Yanks Should Go on a Cuban Spending Spree
This offseason, they've kept their powder dry, but they have a chance now to fix some mistakes of the past. We've talked about Moncada for months, and he is a must. At the same time, Hector Olivera would probably be the best hitter on the MLB Yankees for the next few years.
Beyond that, 17 year old Yadier Alvarez who has free and easy 97 mph gas and the usual assortment of Cuban Pitchers' pitches - which is to say limitless.
The Yankees will shed some bad deals, right around the time that Moncada and Alvarez will be ready for the show. In the meantime, they should hire Olivera to help the O right now. This would immdiately move the system back into the top 10. Create a welcoming culture for future Cubans, and make wise use of the Yanks big advantage.
They won't be able to do anything like Moncada and Alvarez in IFA for two more years.
posted by Kalel9 @ 10:27 AM
29 Comments:
Sign them all and worry about positions later. If you have to pretend to contend in order to put butts in the seats and give YES good ratings, fine, but make sure the money is actually being re-invested.
Sure, but whether or not they sign Moncada, Cashman told us everything we need to know: They aren't interested in constructing the perfect beast.
So spending directed at 25 man roster needs will always be a large part of what they do whenever Hal authorizes it.
The problem is that Cashman has spent so stupidly, from Wells to Youk to Beltran, who btw, I expect a big year from. Nonetheless, it was a terrible risk/reward.
Hiring Beltran just for the honor of DLing him was institutional insanity at the cost of a first round pick.
I don't think it's wise to invest in Olivera based on the fact that he has been injury prone in Cuba and hasn't played more then 40 games in the field in over 3 years - I do love his bat but he's going to command Rusney Castillo type money and he is too big of an injury risk imo.
I think you allocate the spending to Moncada and Alvarez - both are young and would be top 5 picks in MLB draft, a spot we will never be able to draft at. While the bonus will be high, these guys will come in as minor league deals which will keep their overall cost down for another 5+ years until they are into arbitration. It's imperative that we win both.
I'm also extremely optimistic on Ellsbury, McCann and Beltran this season. The offense was bad last year but I attribute a lot of it to a one major issue that is no longer present. This was Playing Jeter everyday and batting him 2. He was statistically the worst hitter that had over 500 PA last year and was batting in a position that I fee should belong to your BEST hitter.
Add in a full season of Headley and hopefully healthy seasons from the others, we should be improved dramatically. I'm not predicting us to be the best but we should be above league average
Yeah, I wouldn't mind passing on Olivera, if just to give Refs a shot, if I believed he would get one.
Not as optimistic about the O bouncing back as they won't take their walks, and insist on trying to blast through the shift.
I'm not as high on Refs as I am on guys like Judge and Bird, so I want Olivera just to give them another option at second. Of course, I expect Drew to play there the entire year anyway, so maybe it's a moot point.
I think Refs has a chance to be pretty good and cost controlled for years, until someone moves him off.
I'm optimistic for the offense because Tex *should* be healthy and we have a full season of Headley and a 100% Gardner. They are selective and have produced great OBP and should. I really think people overlook just how bad jeter was last year and how much impact that had on the production pf the overal lineup.
Teix's problems aren't simply health (though like Beltran he is a ticking time bomb) -- he simply cannot beat the shift, and anything soft, low and away he can't help but swing at.
Gardy's hurt a lot, too, style of play. And Ellsbury will also miss time.
A-Rod and Beltran ate the keys to the offense. They are/were the best hitters by far. And my guess is they probably still are
ARE. heh
My guess is that they'll both continue to break down.
They may, but unlike McCann and Tex, who have both badly declined, and their declines has been exacerbated by the shift, they are highly skilled hitters who have/had plate coverage, patience, and power.
But both ARod and Beltran roided like crazy and that will cause them to keep breaking down ahead of schedule.
Beltran roided in what world? I have a hard time believing that based on his body type and the fact that his injury last year was not indicative of steroid use.
Mccann had a bad year overall but you need to look at it based on 2 halfs :: if you look at his second half, it was pretty close to his career numbers except OBP, which was down slightly ... I attribute his poor first half to a multitude of different factors such as focusing on learning a new pitching staff and switching leagues. I think his pitch framing and overall defense is extremely underrated on this board and doesn't get the appreciation it truly deserves.
People can talk about shifts all they want but BABIP actually went up 2points league wide last year. If Teix can come back, get on base and work the counts as we know he can and play GG defense, we will be improved. Just look at who we threw out at 1b last year in his absence...also don't forget we had another black hole on top of Jeter for half a season in Roberts.
Seriously, there's to much pessimism going on around here.
Billy, check out Beltran in the playoffs when he was with the Astros. His head was enormously blown up. He sure as hell roided. Or was in high functioning anaphylactic shock.
From everything I've seen it makes sense to go all in on Moncada, as we did on Tanaka. I would be careful not to bring back the George Steinbrenner mentality with respect to the Cubans. Some are going to be great and some not so much, there will be personality and character issues as well, just as with MLB free agents. I'm not saying they should be tightwads -- assuming their scouts weren't totally out of it I enthusiastically support what they did last July on IFAs, just that when they get to the next order of magnitude there's less margin for error, as the $10s of millions spent on a bust could have been better spent elsewhere, such as on a rental if we have a real chance at making the WS.
With respect to Refs, I really hope they give him a shot. You don't need an all star at every position and usually teams that try for that fall short. If he can hit like Lou Piniella and can field OK plus have a good baseball IQ, he wouldn't be hurting the team, especially if you have strong D at ss and 3b. Remember the 69 Orioles had Davey Johnson and Boog Powell on the right side of their IF, and Mayo Smith still made the comment that getting a ground ball through them was like throwing a hamburger through a brick wall.
Pessimism can be realism.
Tex has declined every year since 2009. He has lost significant bat speed and when you have the kind of uppercut swing that he does batting LH, that is a prescription for a one-trick pony type of hitter. I wish he gave up switch-hitting.
Catchers over 30 have a pretty terrible offensive history. Neyer once provided the stats to project what Posada would do as he aged. He was wrong about him. McCann's decline has already started. You can see it in the freefall in his batting average since 2008. The shift just cements it.
They need to add offense anywhere they can. That's why Refs makes sense and Didi didn't
I'm not pessimistic. The things about the Yanks that I am most excited about this year just happen to be in the minors.
I'll root like crazy, but the injury issue will crop up again.
About the offense? I'm pessimistic.
Overall, I am frustrated because the GM isn't particularly smart, and worse, he has become arrogant, probably because he knows he has sold out.
The manager is just weird.
Can they still be good? Sure, but it's harder.
RE: Stottlemyre68, agreed on Refs. If he hits decently and learns the position, I'd be fine with him even if he weren't an All-Star. I just think Judge and Bird are more "sure things."
But again, based on what LINJ posted about Girardi/Cashman telling Mike Francesa that Drew is the starting second baseman, I have no expectations of Refsnyder actually getting a shot this season.
Mike
Based on what he was told, Refs would have to have an amazing ST, and Drew would have to suck or get hurt.
They didn't mention it, but if Didi can't hit at all (and he basically hasn't at the ML level), they might have to play Drew at SS, leaving 2B open for Refs or Pirela.
What I like about Refs is that he has the hit tool. In an era of declining offense, I think that is the most valuable tool there is.
Will he be a star? Probably not. But I think he can be very solid offensively, and his D will eventually catch up.
Seriously, with this defensive obsession they have now, how would Jeter ever had a chance to prove himself?
I'm not comparing Refs' upside to his, but let's be honest, he was average defensively, at best, even at his peak.
http://nypost.com/2015/02/12/brian-mccanns-plan-to-beat-shift-thats-killing-his-average/
“Now that the shifting’s involved, it’s time for me to take a step back and figure out. Now I’ve got to beat the shift,” McCann said Wednesday. “I’ve hit a certain way for nine years. The shift obviously is more advanced. So hits that I’ve always had in the past are now outs. I hit .290, .280, now you’re hitting .240, .230. It’s time for me to make that adjustment, and I went into this offseason, and that’s where I’m at.”
[...]
“I’m trying to shorten my swing up a little bit, trying to use the whole field,” McCann said. “Not just go up there and look for my pitch. Shorten up sometimes and take that hit to left. The more times you do that, they’ll stop shifting.”
He needs to take his fricken' walks!
Lawyer,
At least they have options in the infield. That's more than they could say going into last year. I personally expect Drew to do better with a spring training, I'd just rather he be at his natural position. I hope Refs sticks as he seems like a good guy who would be a good influence in the clubhouse.
McCann, unlike Teixeira, at least seems to acknowledge the need to change. I live in Braves country and have been following him throughout his career, so I'm pulling for him.
Then again, options mean nothing if Girardi will only play certain players.
Mike
That's true, but:
1) they stuck with Roberts even though they had Kelly Johnson, who is definitely better than Roberts. What he did to Girardi's dog or wife remains a mystery.
And they had Pirela available, if they wanted to go young.
2) At SS, I really wonder what they would have done with Jeter if they believed they were a high end team, because the protestations of some really good Yankee fans notwithstanding, he was horrible both offensively and defensively, and could have cost them playoff games.
3) I have been bleating for years that the #1 priority should have been a young SS/3B who could ease the pain of Jeter and A-Rod's foreseeable decline.
That's what I would used AJack, Montero, IPK, etc. for.
The GM thought otherwise, apparently.
Sign Moncada and I will try to reboot my negative outlook on just an amazing series of incompetent decisions by all involved.
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