Whatever the plan turns out to be, it cannot include "getting older" at any spot on the diamond. I think there's a belief somewhere in the Yankee heirarchy that established superstars drive attendance. While that was certainly true when ARod came to the Yanks, what is equally true is the fact that over the hill superstars don't seem to drive attendance at all. And that's clear because evcn though this year's Yanks were constantly in contention and even picked up a wild card -- attendance was down. What's more, aging superstars break down constantly as we've witnessed with ARod, Tex, and Beltran over the past few years. Oh, and CC with his knee. Anyway, signing over 30's, and constantly tacking on the extra year is a large reason for why they are where they are right now, and it's got to stop.
Of course, the other issue is that back when a lot of the best players were coming out straight high school like ARod and Jeter, now a lot of the best players are going ahead with college, and thus aren't starting their clocks till they're 22, 23 or 24, and unlike the old days when they'd hit free agency around age 27, nowadays, they're hitting it at 30. And the Yanks should just layoff those kind of players.
So, how do they get younger? Keep developing and calling up the kids and work a bunch of old for young trades. They can even work young for young trades if it "makes sense." What they've got to do though is get younger and stop signing big name re-treads like Zobrist.
14 Comments:
"I think there's a belief somewhere in the Yankee heirarchy that established superstars drive attendance."
Hola, señor Levine.
Heyward could be that player. He has youth, plus defense and as a LH slugger could easily hit 10+ home runs but Yanks need to find a taker for Beltran and that won't be easy.
Would rather they pass on Heyward and play some of their own.
I so agree MK
The problem is exacerbated because of two things that I mentioned during the week:
1) they have signed the wrong free agents, for which the GM has to take significant responsibility;
2) they spend all their money at once when money comes off the books, and that is on Hal.
The second factor not only makes the first harder to execute, it is terrible from a business because it precludes acquiring the best assets at the most appropriate time, causing them to miss opportunities.
They have to pay off their bad contracts whether or not the play them, so that is a sunk cost. There is no reason to let those players sink their chances of winning when they have younger, cheaper options who are more likely to help them WIN NOW.
The infrequent exception to 2) has been when the GM has said that he persuaded Hal to pull future spending forward when a big contract was coming off the books in a year, as Cashman said he did when Teix was available, surprising the rest of the market. They now have Teix and Beltran with one year remaining.
Does Cashman attempt to do that again? Would Hal agree? If so, my guess is that it would be for a big staring pitcher.
I would make dumping veterans my sole offseason task and add no contracts.
It would surprise me if they do that.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2015/10/mlb_rumors_yankees_could_chase_zack_greinke.html
Reports of 5/150 are being floated but could go higher.
The Mets are good. I hate it. But it's undeniable.
The Mets did a ground up rebuild in NY where the press has always maintained that can't be done.
The Mets did a ground up rebuild in NY where the press has always maintained that can't be done.
Right, it's always been nonsense, and with Severino, Bird, Refs, Didi, Murphy/Sanchez, Slade, Williams, Judge, along with Tanaka, Eovaldi, and their pen, they could do it quickly as long as they were willing to play kids and eat contracts and/or sit veterans.
But that is a see it to believe it proposition.
They need to find takers for some of the oldsters
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pentland fired
Post a Comment
<< Home