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New York Yankees

Yankees

The “hot stove” has stayed cold for the Yankees thus far, especially for a team that needs to make a lot of improvements.The Yankees decided to overpay RHP Kyle Farnsworth just because they thought that he was the best setup man on the market. He is making close to 6 million in each of the next 3 seasons.  Farnsworth, 29, finished the 2005 season in Atlanta. He has a 100 MPH fastball, but lacks control of his breaking ball. This is something that he needs to work on, along with his mental approach. Many of his problems have had to do with his head. Tanyon Sturtze, who the Yankees re-signed, is the same way. Both pitchers do not do a good job of trusting their stuff, and they will be ineffective if they continue to go against their stuff. They also tried to upgrade their staff by signing LHP Mike Myers. Myers, 36, is a submarine pitcher whose job will be to get lefties out. This is an upgrade for the Yankees because a good, lefty specialist has not been in the organization for 2-3 years. With that said, the Yankees failed to jump on the free agent prizes. They were uninterested in BJ Ryan. They could’ve paid him 5 years-50 million in order to be the set-up man, but they refused. Instead, he is now a Blue Jay. Toronto has done a nice job of upgrading their team, which is why GM J.P. Riccardi has been given a contract extension through 2010. The Yankees decided to cut ties with John Flaherty, and sign Kelly Stinnett as their back-up catcher. Stinnett, 36, will likely become Randy Johnson’s personal catcher. Stinnett appealed to the Yanks because he caught 22 games for Randy Johnson, so that helps. Dumping Tony Womack was a good idea, and they got 2 decent minor leaguers in exchange. They got Ben Himes, an outfielder who hit .320 in class A last season. Infielder Kevin Howard, who hit .409 in the Arizona Fall League, was the other player sent to the Yankees in the deal. The Yankees have saved 1.1 million in salary as a result of the deal. Salary arbitration was offered to Bernie Williams, Al Leiter, and Ramiro Mendoza. Leiter and Mendoza will likely receive deals as non-roster invitees to spring training. Meanwhile, Bernie Williams is expected to replace Ruben Sierra as the 4th outfielder.

The Yankees are negotiating with Nomar Garciaparra. They are hoping to sign him as a reserve infielder/outfielder. If that fails, the reserve infield job will belong to Felix Escalona. In order to bolster the bullpen, the Yankees are negotiating with Roberto Hernandez (the ageless Roberto Hernandez), Octavio Dotel, and Julian Tavarez. Dotel will not be able to pitch until mid-season due to Tommy John surgery.

Are the Yankees doing what they need to do? Will they be a World Series team in 2006? Well, as of now, no.

Serious upgrades will need to take place at the catcher’s position. Jorge Posada, 34, had one of the worst seasons in his professional career. He struggled a lot, defensively, as well. Posada did not have much pop in his bat, and he was disappointing. Jorge “Double Play” Posada is amongst the top of the list for players that ground into the most double plays, and this happens annually, not just this year. Speed has never been in the cards, but most catchers are not fast, so Posada will not be criticized in that department.

Flaherty, 38, was Randy Johnson’s “personal catcher”. He did not hit well, at all, as he struggled throughout the season and in the playoffs against the Angels. Defensively, he was not tested as much as Posada, but he is not the type of catcher Posada is, yet he is not any better than he is. It was surprising that the Yankees held onto him for the entire season. Flaherty would have been gone if the Yankees did not trade Dioner Navarro to Arizona in exchange for Randy Johnson. Navarro was one of the best catching prospects in all of baseball, and he did hit well during September 2004 call-ups. The Diamondbacks wanted him because they had absolutely no depth at the catcher’s position. As it turned out, he was sent to Los Angeles, another team that needed a catcher. The Dodgers wanted to bid farewell to Shawn Green, and they did so by acquiring Dioner Navarro.

At first base, the Yankees had Jason Giambi and Tino Martinez. The power numbers were extremely good, as a matter of fact; the two combined hit more home runs than Andruw Jones of Atlanta.

Giambi, 34, struggled in the beginning of the season, but he caught fire. There was a hitch in his swing from April to June, and his numbers reflected it. When he hitched, he dipped his swing, resulting in a lot of weakly hit balls. Hitting Coach Don Mattingly fixed this, and as a result, he caught fire in July. Giambi won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award for 2005, mainly because of his high on base percentage, coming back from a benign tumor in his lower pituitary gland, and his high home run total.

Martinez, 37, had one good week in the 2005 season, and then it went downhill. He hit well early on in the season, and then sputtered through the rest of it. In July, Martinez had a case of warts in his right foot, and he hit .118 during that stretch. His average dropped approximately 60 points from the point in which he developed the warts, to the end of it. He was a fan-favorite, but not George’s-favorite, and will certainly be with another team in 2006. The Yankees bid adieu when they declined his 2006 option. He did not receive salary arbitration, so the Yankees cannot re-sign him until May 1, 2006.

Once upon a time, there was a crybaby that played second base for the Yankees by the name of Tony Womack. Tony-Who? Exactly. Womack spent one month at second base before he was sent to leftfield in May. He was a grouch, and he should just shut up. Womack had no right to open his mouth, especially when his play was so poor. If you hit .240, you should not moan and groan about your playing time. Just face it, Robinson Cano is better than you are. The Cardinals knew what they were doing when they dumped Womack for Mark Grudzielanek. They knew that he was a gold-glove caliber player. They knew he could hit, but the Yankees thought that by signing another senior citizen to their roster would help build a better team. WRONG! Steinbrenner should be damned for not learning this lesson. He has owned the team for 30 plus years, and he still doesn’t know how to build a team for the present time, and for the FUTURE. That’s right, George, for the future. The future in 2006 is not Tony Womack, since he was dealt to Cincinnati.

Cano, 22, finished behind Huston Street for the American League Rookie of the Year award, and that showed how productive he was. A good bat, an average glove, and average speed is exactly what the Yankees need out of him. And that is exactly what Cano did for them. He was the Yankee offense in the ALDS against the Angels. He was the most exciting Yankee in that series. A-Rod didn’t hit well, Jeter struggled, so, Cano stepped up. That showed that he was not afraid of pressure. (Unlike somebody that I know that makes 26 million dollars a season) Seeing the Yankee team play in that series was as exciting as listening to Joe Buck (the guy that wants to commentate EVERY SPORT) and Tim McCarver (the analyst who has something to say after every pitch). Also, the boring duo known as Jon Miller (the wannabe football commentator, especially when he yelled “TOUCHDOWN” in game 3 of the ALDS, and Joe Morgan (the baby that wants to get into Cooperstown, but he won’t, especially in the commentating business.) were as exciting as watching the Yankee offense. But, Cano is different. He is exciting. He can do big things. He’ll get the big hit in the nationally televised game. He won’t whine after a strikeout. (Unlike the overpaid Yankee shortstop) Instead, he’ll correct the mistake made. Jeter does that too, but he whines, and he expects the sporting world to put the pacifier in his mouth, and you know what, that is not happening anytime soon.

Speaking of Derek Jeter, he was the shortstop of the New York Yankees. Once again, Jeter’s bat was very good, and his glove was even better. He is, indeed, the Yankee captain. Jeter has a strong bat, a good glove, but no range. He is one of the reasons why the Yankees were ranked last in total infield range for the 2005 season. He may make some great plays, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he has good range. Someone that has good range would be a guy like Ozzie Smith, who was phenomenal. He (Smith) was one of the greatest shortstops of all time. The question is: Is Jeter in that list? Sure, he is, but he is not the best. Many people consider him to be the best. Consider this: Wouldn’t the best be the one that helped the team in the playoffs year after year? He does, but NOT year after year. The play that he made on Jeremy Giambi back in 2001 was one of the greatest plays that I have ever seen, in the playoffs. Reggie Jackson is Mr. October, not Derek Jeter. Jeter doesn’t even know what a home run is. For those people who think that Jeter is Mr. October, think again. You should be ashamed if you thought that Jeter was the greatest clutch hitter of all time. Where was he in the 2005 ALDS? Where was he in the 2001 ALCS, offensively? Where was he in the 2001 World Series? Where was he in the 1998 ALCS? How about the 1998 ALDS and the 2000 ALDS? He was nowhere. He struggled. Once again, besides for the play that nailed Jeremy Giambi in the 2001 ALCS, he had an awful series. Jeter is another overpaid player, and just about every one of them is the same way.

The third base position in 2005 belonged to Alex Rodriguez. His numbers in the regular season were good enough to win the AL MVP honors. Rodriguez has a cannon for an arm at third base. He has great power, and hits the ball to all fields. There are two things that A-Rod can be knocked for: He strikes out a lot and he does not hit well when the game is on the line or when there are runners in scoring position. A-Rod was a savior for the Yankees in the regular season, but that didn’t last in the ALDS. His batting average in the ALDS was close to .110, and he made some crucial errors. He dropped a sinking line drive that should have been caught with two hands, but he decided to show off and attempt to catch it with one. He failed, and that cost them the game.

Hideki Matsui was pushed around the outfield in 2005. His bat continues to improve, but is NOWHERE near what it was back in Japan. He used to hit 500 foot home runs, but he hasn’t come close to hitting one here in New York. He hits well, for contact. He has above average power, but he does not have good speed. That really does not matter, especially because he does not have to steal bases. That job belongs to Jeter and Rodriguez. He’ll be making 13 million dollars per year, and will be bringing in revenue because he will be attracting Japanese fans to Yankee Stadium. He might be worth 13 million, when you add up all of the Japanese ticket sales, but is his play worth 13 million dollars per year? That’s a question that Cashman, Torre, and Steinbrenner could answer. The fans could not. If he hits 30 home runs, and drives in 120, then he is worth it.

Bernie Williams was amongst the league leaders in outfield assists in 2005. Why? Maybe it is because everyone tries to run on him. He complained of shoulder injuries, and could not be a full-time starter. He was on a short leash, and the Yankees put many different people in centerfield. They put Bubba Crosby, the young, energetic player who will likely be there in 2006. They tried Melky Cabrera, Matt Lawton, Hideki Matsui, Tony Womack, and Kevin Reese as the short-term solutions. Short-term was the key word. They were supposed to give Bernie Williams a rest. Instead, Bubba Crosby was the one that gave Bernie Williams the rest. Carl Everett is a switch-hitter, but he prefers to play DH as opposed to outfield. Jose Guillen, who played for Washington, is an absolute nutcase. Jacque Jones of Minnesota is a free agent, but is a weak hitter vs. LHP mostly because he bats left-handed. Playoff hero Reggie Sanders is available, but is old, and may struggle against American League Pitching.

No one will be replacing Gary Sheffield this year, even though he can be lazy in right field. It will be a shock if they get someone to replace him, but it would be a big mistake if they ATTEMPT to replace him. Sheffield can level a fastball. He is exciting to watch, and has decent speed. He hits extremely well, and is expected to hit 30 home runs this year.

The Yankees need pitching. Roger Clemens, Scott Elarton, Joe Mays, Kevin Millwood, Matt Morris, and Jarrod Washburn are possible solutions as starters. Chris Hammond,  Steve Karsay, Roberto Hernandez, Julian Tavarez, and Octavio Dotel are possible solutions in the middle relief department.

The trade market should be pretty active, too. The free agent crop is extremely thin this year, so that is why the Yankees should think about the possibility of a blockbuster trade, or even a trade that will bring a good enough player to New York.

There is something that I would like the Yankees to consider: The Yankees should consider something before they sign over-aged and overpaid players, and that something is your MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM. Countless players have been dumped over the years in exchange for older, less-talented players. For example, the Yankees had pitcher Kevin Millwood in their system. What did they do? They traded him. The Yankees also had Cristian Guzman and Eric Milton in their systems. Where did they go? They went to Minnesota in exchange for Chuck Knoblauch. Today, Guzman is in Washington, and is looking to shake off a terrible season combined with various ailments. Milton had an off year in Cincinnati, mostly because of how many home runs are hit in Great American Ballpark. Remember a kid by the name of Brandon Claussen? He pitched in one game during the 2003 season against the New York Mets. He pitched well, allowing one run in 6.1 innings. The Yankees traded him for the guy that had one “hit” as a Yankee, Aaron Boone. Also in that deal was Gabe White, the left-handed waste. Another left-handed bust by the name of Felix Heredia was in that deal, too. Mike Lowell was another minor league prospect who the Yankees said goodbye to. His career has been like the log flume at your local water park. (Up, and then down again) In 2005, he went down again.

A lot of former Yankees have been bombs with other teams (D’Angelo Jimenez, Cincinnati; Gabe White, Colorado; Dan Miceli, Colorado, and Jim Mecir, another victim of the log flume). Yet, there are others who have been godsends (Kenny Rogers, Texas; Jon Lieber, Philadelphia; Kenny Lofton, Philadelphia). Basically, the Yankees have to let go of those who can’t perform in NY, and that is what they did, well, sort of.

You can’t blame the Yankees for letting go of people that fail. If they succeed with other teams, it is not their fault. These names were brought up because they are the most known ex-Yankees. They are often topics of discussion.

The Yankees have a long way to go if they want to win the World Series. The road ahead should be a long, tumultuous one, and they will go NOWHERE with Steinbrenner at the helm. Unless he changes his philosophy about signing old, overpaid players, then he will continue to make life hell for Yankee fans.

7 replies on “Yankees”

Roberto Hernandez Roberto Hernandez, pitcher, agreed to a 1 year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was mentioned in this article, and I was unaware of the signing until after I posted this article.

Yep.. Always has been, you may recall his excellent work in the playoffs for the Braves, giving up a Grand Slam to Lance Berkman in the epic 18-inning game where the Astros clinched the series.

Farnsworth Farnsworth is a righty. I apologize for the mistake. It was Myers that was the lefty.

nice good article i liked it. the Yanks had to take farnsworth because they had lost gordon to philly. what else were they going to do?

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