As Yankees, former Bostonions could win world series rings. We rejoiced over the image of Wade Boggs on horseback, or of rabid Roger Clemens throwing at someone's head. We had their number. We stole Jose Contreras, then snagged A-Rod after their deal went poof. In 2004, we figured Flash Gordon was next...
Then, kaboom. The universe turned on us. Let's not venture down that memory blowhole. We all know what happened. The Yankiverse collapsed, Boston took control, and the natural order has never been restored.
Considering the nabob who sits atop our organizational pyramid, it probably won't change in our lifetimes. Being Yankee owner is like being a member of the Supreme Court. An appointment for life.
So, what happened to the NY-Boston teeter-totter? We signed Kevin Youkilis. He was awful. We tried Stephen Drew. Ugh. Derek Lowe? Nope. Then came the mutative disaster: Jacoby Ellsbury...
For the last 17 years, our ex-Redsocks turned out to be double agents - mice in pumpkins - while Boston's ex-Yankees delivered great moments for them.
Mike Lowell was a world series MVP. The fragile Nathan Eovaldi turned into a block of granite. Garret Whitlock looks like a future fixture. And yesterday - gulp - Boston signed James Paxton.
Okay, I shouldn't let this rattle me. The odds of Paxton making a comeback - Jesse Smollett has a better chance. He's coming off surgery. He won't return until July or August, and will have pitched barely 20 innings in two seasons. He's five years past prime, two after his sell-by date. And yet...
Considering the sorry state of this reality, who cannot imagine another ex-Yank propelling Boston through another October?
Somehow, the Yankees have become the franchise of disappointment and squashed opportunity. Once, we were baseball's gold standard, the one team different from all others.
Now, we are just another ownership ATM - perpetually two steps behind the competition, never changing the front office, always watching the bottom line first, the standings second. What was the absolute most important objective last year? We reset the luxury tax! Hooray!
We are the Kansas City Yankees, and - frankly - the owners, by locking us out, are doing us a favor.
Well, today, everything stops. I suppose that we will still talk baseball... for a while. Muscle memory, you know? But the Yankees give us no reason to care beyond this labor stoppage. Last season, they foisted upon us the most dismal, repugnant and unrewarding Yankee team in my memory.
So now, they're pulling the plug? I say, go ahead, General Custer. Ride down into that valley, and don't worry about a thing. We'll be right behind you.
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15 comments:
But they have 2 option years for Paxton at short money. I can see an EOVALDI situation here. Plus this team couldn't use Rich Hill for 5M a year?
Season ticket sales will be robust. I predict five.
Far be it from me to look down on those that enjoy being pissed and shat upon (no kink shaming here), but I am not that much of a masochist.
Did anyone else read Joel Sherman's piece in the Post yesterday? Here's an interesting paragraph:
The Yankees policy this offseason was to monitor the shortstop market, but not make a big signing. Right until this week, GM Brian Cashman was telling some agents he did not have a defined budget from Steinbrenner yet. Whether that was a bluff or reality, the Yankees tried a bit (a $25 million offer for Justin Verlander, for example), but were mainly bystanders as 45 major league free-agent contracts were agreed to through Tuesday for $1.73 billion.
Could the organization really be THIS dysfunctional that ownership wouldn't have handed down a budget one month into the offseason?
Zach,
As we all know, and as Mr. Duque just pointed out, our goal last year was to get under the luxury tax. This is THE number one metric in the Yankeeverse. The actual goal.
How can Hal be expected to plan and execute said plan, if he doesn't know what that number is? 180M? 225? If he doesn't know then he might accidentally exceed it and the entire year will be a fail.
When the lockout ends and he gets a budget he will have plenty of time to put Plan C into place.
Someone should acknowledge Austinmac's zippy one-liner. I guess that's me.
So if Paxton isn't ready until July or August, that means he'll be starting the lockout-shortened season, if we have one at all.
Meanwhile, all of the Yankees will be another year older but far from deeper in debt. As the promise of just a few short years ago fades to nothingness.
Pffft.
I think that the Yanks tried to execute a signing...but they didn't want a shortstop for more than 4 years at more than 20 million a year and they didn't want pitchers over 35 years old at more than 25 million a year. They actually did the right thing...and as for catcher, they couldn't get one via free agency and couldn't trade for one when they were asked for our best prospects...so they tendered Sanchez. But if they get a catcher eventually, they can release him and it would cost them 2 million. The Yanks won 92 games last year with a flawed lineup so they don't need to do anything yet. They will wait on the CBA to see what they can spend moving forward...I think they will make moves after that...spending $300 million on a roster doesn't guarantee a World Series championship...
I don't care when in the offseason the Yankees make moves, as long as they make moves to improve the roster.
I'm not on board the Wait for the Kids to Develop train for two reasons: a) we are in Aaron Judge's final season, barring an extension and b) our prospects always bust anyway.
As far as I'm concerned, the Yankees have an OK team right now (86-92 wins, depending on luck). They have a glaring hole at shortstop that must be addressed, whether via a stopgap or longer term addition. Personally, I don't care how much money they spend. I get no comfort when Hal Steinbrenner saves some dollars for his next yacht. Means nothing to me.
Secondly, I'd like to see additional depth at first base, catcher, center field, and in the rotation. Don't need stars or $300M guys, just some depth to cover the inevitable injuries.
Ranger, you being are remarkably optimistic.
If that is the real Ranger!? IS IT!!? OR HAVE YOU BEEN TAKEN OVER THE THE GAMMONITE BRAIN WORMS!!!??!?!???!?
Sorry. It's been a tough couple of years.
@Winnie first...I am being optimistic...they will make moves but there is a huge lack of patience on this board...NOT that I blame anyone considering last season. I think the FO will give long looks to our prospects in the spring and consider bring one or two up to the 25 man to start the season.
@Zach...either the Yanks trade Judge or extend him. Guess they would extend if Judge has a really good season. As for the past with our prospects, this time we have three shortstops targeted for the majors...they all can't go bust. I agree with where the additional depth is and they will address that. Now whether or not the FO feels that Voit and LeMahieu had injuries and will come back better than last year, that might be a prevailing thought. If Hicks can play half a season well, that's an improvement right there but I'm not sure about him. I think Torres gets traded with some other players to get a useful player, but we have to wait 'til after this lockout.
I think the Yanks go over the salary cap...give it time...they are not penny pinching, just being prudent. We all are old enough to remember George and his spending sprees, but that model doesn't hold up in this millennia...
When was the last time the Yankees developed a quality MLB shortstop? Has it happened once in the Cashman era?
Gleyber Torres
Kyle Holder
Tyler Wade
Thairo Estrada
Jorge Mateo
Wilkerman Garcia
Angelo Gumbs
Abiatal Avelino
Cito Culver
Claudio Custodio
Corban Joseph
Carmen Angelini
Tyler Ladendorf
C.J. Henry
And countless others....
Austinmac's line was hilarious. Welcome!
And while I've been a prospect-hugger for a long, long time, I gotta go with Zach on this. Coops just cannot develop prospects into enduring major-league players on any regular basis. He can't do it.
The ideal way to build a team is always to develop most of it through the minors and trades, and bring in carefully selected free agents for certain roles. Old George, advised by genuine baseball experts, did that superbly at first. Then he didn't. The he did when he had more, superb baseball brains at his beck and call. Then he didn't.
HAL has...Cooperstown Cashman. The only time Coops has been able to lay even a finger's claim on a World Series win was when he signed every big free agent on the market. Nuff ced.
The only things the Yankees can teach their prospects are launch angles and spin rates. They certainly don't teach young players how to field their positions, run the bases, how to play the game or (god forbid) how to handle adversity.
I also suspect there's a lot of opportunity 'stratification' in the minors, wherein the highly paid prospects are given a pampered reality and everyone else is just a scrub. I think so, because the highly touted prospects arrive with huge, puffed up egos to go along with their inability to field their positions, run the bases, baseball smarts or the fortitude to handle adversity. That smells like arrogance of the privileged.
It will be very hard for me to take this team seriously, until Hal, Randy and Brian are gone.
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