Warm up the hot stove!
Alex Rodriguez c. 2001.You know what looks right about this picture? No pinstripes. Let's make that happen again.
But seriously, let's get into how to move A-Rod and what needs we have to addressed.
Our first priority is our greatest weakness-- our uneven rotation. Wang is our top arm as of now. Philip Hughes seems set to come up from AAA. We still have Wright under contract for one more year, but we have a $4 million buyout option available. We also have Randy Johnson for one more year at $16 million. I wonder if Randy will finish his contract, with his health being as it is. And of course, we have Mike Mussina with a team option. I say it's 50-50 on keeping him, let's see what we can get for A-Rod first and then make a decision on Moose. Personally, I'd rather we get someone new in there, as Moose has been nothing more than above average on his best days. And Pavano? Don't even mention his name when discussing the future of the Yankees.
As for offense, I don't know where to begin because we have a 1-9 that was allegedly the best in baseball a week ago. Sheffield looks to be the odd man out. But what about Giambi? Do we *need* his bat? We certainly would do better on defense to get someone else. I'm not sure. And like I've said before, Giambi has been playing hurt for the past several weeks, so his recent performance may not be that by which we should judge his worth. We should find a way to get Melky in the lineup everyday. Maybe float the DH spot between LF (Matsui), CF (Damon) and 1B (Giambi)? I don't know.
And as for the bullpen, Dotel and Villone are free agents. If we don't bring them back, those spots need to be filled.
Discuss.
posted by TheJackSack at 4:45 PM
22 Comments:
Friends, I'm a sentimental old fool and always will be one, but I'm just thrilled Joe is coming back. Win or lose, I'm with Joe.
Keep A-Rod. The guy will get through this.
Keep Torre. Keep A-Rod. So, nothing should be changed? I don't get it.
I think trading A-Rod makes sense strategically. There are several teams (teams with pitching) that would be interested in A-Rod.
Seeing how the FA market for pitchers is SO slim, and how we're in such a need to upgrade our rotation (Unit and Wright are not working out) then it makes sense that we try and get some long-term solution to our pitching needs- young arms that will keep our teams competitive during the regular AND postseason. I certainly don't want Zito or Schmidt coming here, draining more dollars and making us look like fools for spending top-dollar on less-than stellar talent.
Can we keep ARod until the All Star break then get rid of him if we need to before the trade deadline?
I guess we would risk 1) Playing poorly with him and possibly not making the playoffs because we would be too far out, 2) Having him out last his worth, 3) Passing up a good deal now.
Number two is a bit far fetched. He's still one of the best players in baseball.
But would that be a viable option?
Joe, if he stinks it up during the first half, we'll be stuck with him, lest we make a trade that's to our disadvantage given his potential value and talent.
Joe Torre and Alex Rodriguez are not a dynamic one-two like Joe Torre and Derek Jeter. We've had A-Rod on our team for three years, the same amount of time he spent as a Texas Ranger. With 4 years left on his contract, with us paying about $16 million per year, we're in a position to move him. And there is a demand for A-Rod out there among several teams. For us, A-Rod is a distraction, a high-maintenance prima donna with talent but a lot of baggage.
As of now, we only have one reliable starter, Wang. Why even bother playing a season if that's how we're attempting to compete in 2007? We need PITCHING!
I just want to say that I am extremely happy as well that Mr. Torre will be back. He will be in a tough spot this year, basically win or else. Although I thought that was the arrangement this year after the "leave me alone" summit of last off season. In any case, it is the last year of his contract and he might be done after this year anyway. I think he wants one more crown before he packs it in. Even without another title, if he walked away now, he's a hall of fame manager. Maybe I'm completely off base but I can't see Joe managing another team. He is so associated with the Yankee legacy now. Why would he want to start over with another team? In any case, clearly he is the best man for the job. Cuban Lou might be feisty but how long before his head explodes and he tells George to stick his job up his ass like he did the last time?
As far as A-Rod goes, as much as I might like to see him go, he is still one of the best players in the game and still in his prime. It would kill me to see him lead the Angels to victory over us in the postseason next year. Yes, his situation is a problem, but there are far worse problems the team must deal with first.
Critch, how do you address those pitching problems then? The FA market sucks.
A-Rod is a distraction. He went from hitting 6th to 4th to 8th in the ALDS. This is a joke, he can't play baseball in NY. He needs to leave.
The question is how we address our pitching problems. It's a good one, but we have to consider that there might not be a solution this offseason. Let's say we trade A-Rod. Who would be interested? Let's say the Angels. So we'd get Erwin Santana. Is he the answer? If we could trade A-Rod for Jerod Weaver, pull the trigger. But there is absolutely no sense in trading him for a second tier starting pitcher. Erwin Santana is not nor will ever be Johann Santana. He won't even be Chien Ming Wang. I don't think he'll be what Mike Mussina is now. If we trade a 40-120 guy (minimum), we better damn well get someone with 1# potential, someone like Danny Haren for instance. That's my opinion. So shop A-Rod, yes, but make it a seller's market. There is no desperation here. Although he's frozen in the playoffs, it's worth remembering that he had a monster season even this year, and was MVP last season. And this year he batted over .300 RISP. He was a big reason we made the playoffs.
So the bottom line for me: Shop A-Rod, but only trade him for the real thing.
That's what I was saying!
Then I'm wit u!
That's the point I was trying to make, I just didn't say it. If we can't get a top market pitcher than keep ARod as long as we can. Even if he has a poor season his trade value will be high.
Anth tell us more about the Japanese kid.
Joe, to answer your question, trading A-Rod at the break will be hard if not impossible. At that point, teams are trying to accomplish one of two things: Dump salary or improve for the playoffs. A team looking to dump salary obviously won't pick up A-Rod, and a team in contention won't be able to give up the starting pitching we'd demand for him.
Joe, sorry, your post snuck in right as I was writing mine and I missed it. I will get some info on the Japanese 26 year old...
The rumored deal with the Angels was A-Rod for Santana, Figgins and Scott Shields. If a deal like that were to come along for real, that would be perfect for us.
Wow, those three guys for Arod. I think that might be worth it. Figgins would play third then?
It's close, but I probably wouldn't make that trade without more information. For one, I think Figgins is very overrated. He can run, for sure, but he's only an average hitter with little power. Shields is probably the best of the bunch. He's been a consistently good middle reliever, a rarity at that position.
But the most important player, of course, is Santana. He's only 23, which is a plus, but he's not overpowering and walks too many. I can't say for sure what his upside is. If it's huge, then maybe it would be worth it.
But think about it. We're talking about trading the best player in the game with six years left on his contract, part of which we'll probably have to eat. Shouldn't we be able to get a sure thing for that? I don't think Santana is it. Sure, Figgins is okay and Shields is good. But we're great at 3B and adequate in the pen right now. The realy issue is starting pitching. Does Santana give us what we need? I'm not so sure.
On A-Rod's value, aside from his usually awesome stats, here's a question I pose to you- if you had to choose between two players in the hopes of winning a championship, would you pick Jeter or A-Rod?
My point is that A-Rod's stats do not make our team better, they make A-Rod better. Given the rest of our lineup, do we *need* A-Rod's stick? Not really. And as for the contract, its 4 years for $67 million that the NY Yankees owe. Texas still owes the rest. That doesn't change with a trade. So for $16 million per year, A-Rod is "affordable" especially when you consider Soriano's pending FA contract which will be pretty sky-high as well.
I agree that Santana is not a sure thing, but we need a guy like Shields, considering the fact that all we have in our pen next year is Mo, Farnsworth and Proctor. And I hate to bring it up, but Mo is getting older, and he has one year left on his contract. Of course we'll resign him unless he retires (doubtful) but we need to start thinking about the future there.
And as for Figgins, he can play any position on the field and he's got speed-- real speed. He's the antithesis of a Bronx Bomber, a pull hitter, a guy who fails to move the runner over. Figgins is not flashy but he's productive and he's got a lot of value.
Santana has only pitched two seasons, and he's been decent, not great. Like most younger guys, he's all over the zone, he walks a lot of hitters, etc. Can he be molded? I don't know, I'm not a pitching coach, but a hypothetical deal like this one is worth considering.
I think it is worth considering, but I disagree strongly that A-Rod's numbers don't make the Yankees better. As for who you'd take, Jeter or A-Rod, that's a red herring. Yes, we'd all take Jeter, but so what? A-Rod is still what he is. A first ballot hall of famer with 300 more home runs in front of him.
If A-Rod was so valuable, why move him to 8th in the order? Would Torre move Pujols to 8th? My question about Jeter v. A-Rod is not a red herring because it goes to the very crux of my argument for moving A-Rod-- that he is a distraction and he is a clubhouse cancer. If A-Rod was doing this nonsense on the 1998 team, they'd move him in a milisecond. Let's not tolerate this situation if we can get some pitching in exchange.
I think your point is that A-Rod is a distraction, which diminishes his value to the point where a trade like the one described would be worth it to us. Perhaps.
The pitching in the Major leagues sucks. Look at the national league. No one can even win more than 16 games a season anymore. And that potential angels trade doesn't do it for me. If shields gets hurt, then it's a total waste. Remember karsay? Middle relief is a total crapshoot.
I'd dump some salary, shop a-rod and matsui and see what's available. Honestly, the a's and padres should seriously think about a-rod. How about a-rod for danny haren, a AA prospect, and one of their better position players. I don't know all the rosters well enough; maybe we even pick up 4M on a-rod's salary. Botttom line, we need a future front line guy and zito an schmidt aren't it.
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