Hal, the Steinbrenner Kid who is running the Yankees these days, supposedly indicated that getting under the not very soft salary cap is a goal not a requirement, that he would be OK with exceeding the cap if needed.
Say what?
After all the junk that has occurred Yankee fans should be very upset if the Yanks panic and exceed the cap for 2014. What a wimp. Geez, set a policy and stick to it.
The ability of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to play well and often is unknown. So when the free agent season began the only reliable every day players the Yankees had were:
CF - Brett Gardner
1B - Mark Teixeira
LF - Alfonso Soriano
Catching was a bit up in the air with no starter but with several serviceable veterans and prospects:
- Francisco Cervelli
- Chris Stewart
- Austin Romine
- J.R. Murphy
- Gary Sanchez
Saturday, November 30, 2013 Your catcher should not be one of your better hitters.
With the lone exception of left filed in 2013 for the last three seasons catchers have by far the fewest plate appearances (PA) and games.
Using common sense we can figure that a player will have four (PA) per game. If we divide the required 502 PA by four we get 112 games needed to qualify for leading in batting average, etc. That's a very low threshold. It's only 69% of the 162 scheduled games.
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Tuesday, November 26, 2013 Brian McCann: is he worth $17 million for each of the next five years?
My general view is that you don't want one of your better hitters to be your catcher because you will over pay for a player who will get hurt or will be rested to prevent him from being hurt even more than he is rested. I think that the optimal thing is to have two catchers of about equal value and have them split the catching duties.
... the catchers to ... qualify for leadership in averages, which is only 502 plate appearances ...
No more than nine in any season and only three qualified each of the three seasons:
Yadier Molina StL
Carlos Santana Cle
Matt Wieters Bal
McCann only in 2011. In 2012 McCann was injured and lousy. In 2013 McCann was less injured and less lousy. That's what the New York Yankees will be paying $17 million for each of the next five years.
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To me the Yankees did not need a catcher.
The one position the Yankees did not need to fill was center field. However, incumbent Brett Gardner is being replaced with Jacoby Ellsbury. Both are good fielders, good base stealers and neither hits home runs, except for the 32 (15 home, 17 road) Ellsbury inexplicably hit in 2011, his only season in double figures.
Ellsbury: Born: September 11, 1983 OPS+ 108; 241 SB, 46 CS; OPS+ 2013 114
Gardner: Born: August 24, 1983 OPS+ 97; 161 SB, 38 CS; OPS+ 2013 108
Ellsbury is an upgrade but hardly one worth $153 million over seven years. That money could have been spent on new pitchers. The Yankees have lost starters Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes and not added any pitching. They have resigned Hiroki Kuroda (born Feb 10, 1975) for one year. Gerald Ford was president when he was born.
With so many holes to fill, why fill a non-hole?
Letting Robinson Cano go was the smart move. The Yankees offered about the same $24 million per year that Cano will receive from Seattle. The difference: Yanks 7 years, Seattle 10. Cano took the money over a plaque in Yankee Stadium. I wish him well.
Thursday, July 11, 2013 Cano isn't worth a huge contract.
In right field the Yankees obviously could have brought back Curtis Granderson who signed with the Mets for $15 million for each of four years. Instead they signed Carlos Beltran for the same annual pay for three years.
Granderson born: March 16, 1981 OPS+ 117
Beltran born: April 24, 1977 OPS+ 122
Beltran will be 39 in his final Yankee season. Granderson will be 37 in his final Met season.
Friday, December 6, 2013 Curtis Granderson: home run rate Detroit v. New York.
Curtis Granderson took advantage of playing his home games in Yankee Stadium to hit more home runs.
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Sunday, December 1, 2013 M & M Boys, revolving door rosters, copy cat management and rooting for the laundry.
Nick Swisher ... lasted four seasons, then became a free agent and joined Cleveland in 2013.
Curtis Granderson played four seasons for the Yankees: 2010-2013. Granderson joined Jason Giambi as the only Yankee since Mickey Mantle to hit at least 40 homers in consecutive seasons. Granderson is now a free agent.
As a replacement for Granderson the Yankees are considering Carlos Beltran, a free agent who played most recently for the St. Louis Cardinals. I love Beltran and wanted the Yankees to sign him when he was a free agent the first time following the 2004 season. Beltran would have been the perfect replacement for Bernie Williams. The Yankees showed no interest then...
As a fan I'd like at least some core players to play most if not all of their careers with the team I root for. Having supplemental players is part of the deal but I'd like at least some of them to remain for at least 4-5 years. Despite their flaws I had gotten comfortable with Swisher and Granderson. I understand that the team needs fresh blood but I'm very concerned that all teams are entering a period when fan interest in individuals will receive very little consideration.
I wish that Carlos Beltran had been a Yankee the last decade but I don't really want him now that he is old and injury prone, not as a rent-a-player. I want to like the players on my team. I don't want enemy players like Red Sox Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens or Kevin Youkilis. Babe Ruth was OK because he had 87% of his plate appearances with the Yankees. And he was The Babe.
Despite what the Steinbrenner Kids may think we're not rooting for the laundry. And not for a cameo appearance. I don't want to see just anybody in a Yankee uniform, which is one reason I oppose the pending acquisition of Brian McCann.
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