With the 2007 baseball season having ended, and with logs the likes of Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, Tom Glavine, Freddy Garcia, Aaron Rowand, Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, and Alex Rodriguez already being thrown into the Hot Stove, you would think the speculation would be running at a fever pitch. Well, not exactly. The New York Yankees have, once again, put a stranglehold on the headlines, much to the chagrin of the World Champion Boston Red Sox, the Colorado Rockies, and Yankee Haters all around the world, with the possible exception of the New York Mets. In fact, it would not surprise me if Mets General Manager Omar Minaya sent the Yankee organization a bottle of Dom and a card thanking them for taking the heat off them and their horrific September meltdown.
Like Humpty Dumpty, the Yankees were on top of the wall from 1996-2000, and their fall has been well documented. Sure, there have been ups and downs, with Humpty almost making it back to the top, only to collapse and further crack its shell. In the end, we all know how the nursery rhyme ends: all the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
The solution? Replace some of the King’s horses and the King’s men. Hell, replace the King, like the Yankees have. The eldest Prince, aptly named Hal, has usurped the thrown of King George I, on account of the Boss’ declining health. Hal Steinbrenner has taken the charge of retooling the Yankees so that they can better compete with the likes of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cleveland Indians, and the budding Boston dynasty.
Prince Hal’s men – Team President, and neo-Falstaff, Randy Levine, General Manager Brian Cashman, newly named skipper Joe Girardi, and Girardi’s yet-to-be-named coaching staff certainly do not have a bare stable of horses. Yet, despite Hal’s insistence, it is not the 1996 Yankees either, consisting of a few well-placed thoroughbreds and a cast of work horses, including their present manager. Lately, the Yankees have forsaken that successful formula in favor of a veritable stud farm, and the results have spoken for themselves.
For a team with an All Star at every position, only four of them homegrown, the expectation of at least one World Championship does not seem unreasonable.
So gone is Joe Torre, whose player friendly attitude, which was once a breath of fresh air, led to an air of complacency that was visible in the on-field product. Also gone is bench coach Don Mattingly, who can spread his hex of losing to another team. That can be said doubly for the best regular season player in baseball, Alex Rodriguez, who has put together an impressive array of personal statistics during his Yankee tenure and a mass of emotional baggage that commanded a traveling circus. The closest comparison to Rodriguez in all of sports would be the love child of Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady: a diva who can’t get to the next round.
It is easy to say that the Yankees need to find the right mix of youth and veteran talent without providing a blueprint. It is even easier to say that the Yankees would be better served to trade the pieces that do not fit their system for pieces that could be a part of the future without providing answers. So, ever since the Yankees were bounced by the Indians, I have been thinking long and hard about the team’s construction – playing General Manager, if you will.
The Girardi hire will help refocus the team by injecting a long lost hunger for winning it all, not just getting into the playoffs. As far as his staff, managerial runner-up Tony Pena should remain on as bench coach. Pena has the experience of being a former manager that will only help Girardi, who is still only entering his second year as a manager. Kevin Long should remain on as hitting coach, as the Yankees were overall the best offense in baseball, except for home runs. Those numbers were, of course, helped a great deal by Rodriguez’ outstanding season (.314 54 156), but still does not leave the Yankees in a terrible position.
Unfortunately for pitching coach Ron Guidry, the Yankees had a very pedestrian staff, finishing in the middle of the pack or in the lower half of the league in most pitching statistics, except for bases on balls, where they allowed the seventh most. Since the Yankees front office is committed to utilizing the pitching depth of their farm system, it is best to name minor league pitching instructor Dave Eiland pitching coach. Joe Kerrigan, a pitching guru, should remain on as bullpen coach, as the bullpen’s performance will only improve now that Torre will no longer be there to mishandle it.
The base coaches, however, are still in flux because of Larry Bowa’s uncertain status regarding a position with the Seattle Mariners. Plus, if Pena were to be promoted to bench coach, his position as first base coach would be vacated. If his opportunity with the Mariners falls through, Bowa should be retained as third base coach, as his discretion on when or not to send runners home, as well as his relationship with the younger players (particularly Robinson Cano) is unparalleled. First base coach is usually the gateway into coaching at the Major League level, so the Yankees can get away with putting a neophyte like Jim Leyritz or Paul O’Neill in that position.
The question still remains: how do the Yankees replace the productivity of Alex Rodriguez? In truth, they cannot. His production was astonishing in, ultimately, a losing effort. The bottom line is the Yankees do not need to be the overall number one offensive team in the Majors to be successful. The Yankees need to return to the championship formula, which, in truth, included its fair share of home runs, but also incorporated bunting, hitting and running, and utilizing the bench. Sound familiar? Sounds like the Red Sox to me.
Due to the lack of depth in the free agent market, coupled with the weakness of their farm system at certain positions, it is imperative that the Yankees re-sign several of their players that have filed for free agency. This, of course, does not take into account Andy Pettitte’s player option for 2008, which he will probably exercise, filling a huge hole in the starting rotation. First, Jorge Posada and Jose Molina are the best combination of offense and defense the Yankees have had behind the plate since Posada and Girardi were a tandem in the mid to late nineties. When Posada needs a rest, Molina does not skip a beat handling pitchers and can even contribute with the bat if given the opportunity. Second, the Yankees cannot let three of their bullpen work horses, Mariano Rivera, Ron Villone, and Luis Vizcaino, go, since there is no one in place to replace them. With proper rest and rotation, both Villone and Vizcaino are potent weapons for the Yankees. Also, Joba Chamberlain may be the closer of the future, but until that time, Rivera is the best man for the job because of his experience in the big spot on the big stage. Third, Doug Mientkiewicz provides a defensive presence at first base that allows the rest of the infield to play with high confidence, since he can save errors and, by extension, unearned runs. Plus, toward the end of the year, he had found his stroke at the plate. With Andy Phillips coming back from a broken wrist, it would be wise to offer Mientkiewicz at least a minor league contract.
There are, however, some free agent diamonds in the rough that the Yankees should pursue to bolster their starting rotation, bullpen, and bench. Carlos Silva from the Minnesota Twins has had some success in the American League since the Twins acquired him from the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2004 season. Silva is a contact pitcher, like Chien Ming Wang, due to his heavy sinker, and would make an excellent number three compliment to Wang, with Pettitte splitting them in the rotation. This would affect the bullpen, as Mike Mussina can fill the long reliever/spot starter role that he grew accustomed to at the end of the season. To further sure up the bullpen, the Yankees should pursue David Riske from the Kansas City Royals, who, at 31 years old, could be a force for them for several years. Riske has been a consistent reliever in the past for not only the Royals last season, but also the Indians and Chicago White Sox, putting together low home run and walk totals, posting an earned run average fluctuating between the high twos to the mid threes. For the bench, Mike Lamb of the Houston Astros provides decent production and much needed versatility to a team that has been saddled with one-dimensional player Jason Giambi. Lamb has the ability to play both corner infield positions and corner outfield positions and can even pinch hit when the situation arises, such as interleague play. Lamb hit .278 as a pinch hitter in 2007, hitting two home runs, driving in six runs, and walking nine times in forty-five plate appearances.
The trade market is also another avenue for the Yankees to improve their present and future club, especially as the General Managers’ meetings are set to commence in Orlando, Florida. The Yankees have a few pieces of interest to other teams in the trade market, but they would need to pay portions of their salaries to make the deals more enticing for general managers. For example, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been searching for an impact bat in the middle of their order for a few seasons, almost picking up Jason Giambi from the Yankees last season. The Yankees should aggressively revisit those talks, especially since the destination of Alex Rodriguez is still unknown. Instead of looking to pluck players from the Angels’ major league roster, like they were rumored to last season, the Yankees should inquire more about a package of prospects for Giambi, specifically outfielder Jeremy Moore and pitcher Sean O’Sullivan.
Also, the San Diego Padres were interested in Kei Igawa near the trade deadline last season, seeing potential in the booby prize of the Dice-K Lottery. A package of minor league pitcher Steve Garrison, a lefty starter, and minor league catcher Mitch Canham would be intriguing to the Yankees and seemingly low-risk to the Padres.
Another commodity is reliever Kyle Farnsworth, who has lived off the potential to be a major league closer his entire career, never living up either to the expectations or the paycheck. Still, if the Yankees shopped Farnsworth, there would be plenty of teams inquiring about him. The Philadelphia Phillies seem to be the most likely suitor for Farnsworth, envisioning a back-end of the bullpen with he, former Yankee Tom Gordon, and closer Brett Myers. A three-player minor league package, the likes of pitcher Josh Outman, first baseman (and Manhattan College alum) Matthew Rizzotti, and third baseman Wellinson Baez could land the Phillies that vision.
Chicago White Sox third baseman Joe Crede has been rumored to be Bronx bound lately, and he would be a good fit for the Yankees, providing another right-handed bat in an overly left-handed lineup and a good glove at the hot corner. A balky back, however, is a huge red flag that should lower the price for him to a significant prospect and a marginal prospect or two, like minor league pitchers Ross Ohlendorf and Tyler Clippard. Ohlendorf was a prized prospect in the Arizona system and was the key to the Randy Johnson trade of 2007. Clippard showed in a limited span that he has the presence and stuff to be a major league pitcher, but, for some reason, the organization was not impressed.
Even if these moves are made, there are still a few holes on this team, particularly in the middle of the bullpen, which is where the influx of younger players comes in. Jose Veras was impressive in his September outings, which rewarded him with a spot on the Division Series roster. Pitchers Edwar Ramirez, Brian Bruney, Humberto Sanchez, Chris Britton, Chase Wright, Darrell Rasner, Jeff Karstens, and Matt DeSalvo will be given an ample opportunity in spring training to either make the club outright or showcase their talents to scouts around the league.
In the grand scheme of things, this is an exciting time to be a Yankee fan, as the Red Sox have spurred them on to make change rather than remain inert, as the Yankees spurred the Red Sox to change. This injection of unpredictability has certainly heightened my anticipation for not only the upcoming Hot Stove, but the 2008 campaign.
