pat on Santana last year, holding on to his top prospects, and putting together a team which is young enough in just about all respects to compete for a long time. The yankees are not going to have to sign any more free agents for years.

By: Virginia Yankee

Virginia Yankee — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:47:41 +0000

props to cashman – I have been hard on him on the blogs — and he is still behind in the Grade Point Average for missing Beltran and Santana — This year’d deals demonstrate that those could heave been done — terefor no excuses.

Tex to me was as big or bigger than Sabbathia — one without the other would prove to be futile. Can’t patch just one leak in a boat.

Those who think the Yankees are “stacked” or that the job is done may be disappointed — this team is fragile in day-to-day baseball ability (who do you put on the field and at what posiiton, as well as sense of self

Who do you put on the field?
Much is tied up in the fragile Jeter (wrist/hand) Damon – legs, CF (unproven youth), Matsui, Nady uncertainty and Posada – can he play or not.

Pete notes that 1B is no longer an end of caree or transiitonal refuge for Jeter, Damon, matsui, Posada or a ROTATIONAL line-up spot.

The Jeter option is stay away from injuries

The Posada, matsui, Damon options are play the field or DH to get the bat in the line-up

CF and RF are – Garder, Cabrerra – a great CF RF combo if they can hit for some power and get on base —

Nady, Swisher — older – not much upside — not equal to Gardner, Cabrerra defensively –but maybe 50Hrs – 160 RBIs

So here is what fragile means

Jeter – Defense is woeful – he may make Tex look bad rather than Tex saving him. Offense is uncertain due to wrist/hand — and the next HPB. Jeter has no future at SS or 3B or 1B.

He maybe be the best CF the Yankees have -speed, arm ability to run the right routes
- they’d be better off with him there the next 3-4 years and get a new guy in at SS — than trying to make something out of Gradner or Cabrerra

Cashman and Giardi should talk to him now – summon the ghosts of the great Yankees SS who played the Outfield – Mickey Mantle and Bobby Murcer.

Posada – if he can’t catch the Yankees have an -0h for the season hole at C — the Cash from Boston is a worse hitter than Molina and nowhere close defensively
If Posada can’t play C but can hit – then the DH becomes clogged with a Posada, matsui, Damon rotation.

The Yankees now need to decide if they keep Swisher or Nady, Cabrerra or Gardner

– CURIOUSLY solving the JETER/POSADA HEART OF the YANKEES is the ISSUE – Cashman blew three seasons and possibly 2 world championships mishandling CF — JETER/POSADA dwarf the WILLIAMS problem — even more difficult if Mr. Yankee – Jeter hits a little.

Mariano — can he be “Mighty Mo” another year – or is he one pitch – one comebacker from being marginal — if the worst happens the Yankees will panic and turn to Joba — then what? What if Joba isn’t 3/4 Mo – what if Joba is not as durable?

This is part of what I mean by sense of self and fragile — Mo, Jorge, Jeets are the aging heart
- no one else has risen to claim the team – likley no one can with their presence – earned leadership is the most difficult thing – the time and circumstances have to be there, but it can’t be totoallly left to chance
- they need to guide the changeover – but they can’t make the trades that ease their transiiton from the star to role player.
– the best hope for leaderhip in Pitchers – but with the import of Sabbathia, Huges and Joba won’t step to the front as bbirn and bred Yankees – maybe Sabbathia is a Reggie (without the downside) or Catfish; a lot to ask

If there is a knock on Tex it is he is not that kind of “player/leader” — fortunately he is not not hated (ARod), and is not replacing an Icon (Mattingly) —

Making the move away from Jeter and Posada takes a Front office and a manager.

This is what will define Cashman as a GM and Giradi as a manager

By: Alejandro Azim

Alejandro Azim — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:33:22 +0000

We dont need Vernon Wells because we have Jackson on the up and up and possible going after Holliday in the free agency. I think the cheaper trade would be to get Rick Ankiel from St. Louis for Ian Kennedy. Cardinals are very interested because they wont re-sign kennedy and he will end up going to the L.A. or Atlanta. So we should get Ankiel and then resign and put him in LF after 2010 and let jackson take over center.

If the Yankees were to trade with a division rival like the jays then it should be for Doc Holliday or Alexis Rios. Jays will never give up Doc but Rios is a great find a guy we could have had three years before he became an all star. Yankees only seem to go after guys once they have established themselves which is why our payroll is always crazy high. I say get em young and cheap. so lets get Ankiel now which seems like a perfect fit for this year and years to come. The guy has a great arm in the outfield and a better bat than anyone we have.

If we trade anyone it should be Matsui and his Japanese media money doesnt matter at this point since Yankees have no interest in resigning him anyway. Trade Matsui for Jonathan Sanchez