Maybe Joe Torre could have closed the deal with CC Sabathia. After all, he has a great reputation with players.
Perhaps he could have convinced Sabathia that pitching for the Yankees would be a wonderful experience. If Torre could change Mike Mussina's mind about the Yankees, he might be able to change Sabathia's.
Not to say the Yankees still won't get Sabathia, and everyone else they want, but is there something to what Justice says in this column? Was Joe Torre that big a factor in helping the Yankees land free agents?
#1 - Mon Dec 1, 2008 10:23 PM ESTMeh, Torre may have helped some, but in the end it all comes down to $$$, and throwing $140 million at a player who looks more like an NFL left tackle than a starting pitcher may not be the best long term investment.
I hope the Yanks miss out on all three of Sabathia, Lowe and Burnett. Can you say Pavano, Wright and Brown versions two but for more money?
Instead the Yanks would be wise to look Ben Sheets way, he's second only two Sabathia in talent in this market, he's actually sturdier than AJ Burnett and he'll cost less than any of those three. Go after Sheets, resign Pettitte, fill in Joba and Wang and then round it out with a Brad Penny. And the second someone gets injured or ineffective, you've got 2007's top pitching prospect, and still only 22 year old Phil Hughes in the wings, not to mention Ian Kennedy. Because seriously, Agents — and players — know the Yankees are desperate. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy didn't develop the way Cashman thought they would, so he's willing to spend his franchise back into contention.
is garbage. Phil Hughes is still only freakin' 22. During Greg Maddux's 21 year old season, his ERA was 5.61, Roger Clemens was 4.32, while Randy Johnson was still in the minors. I'm not even willing to give up on Kennedy yet, though his ceiling was always much lower, probably 3rd starter level.
More importantly, the Yanks need to fix their lineup, and the only thing they need to nab Mark Teixeira is money. I really hope the rumors are true that the Angels have given up on Tex and are going after Sabathia. They can get loading with the six figure pitcher contract (of which so far zero have worked out), while the Yanks can land the athletic, good fielding, power hitting first baseman they've needed since Jason Giambi, well, proved he's a DH.
#2 - Mon Dec 1, 2008 11:13 PM ESTI've never heard Sheets and sturdy(ier) ever mentioned in the same sentence! Great pitcher when healthy, but throw alot of money at him and you might just be looking at Carl Pavano, Jr. Stick with Kennedy, Hughes and Joba. Those three- handled correctly- will form a formidable top 3. As much as I love Sabathia, his workload is going to come back to haunt him before his next contract is up. Avoid the quick fix that hinders you down the road- build up the farm system and replenish your own talent from within. Think early '90's Expos, only with the money to KEEP the players once they become stars.
When Sheets is compared to AJ Burnett, sturdy(ier) applies ;-)
I'm okay with sticking with Hughes and Joba, they'll both be stars, but they will also both have workload caps of 160-180 innings this year. Kennedy I'm less sold on. He's a diminutive righty who tops out at 91 mph with his fastball, and doesn't really have any other dominant pitches. Yeah, there have been pitchers like him who have succeeded with command and guile, but there's a hell of a lot more pitchers of his type who never even made it out of the minors. The scouting report on Kennedy from the beginning was a guy who was near MLB-ready, but who also lacked a high ceiling and would probably top out as a fourth pitcher at best on a contending team.
I though and still think Joe Torre is a class act. Did he make a huge difference with the on field performance of the players, NO. That statement is not intended to take anything away from Joe, but rather to put the role of a manager in perspective. They get credit when they win and the blame when they lose with only on a very rare occasion having an affect on the outcome. A player not hitting in the a clutch, or injury to a pitcher is not something the manager can control nor can he reverse father time.
#3 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 6:22 AM ESTTorre has done nothing for the past 6-7 years as manager....it comes down to the players not the manager!
I know you Yankee hater love stories like this but really get a life and stop looking into it too deeply!
Sabbaitha already said he wanted to stay on the west coast, don't twist the store into a Yankee hating one losers.....
#4 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 4:24 PM ESTTorre was a great fit for the Yankees, he deserves tons of credit. But, how successful have the Yanks been when they 'buy' the best roster in baseball? When they were at their best under Torre, it was homegrown talent (Rivera, Jeter, Posada, Williams, etc.), with complementary players brought in through trades (Brosius, O'Neill, Tino). The buy-every-top-free agent routine just doesn't work. Not that I know from practical experience, I'm an A's fan.....
#5 - Wed Dec 3, 2008 6:13 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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