In the past, we've had differences. I won't sugarcoat it. I'm not proud of the things I've said, at least many of them. I won't repeat that folderol here. I come in peace. Olive branch, extended.
I accept that you - like the citizen fan warriors of IT IS HIGH - have only the best intentions for the Yankees. We all want Aaron Judge to stay. We all want to win in 2023. We all want world peace, under the total domination of our team.
But right now, Judge appears to be in the clutches of treacherous West Coast operatives, Svengalis who seek to pry him loose from New York City. They are wooing him with celebrities, piles of gold and nefarious recipes for avocado toast.
Swimming pools, movie stars...
We cannot let this happen.
Sir, you must speak to Aaron Judge through actions, not words.
Here is what you must do:
Sign somebody. Anybody, as long as they are expensive. Justin Verlander. Cody Bellinger. Trea Turner. Wilson Contreras. Carlos Correa. Pick two, any two. Sign the best free agents on the market - after Judge, of course. Show him the Yankees mean business, that they will retain their swagger in 2023, and that he will not languish in a lineup without runners on base and/or deterrents behind him.
Last year, when Anthony Rizzo went down with back issues, and Giancarlo Stanton turned into - well - Giancarlo Stanton, Judge went nearly a month with no one to protect him. Show him this will not happen again.
Sign them... NOW. Don't wait until Judge has decided. Once he leaves, it will be too late. No matter who you sign, it won't be enough.
Sign them... NOW. I'm sure you assured Judge that the Yankees intend to win in 2023. Now... prove it! Show you are more than words. You're a multi-billionaire, dammit! So act like one. Spend the money! You won't live forever. What else are you going to do, build a pyramid? And this will not be a bad investment. The fans will come. The world will know that the Yankees - the mighty New York fucking Yankees - are back.
Sign them... NOW. Don't wait, or it could be too late. If Judge leaves, no signings will fill his shoes. In fact, I doubt the top free agents will even want to join the Yankees, because they won't want to be seen as replacements for Aaron Judge.
Do it... NOW.
Yankee fans will know you're trying.
Yours truly,
A friend.
“WHATEVER IT TAKES!”
ReplyDeleteIf Judge does leave, go full out with the kids - Volpe, Peralta, Jasson, Peraza, et al -- get their feet wet
ReplyDeleteHal? Sign free agents? And spend a lot of MONEY? On top of the bags of dough he's already spending on players who aren't worth a fraction of it?
ReplyDeleteSurely, you jest.
And don't call me Shirley.
Hal doesn't care about winning anything other than a playoff spot. It's out in the open. He. Doesn't. Care. The money keeps rolling in, and Mr. Spreadsheet is doing just fine, thanks.
But that's just the trouble, Spider. The modern Yankees NEVER "go full out" in any one way or the other. There's never a plan—never a rebuilding program, never a "win now" strategy.
ReplyDeleteThere's just Brian Cashman, improvising from year to year. So he'll TELL us he's going with youth...but still start Donaldson and IKF, and maybe bring in Cody Bellinger. Hurrah.
El Duque, when you mention " Sign the best free agents on the market..... Show him the Yankees mean business", that statement needs to be qualified. To Hal, "business" means only one thing: Profits only. Winning championships is not a top priority. We all know this by now. Still, I guess we can always hope.
ReplyDeleteEl Duque, Cashman set the wheels in motion last season when he traded for Frankie Valli Montas, Zac Effron, Lou Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez and resigned Frank Rizzo. If those names don’t spell WS, I don’t know what does!
ReplyDeleteEl Duque and I am not sure if you are the El Duque who pitched for my father's Yankees. Spending does not mean winning. The cost of everything here in Tampa, has gone up. We lost a lot of money during the pandemic. Out top notch scouting staff tells us that we have mucho young talent on the way. Hal
ReplyDeleteAnd the Asstros signed Abreu to a 3-yr deal. They just got a whole lot better while Nero fiddles.
ReplyDeleteGuys, in case anyone wants in on the action, I got my email from the Yankees for 40% off Club Suites and Party Suites for next season on a Cyber Monday Special. Single games or more!!!!
ReplyDeleteWatch the game on TV while the peons deal with the elements and you are pleasured with unlimited popcorn and wieners.
I imagine that you can get one easy while the World Cup is distracting Hal.
For those keeping score it is currently SF Giants nil, NY Yankees nil pending the whistle blow.
Did you say sven-jolly?
ReplyDeleteWhat, pray tell, is a "Cyber Monday Special"? Does it entail anything having to do with baseball at all?
ReplyDeleteAnd Abreu, if I recall correctly, was a guy who came over directly from Cuba. The White Sox signed him for about $68 mill for six years—a contract that did NOT count against the payroll cap.
The Yankees...showed no interest at all.
Abreu...not only won the rookie-of-the-year award in 2014, but led the AL in slugging. He did that again, as well as leading the league twice each in RBI and total bases, once in hits, and winning three Silver Slugger awards and 1 MVP.
But hey, the Yanks' crack front office knew he was no Greg Bird!