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Blogs by Fans Roundtable -- Part III
This is the third part in a series dedicated to all things baseball. Questions have be posed and answers have been given. Part one of the Blogs by Fans roundtable featured Brian and Loge 13 and can be found here. Part two involved Loge 13 and El Lefty Malo and can be found here.
Now it's my turn to answer El Lefty Malo's questions about the Yanks. And awaaaaay we go!
1. CC or AJ: Which ridiculous contract is more likely to bite the Yankees in the ass?
Mike: The snap answer is Burnett's contract and well, it's also the correct one. Burnett has pitched over 200 innings in only three of his 10 big league seasons and seems to hit the DL at least twice every season. Not exactly the type of resume that screams long-term deal. Meanwhile, Sabathia's contract, while huge, isn't that ridiculous (all things considered). He'll probably opt out after three years (and $69 million) whether he pitches well or not and the Yanks (or another team) will have the opportunity to give him more money. Sure, the Yanks bid against themselves for CC, but they were in desperate need of a front-line starter. And call me crazy, but I don't think Sabathia will realize the $161 million for the seven years. In fact, if he pitches well, he could see even more cash. And that could mean good things for the Yanks.
2. Is Brian Cashman smart, or does he just have a lot of money to spend? Other than the FA contracts, do you like his moves so far this off-season?
Mike: A little from column A and a little from column B. It's always easier to take a chance when you know you can throw more money to fix things if they don't go your way. And I wasn't too pleased with Cashman before the Sabathia deal. I liked bringing back Damaso Marte, but I was a bit surprised they signed him to a three-year, $12 million deal instead of picking up his 2009 option for $6 million. But it's hard to find a quality lefty reliever so I can't kill him for that move since it saves the Yanks money in the long run. I hated the Nick Swisher trade. I don't see the upside in bringing in a guy who isn't great defensively, hits for a low average, doesn't have that much power and has three years remaining on his contract. And then penciling him in as the team's starting first baseman to boot. Dumb. I was also shocked that the Yanks didn't offer salary arbitration to Bobby Abreu. He probably wouldn't have taken it, but I would have at least offered it. One year and $16 million for a guy who drove in 100 runs in his two full seasons in pinstripes doesn't seem like a bad deal to me.
3. Phil Hughes was the hottest prospect around a couple years ago. They refused to part with him when Johan Santana was available, which seems like a huge mistake in hindsight. What about now? Should they trade him and get some value, or should they be patient?
Mike: It could turn into a shrewd move if Sabathia pitches well in New York and Hughes realizes his potential. The Yanks would have given up Hughes and others (Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and maybe others) and then would have had to sign Santana to a long-term deal. It haunted the Yankees last season when Hughes pitched poorly and then hit the DL, but it could really help them in the long run. In effect, the Yanks chose Sabathia over Santana and they didn't have to trade anyone to land him. I wouldn't trade Hughes at this point even though it looks like he won't have a spot in this season's starting rotation. He's still just 22 years old and another season in the minors should do him good.
4. Other than AJ Burnett pulling a Pavano, what's your biggest fear about the 2009 Yankees, and how would you fix it?
Mike: The offense. After Alex Rodriguez, the Yanks don't have a hitter that other teams should fear. Damon and Jeter had solid seasons last year, but they aren't getting any younger, Robinson Cano took a huge step backward in his production and I don't know what to expect from Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui in 2009. Starting pitching eventually did the Yanks in last year, but the offense wasn't nearly as lethal as it should have been. My solution would be to try and land Mark Teixeira. It probably won't happen since the Yanks are "set" at first with Swisher, but he would give the Yankee lineup a terrific one-two punch. It would also keep him away from the Red Sox. Yes, Teixeira is asking for a boatload of money, but the Yanks are "saving" money with the Sabathia deal. Why not throw some cash to a guy who can man first base and bat third?
Now it's my turn to answer El Lefty Malo's questions about the Yanks. And awaaaaay we go!
1. CC or AJ: Which ridiculous contract is more likely to bite the Yankees in the ass?
Mike: The snap answer is Burnett's contract and well, it's also the correct one. Burnett has pitched over 200 innings in only three of his 10 big league seasons and seems to hit the DL at least twice every season. Not exactly the type of resume that screams long-term deal. Meanwhile, Sabathia's contract, while huge, isn't that ridiculous (all things considered). He'll probably opt out after three years (and $69 million) whether he pitches well or not and the Yanks (or another team) will have the opportunity to give him more money. Sure, the Yanks bid against themselves for CC, but they were in desperate need of a front-line starter. And call me crazy, but I don't think Sabathia will realize the $161 million for the seven years. In fact, if he pitches well, he could see even more cash. And that could mean good things for the Yanks.
2. Is Brian Cashman smart, or does he just have a lot of money to spend? Other than the FA contracts, do you like his moves so far this off-season?
Mike: A little from column A and a little from column B. It's always easier to take a chance when you know you can throw more money to fix things if they don't go your way. And I wasn't too pleased with Cashman before the Sabathia deal. I liked bringing back Damaso Marte, but I was a bit surprised they signed him to a three-year, $12 million deal instead of picking up his 2009 option for $6 million. But it's hard to find a quality lefty reliever so I can't kill him for that move since it saves the Yanks money in the long run. I hated the Nick Swisher trade. I don't see the upside in bringing in a guy who isn't great defensively, hits for a low average, doesn't have that much power and has three years remaining on his contract. And then penciling him in as the team's starting first baseman to boot. Dumb. I was also shocked that the Yanks didn't offer salary arbitration to Bobby Abreu. He probably wouldn't have taken it, but I would have at least offered it. One year and $16 million for a guy who drove in 100 runs in his two full seasons in pinstripes doesn't seem like a bad deal to me.
3. Phil Hughes was the hottest prospect around a couple years ago. They refused to part with him when Johan Santana was available, which seems like a huge mistake in hindsight. What about now? Should they trade him and get some value, or should they be patient?
Mike: It could turn into a shrewd move if Sabathia pitches well in New York and Hughes realizes his potential. The Yanks would have given up Hughes and others (Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and maybe others) and then would have had to sign Santana to a long-term deal. It haunted the Yankees last season when Hughes pitched poorly and then hit the DL, but it could really help them in the long run. In effect, the Yanks chose Sabathia over Santana and they didn't have to trade anyone to land him. I wouldn't trade Hughes at this point even though it looks like he won't have a spot in this season's starting rotation. He's still just 22 years old and another season in the minors should do him good.
4. Other than AJ Burnett pulling a Pavano, what's your biggest fear about the 2009 Yankees, and how would you fix it?
Mike: The offense. After Alex Rodriguez, the Yanks don't have a hitter that other teams should fear. Damon and Jeter had solid seasons last year, but they aren't getting any younger, Robinson Cano took a huge step backward in his production and I don't know what to expect from Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui in 2009. Starting pitching eventually did the Yanks in last year, but the offense wasn't nearly as lethal as it should have been. My solution would be to try and land Mark Teixeira. It probably won't happen since the Yanks are "set" at first with Swisher, but he would give the Yankee lineup a terrific one-two punch. It would also keep him away from the Red Sox. Yes, Teixeira is asking for a boatload of money, but the Yanks are "saving" money with the Sabathia deal. Why not throw some cash to a guy who can man first base and bat third?
Hey Mike, follow-up question for the roundtable.
Q: You and I seem to be on the same page where the Yankees are concerned most of the time, with one glaring example. I know you want to give Girardi the benefit of the doubt heading into the season, so I want you to take a step back and tell me two things he did last season that give you hope he'll be a better manager this season. Specific examples, or even just personality traits.
Huh! Again, I wasn't thrilled that Girardi got the job and he really didn't warm the cockles of my heart in 2008, but I think anyone was going to struggle in Year 1 after Joe Torre.
Two things, aye? The Yanks didn't go into the tank after it became painfully obvious that they didn't have the horses to make the postseason. They finished 17-9 in September. Did they play for their manager? I highly doubt it, but they didn't quit on him, either.
Girardi also did a pretty good job at handling the bullpen as the year wore on. That wasn't Torre's strongest strength at manager and G.I. Joe did a decent job at keeping the relievers fresh (yes, there were bumps in the road). Hopefully, this season's starters will make his job at handling the pen a lot easier.
So the team played better when the games didn't matter, that's a positive attribute?
I'll give you the bullpen management, outside of Damaso Marte he did a good job w/ them.
You could go that route. Or you could say that they kept fighting even though hope was lost.
Hi Mike,
Now that it looks like Texiera will be signed by the Red Sox, what would you think of the Yankees signing Manny?
What up JJ,
Sorry this is late. The Jets and Christmas shopping have been killing me. On paper, bringing Manny over sounds like a good idea. He would fit in nicely behind A-Rod as the cleanup hitter. But there's a reason teams are hesitant to move in on him. I think the baggage would be too much. And I don't think G.I. Joe would be able to handle Ramirez and his erratic behavior. I understand the argument for him and I'd listen if he were willing to sign a two-year deal, but in the end I'd pass.