| Rob Intrieri. 27th February, 2006 - 1:46 am
 America’s past time has recently seen the Yankees get it done in the off season by showering free agents with money, but this was not a typical off-season for the New York Yankees. They held onto their young prospects and steered away from trading for veterans. Their cross-town rivals, the Mets, made more big name acquisitions than they did. The team’s payroll, which caused them to lose up to $85 million last year, actually went down significantly after unloading the contracts of Kevin Brown and Bernie Williams.
In fact, the Yankees are basically the same team as last year, with a few key changes. The first, and most obvious, is the signing of Johnny Damon to play centerfield. His arm is a slight upgrade over Bernie’s, but he’s faster and has a far greater range. What I liked about this signing the most was that Damon signed on the Yankees’ terms. He wanted a long-term contract (7 or 8 years) but the Yankees only offered 4 years, which turned out to be enough to cause Damon to hop from one side of the rivalry to the other. I’d thank GM Brian Cashman for that, since Steinbrenner seems to have finally given up the reigns. Johnny’s jump is the sweetest part of the whole deal because he fills our biggest hole and creates one in Boston; it couldn’t have been scripted any better for the Yankees. So after a quick shave Damon plugs into the top spot in the order and the rest of the lineup stays the same. No problem. With Damon at leadoff, Jeter gets to slide back to the two hole where he belongs, and RBI machines like A-Rod, Matsui, Sheffield, and Giambi will get even more chances to knock guys in. Bernie was re-signed as a DH, so loyal Yankees fans can root for him again. With Posada and Cano at the bottom of the lineup, the Yankees could cause many opposing pitchers headaches (not to mention nightmares). This lineup may break records if all stay healthy, but even if they don’t, the Yankees bench is the best in recent memory. Outfielder Bubba Crosby is a capable player and a great pinch-runner. The signing of 2nd baseman Miguel Cairo was brilliant, he’s a clutch performer and the Yankees should have never let him go in the first place. I like the insurance he provides behind the 2nd season of Robinson Cano. 1st baseman Andy Phillips might also get some time when Giambi plays DH.
And onto what has plagued the Yankees for the past couple of years, the pitching. Because of how poorly the projected starters did last year, many different facestook the mound in a Yankees cap, and almost all of them overachieved. From Shawn Chacon to Aaron Small to Chien-Ming Wang, they provided the Yanks with an unexpectedly huge number of victories. Now, the Yankees seem to have so many options and the only problem is who to start. Randy Johnson and Moose are cemented into the top two roles, that’s definite. But after that, there are 3 spots for 5 guys, and even a fourth grader could tell you that doesn’t add up. But I’m not complaining, and you shouldn’t either, because a surplus isn’t such a bad thing. I don’t think that some of those spot starters will have such amazing seasons this year as last, but don’t put it past them to be reliable once again. So after the dogfight that will ensue this spring training, I think it’s safe to say that Pavano, Chacon and Wang will get chances, and Jaret Wright and Small will get sent to the bullpen, where each has performed well before. Speaking of bullpen, the Yankees quietly improved it by acquiring the likes of Kyle Farnsworth, Octavio Dotel, Ron Villone, and finally a lefty specialist in submariner Mike Myers. Since Tom Gordon ran off to Philly, Farnsworth steps in as the guy to get the ball to Rivera. Too much has been made about Farnsworth: that he hasn’t been consistent enough to be counted on as a setup-man, but it really doesn’t matter. If Farnsworth can’t do the job, Dotel (who is expected back from Tommy John surgery by May) has been superb throughout his career as a setup-man.
So a diagnosis of this team shows that they erased the negatives about last year’s team. They filled up the hole in center and brought reinforcements to the bullpen. They expanded the roles of Torre and Cashman. However, this might be the last year of serious contention for the Yankees, as they aren’t getting any younger. 19 of the 25 Yankees who’ll make the squad by April are over the age of 35. It’s fair to expect a decline in some of these oldies’ stats, but don’t accuse them of being over the hill because they might just realize that their window of opportunity is quickly shrinking and capitalize on this season. Bring a championship to New York, Yankees. It’s past time to get it done. |
