Here are the projected win totals for the AL East:
Tampa Bay Rays 89
Boston Red Sox 88
Yankees 82
Toronto Blue Jays 80
Baltimore Orioles 77
Yes, this is nothing but some mathematical smoke and mirrors. And the 2014 Yankee team will probably hinge on what Cashman receives in exchange for Brett Gardner, Austin Romine and/or Zolio Almonte, who represent extra spare tires numbers 5 through 7.
But if you consider that the Yankees spent $500 million this off-season - Ellsbury, McCann, Beltran and Tanaka - (while, of course, letting Robbie go) - it's astounding to see such an out-of-the-running projection. This is a franchise that needs to be rebooted. And what's especially sad is that the owners spent all of 2013 moving toward such a reboot - the $189 million payroll - then pitched it out the window, presumably after they looked at another set of statistical projections: The ones that showed future YES Network ratings.
The Yankees look like the U.S. government, trying to roll out a health care plan. They have so many different moving parts, so many dead contracts, so many old problems, you wonder if this ship can ever get turned around on the field. I don't know about these projections. But if, come September, the Yankees are hovering at .500, here's a projection: Cashman will say Armageddon outahere.
Well a third place finish may well be in the cards, but 82 wins?? Give me a break. Their starting pitching looks pretty good and they'll hit better than last year. So I'm going with 88 to 90 wins with an outside shot at the wild card.
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