Who's In Charge???

Dear Yankee Fans: It seems as though the entire Yankee Franchise has fallen asleep at the switch.                                                                              1)  The Steinbrenner " Boys " continue to re-tool the team with no-names, re-treads and fossils.                       

                                                                                        2)  The Front Office sat on their hands at the Winter and Owners meetings for the second year in a row.

                                                                                        3)  The G.M. is in quicksand up to his eyebrows with legal woes.

                                                                                        4)  The once highly tauted " Farm " is now a mirage.

                                                                                        5)  The 2013 team has less power, less depth, a Mash list of recuperating injured players, a questionable starting rotation, a weaker bullpen despite what many think and an average player age which is approaching the age of the inhabitants residing in the La Brea Tar Pits in California.

                                                                                        6)  Both the Owner and Manager are talking about a Champion Caliber team when everyone around them knows better.  General Custer had a better chance of beating Sitting Bull despite being outnumbered, out-gunned and out maneuvered on the hills of the Little big Horn than this 2013 team has of winning a World Series.  

                              I'm as disgusted now as I was when the Yankee teams of the 1970's  filled less than 10,000 seats per game. 

                                                                                                                                           soloking2                  

                                                                                           

With all due respect, I think you are painting picture that is worse than reality.  I'll give you the lack of trades, etc on the GM front, but the reality is that the Yanks reinvested in their starting pitching and signed a good replacement for ARod.  I would have liked to have seen some additional help in the OF, but I am ok with Hafner vs. Ibanez.  The bench is fair, but it was last year too (ie. Jayson Nix playing half the year).  The "Farm" is ranked the 11th best in MLB--and that's with a team that picks near the end of most rounds year in and year out.  The rotation is stronger this year than it was last year and the bullpen will be just as good---basically you are "replacing" Soriano with Rivera--isn't that an upgrade?    The area that lacks sorely is catching--I will give you that one.  I think if Martin wasn't an option, than Pierzynski on a 1 year, $7.5 million deal was a steal for the Rangers.   I'd feel pretty good about this lineup if it were:  Jeter, Suzuki, Cano, Tex, Pierzynski, Youk, Granderson, Hafner and Gardner.   That lineup would be as good as any the Yanks have had in recent years.  Swapping out Cervelli for Pierzynski makes that #8 hole pretty bad.    I don't think we are reverting back to 1970.  I am ok with a couple of good, but not great years this year and next in order to retool for 2015 and beyond.  I am trying to be positive and see this team in transition more similar to 1995 than 1972.  Unless the Yanks bring Horace Clarke in as a guest instructor to camp.

dcone ...  Well put. If everyone stays healthy then I will agree with everything you have laidout. Here is the big problem, the avg age of this Yankee team is 32.5 ...a full 2.5 years ahead of the next oldest team,  and 3.5 years older then all major league teams, at  29 years of age.  The chances of this team lasting the year in good health is about as good as an astroid hitting The Bronx on May 25th at 12 midnight.   That said, the next big problem; this team simply does not have the bench to fill in the inevitable breakdowns.   IE...Tex goes down at first base,  who moves in?  Youk? If Youk moves to first who plays 3rd?  Nunez?  Then who is going to give a 39 year old Jeter the breaks he will need to last the season?  Pitching does look good, however,  the staff is pretty long in the tooth but I believe they are much better covered on the bench than the everyday lineup is.  As Ive said previously,  If this team somehow stays healthy all year long , they have as good a shot as winning the division as anyone else.  I hope that happens!   

Dear Yankee Fans: My original post is only 6 days old, and a new sequence of events may be stirring the Front Office to wake up at the switch.  Hot off of the press:

                                 1)  Hal is upset at the fan reaction to his molding a Championship team on the cheap.

                                 2)  Hughes is taking 1 to 2 weeks off for his problematic bulging spine disk.  With this diagnosis, the Organization will have to hold their breath all season.

                                 3)  Next years Free Agent pitcher Price, said he would not play for the Bombers because of their facial hair policy.  Remember the good old days when Free Agents could not get into Pin-Stripes fast enough? 

                                 4)  Fan turn out at Spring Training has been dismal. 

                                 5)  Las Vegas odds at the Yankees winning the World Series are low.

                             Even if the Front Office wakes up now, it's too late.  The Dodgers, Angels, Toronto and Nationals have hit the Free Agent Market big time.  There are only scraps left to fill any baseball position void.  There is no mistake about it, this Organization and team cannot be considered among the elite anymore.  The Front Office will have to accept the teams fall to mediocrity and endure all the consequences of their errant thinking.     soloking2                              

The injury-scare with Hughes is a problem.  Very rare to have no lingering issues whatsoever from a bulging disc.  He would be a huge loss for this team---you could be losing 14-17 wins---and there is no way on Earth that Phelps and/or Nova are making up his win total.  If Hughes is out for any length of time, the Yanks must make a move for a starter for insurance---ie. Wang, Derek Lowe, etc.  and then pray that Pineda is healthy enough for innings after June.    This could all be nothing, but if Hughes has any DL stints this year, he ruins his FA status and this season is about 3 or 4 wins short of the current ZIPS projection.

I'm not sure though who the Yanks would have gone out and signed this year?  Greinke?  Still say he doesn't have the makeup for NY.   Hamilton?  Same concerns---could he handle a media-centered environment and was he worth that kind of money with his injury history?  Losing Martin hurts, but Romine is Martin without the high power numbers.  The Yanks had no control over what happened to ARod and got the best possible replacement.  Did you want Jose Reyes?  Josh Johnson?  They tried for RA Dickey and were rebuffed.  The Padres don't want to trade Headley.  Tampa is not trading Price to the Yanks anyway and if he doesn't want to sign here, then that is his choice.  Brian Cashman didn't make the team policy of no beards---that is long before his tenure.  Did you want Justin Upton?  He was not worth the prospect haul for a guy averaging .275/22 home runs per year.   And I'm sure that when the Marlins make Stanton available, the Yanks will be at the front of the line, but there is no guarantee that they get him.

I understand the frustration, but what is not being done that should be?  Kyle Lohse is still there for the taking, but to lose the draft pick, you need to invest in him for 2 or 3 years.  He would be nice insurance, but what if Hughes is healthy?  Then Nova and Phelps are out of jobs.  The biggest issue hanging over the heads of the Yankees is ARod's contract.  I am glad they are breaking tradition and talking about an extension with Cano now--it shows they are prioritizing him and understanding that the market is different now.  Everyone has a chance to win--it's just how you deploy your resources

soloking.............Nice overview of the offseason and what the Yanks did not do.  There is still some talent here, things have to break right in terms of health..................Strike 1! - Hughes has a bad back / neck.   Let's let the season play out..........the Cash Man will continue his hunt and hey ya never know, he might actually surprise you.  But let us wait 'til the first pitch is thrown before we bury the Yanks.   PLAY BALL!

and there is no way on Earth that Phelps and/or Nova are making up his win total.

You dont know that for sure. Both of these guys have the arms to compete, Nova has already had a 16 game win season under his belt, you shouldnt take that away from him. He could come back just as Hughes did. Phelps was pretty darn good last year. I wouldnt cut him short.

Did you want Jose Reyes?  Josh Johnson?

Yeah, I think both of these guys could have plugged some holes.  With Jeters injury, the fact he is going to be 39 years old this year, and the Yanks have no legit SS in the sytem to take over, Reyes would have been a great signing. Josh Johnson is a big arm and would have been a great number 2 guy!

I understand the frustration, but what is not being done that should be?

Getting younger and filling holes with players under the age of 35. I think we went round and round over this all winter long.  The avg age of this team is 2.5 years older than the avg age of the next oldest team.  Thats a problem.

Reyes is not worth the money.  He is a very good player, but not for the long term.  I like Cabrera a lot and think he is the guy to target for the Yanks.  I need to see Josh Johnson healthy for a year and prove himself in the AL.  Another guy I like, and if he shows he can succeed and be healthy, he'd be a FA to target this winter.  I'd like to see the Yanks be in on a ace-type FA if there's one available to pair with CC.  Then if you have a healthy Pineda, Nova, Phelps at 3,4,5 in 2014, you are in contention there.

As far as getting younger, I think one of the biggest blunders of the off-season was the DFA of Russ Canzler.  He was 26 years old with power and could play all 4 corners.  There was a guy who could have filled multiple roles with youth.  Not sure what else Cashman has not done with respect to filling holes with younger guys?  No one seemed to be in support of a Justin Upton trade.  BJ Upton and Bourn are not worth the salary.  Most people were ready for Swisher to move on.  To be honest, the guy I'd like to see the Yanks get is Soriano--who is 36.  He provides depth, power, decent defense and you know he can already play in NY.   The youth is coming, it's just not ready yet---we'll be "younger" at 3B, SS, C, RF, LF by as early as 2014. 

Everyone keeps harping on the average age of the team, but let's take a closer look at the starting pitching, key bullpen and starting fielders---

Average age of starters  2013=    32   
Average age projected   2014=     27 (assuming retirement of Pettitte, Kuroda and then a replacement starter at age 30)

Average age of key bullpen 2013 (Rivera, RObertson, Chamberlain, Logan)=   31.5
Average age of key bullpen 2014 (Robertson, Montgomery, Cabral, Kelley)=    26.5----without key FA additions

Average age IF 2013   33.25  (Youk over ARod)
Average age IF 2014   35.25 (ARod back)

Average age OF 2013  33
Average age OF 2014  31 (assuming Granderson replacement is HEathcott)

Arguably, the best players on the team are the IF and that is not changing for 2014 (assuming Cano resigns).   Most of the "age" on the team is in the IF, which Cashman cannot do anything about, and in the pitching staff, which is what it is.  Would anyone like to go to battle this year without Rivera, Pettitte and Kuroda?   Not me.  We'd be a 75 win team without them.  Yes, this team is old---but there is NOTHING that can be done about it in the short-term.  And even if there were major-league ready players in the minors, they still would not be playing anywhere in the IF this year (let's see what Joseph or Adams can do at 3B with some seasoning).

I'm not blindly defending Cashman, I'm just trying to look at this objectively.  We have 5 players as extreme "age outliers" (Rivera, Pettitte, Kuroda, Jeter and Suzuki), but without them, this team would plain S.U.C.K.

Dcone...  Jose Reyes is 29 years old, in his peak years and is probably the best SS in the big leagues right now.  He is signed through 2017 which would put him at 34 years old at the end of his contract...which avgs out to 15 million a year. Well worth the dough for a player who is at the very least amongst the very best players, at one of the toughest positions in the game.  Jose Reyes is an impact player.  I think Juston Upton is the most overrated player in the game.  He hasnt been half the player they've been projecting him to be..and I dont see any reason to believe he will ever be the player people think he is.  However, I could be wrong....

Strike 2! - Granderson has a fractured forearm out 10 weeks.

Dear Yankee Fans:  We are still in the Pinapple Season and already the teams power and speed surge took a major hit.  Grande's out 10 weeks, and that's before all the geriatric injuries start taking their toll on this collection of dinosaurs.  In addition, the verdict is still out on all the players coming back from major rehab. 

                              The Front Office will reap what it sows.  Unfortunately, it's the fans who suffer.     soloking2