If the Yankees are to return to the playoffs, as their fans feel it is their divine right to do, they've got to get pitching. As luck would have it, there are two great starters out there, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. The Yankees should sign both, and get Derek Lowe, too.
Sabathia, Burnett and Lowe? Wow. How do all you Yankees fans out there feel about that? The Yankees should have the money, but is that the way to go?
#1 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 1:01 AM ESTI'm not a fan of signing Lowe. He's a sinkerballer just like Chien Ming Wang, and I'm a fan of getting a diverse array of pitchers to keep lineups always guessing. If the Yanks employee two sinkerballers in the rotation, then teams may start getting in a rhythm against those sinkerballers. Besides, the New Yankee Stadium will have the same dimensions as the old stadium, so I assume it will favor left handed pitchers again, so I'd rather have Andy Pettitte back at one year, than overpay Lowe for three or four years.
I'm also not sold on Burnett either, injury issues aside, and those are HUGE issues, Burnett has only been significantly better than league average for one year, and that was way back in 2002. I don't like the idea of overpaying for only an above average pitcher who is just as likely to throw less than 165 innings than he is to throw over 200.
Now Sabathia, I love Sabathia. Lefty, dominant, a true ace. Yeah, his body might not hold up for six or seven years, but I kinda compare Sabathia to Mussina back in 2001 when the Yanks signed him, except Sabathia is younger now than Mussina was then. Barring major injury Sabathia should be great for at least four of those years, and if we have to overpay for the last three, thats fine, because he should still be above average then.
So assuming Mussina retires, Pettitte is eventually brought back for a year, Sabathia is signed, and the Yanks already have Wang and Chamberlain, that leaves one roster spot left. I'd rather not hand that to Hughes just yet, but let him earn it while working out in AAA. Besides, it's always a good idea to have six legitimate starts on a contending team, someone is bound to get injured, and Joba is probably limited to 150 some innings next season.
So for a fifth starter I wouldn't mind the Yankees trading away some combination of Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady and Ian Kennedy for a lesser known fifth starter with some upside. Maybe the Marlins would like to dump one of their arbitration eligible starters for Kennedy, who is still under team control for five more years and I believe two years away from arbitration. Or maybe the Yankes can revisit those Matsui for Jonathan Sanchez talks they had with the Giants last offseason. The Rays also have an overabundance of starters, and could look to unload Edwin Jackson for Xavier Nady to fill their right field gap, but an intradivisional trade is less likely. I just think there is a more creative, and better solution out there than Derek Lowe and AJ Burnett.
They may get Burrnett and Lowe but I doubt they will get CC. He really wants to pitch in the National league and if a team in the east talks money (Mets, Phillies) he may go east for the cash.
I agree with Adam that Lowe is like Wang but he is more durable and would be able to save a bullpen by gobbling up innings in a penant run. Its a wait and see game now as to how the Yanks christen their new stadium.
I wouldn't call Lowe more durable. Wang was injured in a freak base running incident. That's not exactly a continuing problem.
CC can want to pitch in the national league all he wants, but so far not a single national league team has offered him over $100 million. The Yanks are likely to offer $150. No one leaves that kind of money on the table. There just aren't any national league teams who can afford him, and only the Brewers seem to really want him.
Add Sabathia, but stick with a rotation of Wang, Joba, Mussina, and Hughes (or any of the other promising farm-hands). We committed to a youth movement a few years ago, and need to ease them in. If we don't win the WS next year, so what? We've managed to do that since 2001 with a bunch of high profile free-agency signings that go us not much further than the 1st round most years. Stick with the youth Brian. Loyal Yankees fans are a patient bunch. We proved that through the fallow '80s (when George loaded up on past-their-prime All-star free agents).
#2 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 1:43 AM ESTLowe in place of Pettitte ? Mr Celizic,,, what are you drinking tonight?, Scotch?,Bourbon?, Jack Daniels? You must be pretty liquored up to suggest that ! Andy Pettitte is a horse and will do very well in the #2 or #3 spot, Lowe is a tired old Boston dog. At least both are not like the girly-men pitchers that seem to be popping up in baseball today with these younger guys.
#3 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:10 AM ESTYankees need CC.No AJ or Lowe.Although Hughes and Kennedy flopped last year Im not ready to give up on them just yet they both are still very young.
Trade Mrs Robinson for a starter
CC-Wang-Pettite or Mussina-Hughes or Kennedy
#4 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:07 AM ESTJudging a pitcher by Wins and Losses is archaic and Celizic shows it! Celizic's obviously never heard of WHIP or ERA +. And then there's the likely contract demands that makes Burnett & Lowe unattractive. Hughes indeed flopped but its too early to cut the rope on a kid he ate advanced minor leaguers for breakfast. Those numbers should translate to ML success, and Hughes as a solid 4/5 guy in 2009 is a bet many should make.
Celizic would have the Yanks ignore a very real need for the Yanks to get younger but stay productive in key positions. 1B Teixeira is the priority target after Sabathia.
#5 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:35 AM ESTare you freaking kidding me!!!! The Yankees NEED to sign those 3 pitchers? That is the most unbelievably retarded statement i've ever read. If the yankees need to go out and sign those 3 pitchers spending and unbelievably large boatload of cash what does that say about the rest of major league baseball? Those 3 pitchers combined will be more than most of teams payroll. Maybe other teams will start to spend once its not pointless in the attempt to keep up with the few large market teams.
Its not about being cheap its about abusing an unfair advantage that NY has over everyone else. God forbid the IMG TV deal go through maybe the yankees would just find it cheaper to buy a world series trophy literally instead of a 300m + payroll.
I am completely fed up with the yankees. MLB is a joke. If the yankees are losing they say the money makes no difference when they are winning they call you jealous. Dont worry yankee fans its called disgust and I cant wait until MLB folds because small market owners cant take the financial losses from fan dissension.
Congrats to the NY Yankees ownership for knocking baseball out of america's favorite past time. The NFL thanks you. Your historic past is now a joke and its a shame that yankee stadium over the past ten years has become a brothel for overpaid prostitutes.
#6 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:44 AM ESTTotally agree. Baseball is a joke. It's the Yankees and everyone else. The sport (excuse me, business) of baseball revolves around uncontrolled greed and avarice of the player's union and the owners (oh, excuse me, the "free market.") It's all about having the biggest markets win the most so their fans will spend the maximum money. When the richest team wins, the most money is made. Yankee fans are dupes for the owners, They actually believe in "tradition, the pinstripes, and professionalism." It's all a marketing scam for you idiots to buy those seats and hotdogs. Baseball takes a financial hit when the Rays play the Phillies in the WS. Not so when the Yankees play. It's better for making money when the Yankees are in the playoffs every year. That's why the rules favoring the Yankees will not change. "When it was a game," says it all.
Celizic's whole basis for not taking Pettitte back is so flawed it shoots holes in that stupid hat he has on his head. 39 y/o Mike Mussina had his first 20 game winning season which just goes to show that past performance is NOT an indicator of future results. Anyone making a case for 35 y/o Lowe over 36 y/o Pettitte clearly demonstrates he hasn't a clue what he is talking about. I'm sure there are pitchers available who are younger than Pettitte but then if youth is what one wants then who better than Hughes or Kennedy to retool and refire again this year. We haven't gotten a good and fair look at Hughes as yet and very few pitchers at that age are twirling 1 hitters every night of the season.
#7 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:53 AM ESTAnd remember, it's not just a 35y/o Lowe over a 36y/o Pettite, it's a 35y/o Lowe who hasn't pitched in the American league for the past four years who's also looking for a three to four year contract the end of which he'll be 38 or 39, while Pettite may be 36y/o, but he's only looking for a one year deal at this time.
I don't have a problem signing older players, I have a problem giving them long contracts. That's why I'm okay if Abreu wants to accept arbitration and come back for a single season for a likely salary in the mid to high teens, but I'd say no thinks to Abreu for three or four more years at a dozen or more million each.
I think the Yanks have to emulate the Dodgers recent approach and sacrifice a little more money for shorter contract terms and more roster flexibility. This doesn't apply to studs like CC and Tex of course, just to everyone else.
Other arguments aside, I don't like the idea that Celizic makes where the Yanks should just toss out Hughes and Kennedy. Throw them to the wind, they've had their one year chance, punt them. Even if the Yanks get the three top free agent starters, to not utilize at least one of them as a #4 or #5 is very short sighted. Someone needs to remind Mr. Celizic he's got a five year old mentality.
Then again, I imagine this article was written to provoke and not to hash out logic and finances. You succeeded, Mr. C.
#8 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:43 AM ESTUsually rebuilding takes more than 1 year. Give me a break.
#9 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:28 AM ESTHello new here just came to check out the site.
#10 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:58 PM ESTI've got an idea. Why don't we have the Yankees just buy every player in baseball. That ought to give them a shot.
#11 - Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:25 PM ESTNow now my precious. Don't be a hater. I am sure your *team* is out spending millions too!
After all it is a BUSINESS right???
Hmmm, I don't know... Should Steinbrenner ask congress for a piece of that $700bn? After all, what's good for New York...
#12 - Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:41 PM ESTOkay, Mike, let me try to understand this: the Yankees won 89 games last season, missed the playoffs by six games, and you're ready to declare the whole "build-from-within" model a flop after only one year?!
Come on, man, it takes more than just one year to execute such a strategy. And I think it's time for you New Yorkers to realize that you might need to "rebuild" and just patiently wait until you can contend for a WS again. Obviously, the Yankees have the resources and a need for starting pitching in its prime. But to self-righteously declare that the Yankees must "break the bank" is premature and reckless and thoughtless, and, as another commenter put it, belies your "five-year old mentality."
It's amazing to think that you get paid to write these crap articles for NBC Sports.
#13 - Mon Dec 8, 2008 4:26 PM ESTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
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Pretty cool gif animation of him throwing last night.
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