I like the direction the Yankees are headed. It seems that they are making the neccessary moves to get back to winning baseball. They are getting more athletic, and are now focusing on pitching.
With that being said, the Yankees need to stick to the plan and avoid sexy quick fixes. By that I mean NO MANNY RAMIREZ. We saw what he did to Boston, it’d be absolutely Assanyne to throw him money. Keep him away. We need team players, and players we have traded for, (Nick Swisher, Xavier Nady) we are getting them.
The Yankees are looking more and more like a BASEBALL team. The game is baseball, not home run hitting. Also, avoid Mike Cameron. I know A-rod likes him and is lobbying for him, but he’s not the general manager. Defense should be the first priority with your CF, and between Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera, you have two above average CF options. Theres no sense in throwing money at that. Both of them can but and advance players, and do the little things to help the team win. That’s what the Yankees need to do, the little things. I can’t tell you how many times this year there would be a runner on second and no outs, and they failed to get the runner over. The more players we can get who understand the game, the better off we are.
While our bullpen is good, it can always be better. In all honesty, I have little faith in Jose Veras. If the Yankees can get a better set up man, go for it. Relievers fluctuate the most from year to year, so whenever you get a chance to bolster the pen you should do it. Resigning Marte was definately a good move. Now we have two lefties in the pen who can get out lefties.
When it comes to the staff, after Wang there is no gaurentees. Pettitte will probably be back, and while he isn’t what he used to be, he is a good 4th starter. He will give you 200 innings and keep you in ball games. He faded down the stretch, but keep in mind he was asked to do more than he could. With all the injuries to the staff, Andy wasn’t supposed to be a “go to” guy. Obviously the Yanks should and are going to go after CC. He is the big Ace we’ve craved/needed for so long. He’s a lefty which is a bonus in Yankee Stadium, and he’s a horse, good for 200+ innings. I’d rather see the Yanks make a trade for the second pitcher. Derek Lowe is too old, and pitched in a weak NL West. Theres no sense in throwing money at him. Don’t get me started on AJ Burnett. All I need to say is Carl Pavano with better stuff. Take out his games against the Yankees and he wasn’t that good. He pitched 200+ innings last year. Seeing an injury prone player do that makes me think the next year is going to be terrible! Let the other team’s throw money at overpriced starters.
