It showed possible free agent shortstops the Death Barge could sign - you know, to keep this wonderful success story continuing. It was a veritable all-you-can-eat, Golden Corral SS buffet: Marcus Semien, Trevor Story, Corey Seager, Javier Baez and Carlos Correa. Fill up your tray. Surely, the Yankees will lob another $125 million five-year deal at a SS facing the wrong end of his 20s. It's the Yankee Way: Yachtsmanship over Youth.
How better to celebrate the mega-drought: Sign another albatross and plunk him into the infield like a polished turd. Let's go another five years with free time in October to watch the Giants and Jets.
Of all the moves the Yankees - 2009 World Champions! - might make this winter, signing a free agent SS would be the most Cashman-like. For starters, it would allow him to deal somebody else - either Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela, DJ LeMahieu or Luke Voit - (and frankly, I don't care, trade them all) - for some Pirates pitcher who scores high on our secret algorithms.
The three most intriguing prospects in the Yankee system are middle infielders, and it's time the franchise followed the ways of the Rays, White Sox, Giants, Dodgers and every other successful team - and go with, gulp, youth.
Here are three SS possibilities, reasons to just say no to the free agents.
Anthony Volpe, the Yankees top ranked prospect, age 20. He hit 27 HRs and batted .292 between High A and Double A this year. He probably won't be ready on opening day. But he could start in Scranton and from there, who knows? The key: Not signing a SS for the next three to five years, immediately blocking our best prospect.
Oswald Peraza, ranked No. 3, age 21. He soared through the system last year, hitting 18 HRs and batting .297 at three levels - including eight games in Scranton. He should come to spring training with an outside shot at the roster, if not the starting lineup - not a $125 million boulder in his path.
Oswaldo Cabrera, ranked No. 22, age 22. (Don't be surprised if he ranks much higher in the next listings.) This kid came out of nowhere to hit 29 HRs and bat .272 in Double and Triple A. (This included five HRs in nine games late this month at Scranton.) Not sure about his fielding: He played 2B with Peraza at SS. But wouldn't it electrify NY to see a rookie keystone combination?
A long long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Yankees brought up a kid named Jeter, despite concerns that he was not ready. I'm not saying any of these guys are Jeet II. But it's time for the Yankees to jettison the policies that have won us - (stops, checks records, shakes head) - fucking nothing.
Signing a free agent SS will bottle up our farm system, forcing us to deal more prospects for more aging retreads. We don't need salary dumps. We have enough, thank you. It's time for the Yankees - the 2009 World Champions! - to go with youth, even if it means not winning that final precious 2022 final wild card birth.
Oh...I totally agree with you...but I keep hearing about the Free Agent Class of shortstops that the Yanks should go after...
ReplyDeleteYes it would be so Yankees to sign Correa or Story or Semien...smh
Right, no more old short-stops, and it's time to stop gloating about Bucky Dent.
ReplyDelete- Melquíades
Here's a move the Yankees should make:
ReplyDeleteFire the intern.
You know, Rufus, that damned intern makes how much? It's too much. He greenlighted the Gallo trade, he went all in for Odor, he saw the "potential" in Heaney. Fuck him. What a terrible intern. If we get rid of him, this team can soar. Statistically speaking, of course.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees playing youth? It's a hysterically funny concept.
Hey, next year Hicks will be back! Are we lucky or what?
And thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. I started drinking at lunch and kept going until about 10:30. A little vodka, some good white wine, champagne, and rye. It kept my mind off the Yankees entirely.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday JM.
ReplyDeletePathetic.
Fuckers.
Spot on El Duque, the only FA they should sign is some type of catcher. Either one that can hit or a "pitch framer". They should sink or swim with the G. Allen's of the world and hopefully have a losing team that's fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteEh, a short term free agent wouldn’t be a bad thing. A placeholder to hold down shortstop for a season or two until Volpe or Peraza force the issue. If Semien can be had on a 2-3 year deal package Voit and Torres and get a decent 1st baseman. When the kids are ready Semien goes to dh. Then they can overspend on some one season wonder for the starting rotation, probably Ray.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot expect Brian to act differently at this point. We have a simple size of over 20 years. His baseball judgement is bad. Worse than "bad," but I'm trying to restrain myself here.
ReplyDeleteOr Semien goes to the OF, where there is now a gaping hole. (As opposed to the gaping hole in the front office.)
ReplyDeleteI also read some clickbait story about how the Yanks should re-sign Rizzo, sign Kris Bryant, and sign Semien.
But don't worry, Duque. For once, Food Stamps HAL will work to our advantage. After shelling out for Stanton and Cole, no way is he going to splurge on a big-name SS, whether or not he should.
The youth movement has begun. Unfortunately, Brian Cashman is in charge of it.
Couldn't agree more with you more, but I am almost certain we sign Correa or Seager and trade Volpe for someone like Eric Hosmee or something. With the Padres eating half the contract so Cash Man can say it's a value move.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the typo! I tried editing it.
ReplyDeleteWell fuck Hal and his tax free billions. After 2008 George got Sabbathia, texeira, swisher, and A J burnett. Spread the wealth Hal
ReplyDeleteLet's sign Judge, Rizzo, and add Corey Seager at short. Then get a good defensive catcher and an outfielder who can put the ball in play.
This team had a good core. Spend some money asshole
Drew Henson... Joba...Jackson Melian... Melky Mesa... Arodys Viscaino... Sleepy Sanchez...Banuelos... and.... and...and,................. Man do we fanboys swim up from the depths to take the bait or what? Prospects are great, it can put off spending for years and years. I'm not against building with prospects at all. But when it comes to team building the worst thing to do is to dump players until you have a real replacement. And you never put faith in AAAA players who look like keepers because of ages weeks or months of sparkle. The '80s were resplendent with such players, I won't, as the song said, get fooled again.
ReplyDeleteKevin--the guardian of the disastrous status quo. Hater of young players, love of washed-up veterans. No need to belabor this point. Other teams develop great young players. Wonder how they do that? Could it be by having intelligent, qualified people in the front office instead of a dumb nepotism hire like Cashman?
ReplyDeleteKevin--did it ever occur to you that every good to great MLB player was once a prospect? Did it ever occur to you that maybe the problem is that the Yankee front office SUCKS at drafting and then coaching and developing young talent? What exactly are you trying to say by posting a list of overrated/underachieving Yankee prospects? That logic is a foreign language to you? That you are fond of making skewed arguments with skewed, selective evidence? That you beat the same drum every time you post?
ReplyDeletePS, anon, go back and read my comments. I've been ripping the Yankees lack of player development over the past twenty-plus years often and with scorn. Stop trying to saddle me with someone else's beliefs. I wasn't wrong about Gardner being the organization's best centerfielder, but I took no joy in that indictment of the failures of the organization. It was a disgrace. Believe me when I say Cashman needs to get his watch and get kicked upstairs. He isn't the man for the job, and has had plenty of time to prove it. So let's move on to other things, shall we?
ReplyDelete