2009 New York Yankees: Rebuilding the Dynasty Across the Street

[Rogue588]

Who stays? Who goes? Who comes back?

Will "mystique and aura" be crossing the street?

Would someone like to trade for Alex Rodriguez?

[Sweet Baby James]

A-Rod is here to stay. Deal with it!-wink-

Steroidambi is a goner. Abreu is gone(maybe they can find a RFer that will actually make it back to the wall). Posada will have to move to first. Cano needs a serious attitude adjustment. They should move Jeter to CF, but he won't go for it. Matsui will DH as he can no longer play LF. Sabathia will definitely be here as the ace with Wang as #2. Moose is gone. The big question is whether Joba goes back to the pen or stay in the rotation.

[raven56706]

my .02 cents so far

Giambijuice is a goner. If they can get him cheap, fine but he is most likely gone. Abreu will be back but under a new deal and not the option. I think they would be stupid to not try to keep him.

I believe they will throw the bank to Sabathia. As far as Lowe and Sheets, it will remain to be seen. But here is my guess.

Rotation next year: 1) Sabathia, 2)Wang 3) Lowe 4) Mussina 5)Hughes

[wildcatlh]

A-Rod is here to stay. Deal with it!-wink-

Steroidambi is a goner. Abreu is gone(maybe they can find a RFer that will actually make it back to the wall). Posada will have to move to first. Cano needs a serious attitude adjustment. They should move Jeter to CF, but he won't go for it. Matsui will DH as he can no longer play LF. Sabathia will definitely be here as the ace with Wang as #2. Moose is gone. The big question is whether Joba goes back to the pen or stay in the rotation.

I wouldn't count on Sabathia. Think it's far more likely he's going to a West Coast team.

[Sweet Baby James]

I wouldn't count on Sabathia. Think it's far more likely he's going to a West Coast team.
Hank & Hal will give him the keys to the kingdom if they have to. I think that they would want to keep Moose & Abreu, but they aren't going to match what some other team will give to either of them(they both are coming off good-Abreu- and great-Moose- seasons).

[wildcatlh]

I'm not denying that the Yankees will throw money at him. But, shockingly enough to the Yankees organization, it's not always about who gives a player the most money.

[Dave7393]

Abreu is gone(maybe they can find a RFer that will actually make it back to the wall).

:lol: No shit. He plays like he's literally afraid of the wall. It's weird.

Sabathia will definitely be here as the ace with Wang as #2. Moose is gone. The big question is whether Joba goes back to the pen or stay in the rotation.

I think they'll really make an enormous bid for CC, since it's now obvious that they blew it in the Johan Santana sweepstakes. As far as Joba goes, I heard he's starting in the pen again, then will gradually ease into his position in the rotation. Who thinks that shit up with Joba? It's ridiculous.

Isn't Moose close to 300 wins? I think he tries to stick around for that.

On a side note, it can't help the organization that Hank has a big mouth, doesn't keep his word, and doesn't know jack shit about the game of baseball, based on some of his off-the-wall quotes this year.

[raven56706]

Moose i think stays.. he's shown he can keep it going.. pettite said retire or yankees so i think he will retire...

i am not sure which pitchers will be in free agency next year but you can bet the yankees will stock up... now that alot of money is coming off the table

[Goat3001]

Giambi needs to go or be willing to take a drastically smaller role (and smaller paycheck). He's old, he had a decent season but the Yankees need to find a better option.

I know Tex is out there but I just don't think he'll end up on the Yankees.

Abreu needs to stay. Of course it depends on how many years and how much money he wants but its a pretty nice luxury to be able to pencil the guy in for the 3 hole for 162 games and not worry about him. He's not the best on the field but he'll put up .290-.300, 20 hr's, 100 RBI's and make the pitcher throw a lot of pitches. Not to mention he'll steal 20 bases and stay healthy pretty much the entire season. It boggles my mind that some fans want to let him go. Who would replace him? Nady? I like him and all but will he be as productive year in and year out like Abreu? At 34, if they can sign Abreu to a 2 year deal they shouldn't hesitate to sign him.

Either way, I think Nady stays too. Next year's outfield should be Nady in left, Damon/Gardner/Melky in center and Abreu in right. Damon is a hired gun. He'll put up good numbers in his contract year.

The only changes to make to the lineup are to get rid of Giambi and Pudge. If they can manage to get Texieria, which I doubt then it would make more sense to let Abreu sign elsewhere.

The rotation needs some help. Wang will be back and I don't know their plans for Joba. I would like to see him in the rotation all of next year. He's shown himself to be a more than capable starter and the few times we saw him he looked like an ace. I'll put blind faith in the organization to do what is right by Joba.

The Yankees will make a play for a top notch starter. It will likely be Sabathia. I've shown hesitation in the Yankees signing big time pitchers that have never pitched in NY. I didn't want them to sell the farm last year for Santana so I'll reserve judgement on the probably FA starter pick up until I see the guy on the field.

Phil Hughes is the 4/5 starter. Since coming back from the injury he's only pitched 12 innings but they were good. People seem to have forgotten that he's only 22 and was considered a huge prospect. The problem is that he needs to go out there and pitch a full season injury free. He may not put up nasty numbers but if he can get a full season under his belt (meaning no send down to the minors or demotion to the bullpen) it would be a positive step.

Next is Pettitte or Moose. Both have said they want to retire. I have a feeling that one of them will be back and be pitching next year. If both of them retired then the Yankees may have to have a patchwork #5 starter. They might be able to pick up a mediocre but reliable arm in the offseason. I do not want to see them risk having another young arm as the 5th starter in case Phil Hughes doesn't work out again next year. I would like to see them land a reliable, low priced, veteran for that role.

Ian Kennedy needs to be traded. I think there are some teams that see talent in him but I just don't think he'll ever really make it as a Yankee.

I would like to see them shop Matsui. They'll get next to nothing for him but if they can find an offense starved team and put him in a package with a prospect they might be able to get something. It only should happen if the right trade comes along.

Melky should stick around but Gardner should be moved up in the depth chart over him. Give Gardner a chance. He's nothing special but when he does get on base he's as fast as they come. He also covers a lot of ground in the field. It's worth a shot to see how he does. I can't see the Yankees making a move for a big name center fielder this off season. I think they like Gardner.

I can't think of anyone in the bullpen that needs to stay or needs to go. They had a good year this year but it remains to be seen if guys like Edwar or Veras or for real. As for Marte, if they can find the proper role for him it may work out. I don't know his contract situation but if he doesn't return I won't think twice about it. Rivera to close it down, of course.

[Rogue588]

But, shockingly enough to the Yankees organization, it's not always about who gives a player the most money.rotfl Seriously? I can't think of one that didn't care about $$$.

[zuffy]

Didn't Maddux got a better offer from the Yanks back then but went to the Braves instead?

[Sweet Baby James]

I'm not denying that the Yankees will throw money at him. But, shockingly enough to the Yankees organization, it's not always about who gives a player the most money.

That's exactly what Johnny Damon assured Red Sox Nation a year before donning pinstripes.:)

[Dave7393]

But there's a reason why the term "hometown discount" exists-- a player will sometimes take less money to stay somewhere, than to go somewhere else. In that regard, yes, it's not "all about the money."

[chrisih8u]

The Yankees were still in the wildcard race up until the last week. They should just bring everyone back and not add anybody new.

[Rogue588]

Yes, but as some Sox fans and Yankee haters everywhere proclaim...$200m should guarantee more than a Wild Card and playoffs...

Personally, I wouldn't mind them trading someone like...say...A-Rod for CC. :)

[Dave7393]

Yes, but as some Sox fans and Yankee haters everywhere proclaim...$200m should guarantee more than a Wild Card and playoffs...

rotfl $200 mil doesn't mean shit. That's why they still play the games after all those contracts are signed. :)

[Quack]

I hope they keep Coke around, along with Gardner and Ransom....some good young blood can't hurt the team hopefully.

I wouldn't mind if Giambi is around another season, he seems like one of the most well liked guys in the clubhouse and would say he would stick around for less money.

Moose would be nice to have around, but I can understand if he wants to retire and go out on a high note, especially with 20 wins finally under his belt.

[starman9000]

I'll give you the nice young arm in Nick Blackburn and 3B Brian Busher for A-Rod. How much is he making per year now?

[Sweet Baby James]

^

I know that you guys are joking about A-Rod, but he's not going anywhere. The Yankees want him in pinstripes when he sets the HR record in a few more years.

[Jericho]

I'll admit that this thread doesn't have some of the "doom and gloom" outlook that some are throwing out there for the Yanks. And that's a good thing. Because while the "rebuilding" of the Yanks makes great press, this is still a pretty good team.

The Yanks finished with 89 wins, good for 7th best in the majors and more wins then they got when they won the 2000 World Series. They had the misfortune of playing in baseball's best division (by far), and even underachieved according to third order wins. You could make a compelling argument based on strength of schedule and luck that these Yankees were one of the top 5 teams in all of baseball this year. And that's with all the injuries and "disappointments" they had.

A couple of points going forward. One, the Yankees pitching was pretty good in 2008. People remember the failures of Hughes and Ian Kennedy, but on the whole, they pitching was right where it was supposed to be. It was the hitting that took a step back. Injuries played a part, as did aging and regression of certain players. But if you're looking for a quick fix for 2009, start on offense. Mainly Mark Texiera. Signing Sabathia is tempting, but its risky to give that many years and that much money to a pitcher. Granted, having an ace starter is the one thing the Yanks have lacked for almost a decade. And ace starters are one of the few elements that really imrpove your odds of winning in the postseason, but for regular season improvement, there should be a better offense on the field. Texiera will help you get to the postseason, Sabathia would help you win once you got there.

Of course this leads to point two. These are the Yanks. They're clearing a lot of salary off the books after the season. They can probably sign both guys if they wanted. And why not? Where else do you spend your money?

In other news, I see most players staying. Giambi probably goes. I think Abreu stays, maybe even on his option. Hell, there's a chance Pavano's option gets picked up, as crazy as that sounds. Guys like Damon, Matsui, Posada, and so forth are stuck with their high salaries. Can Posada catch at all? Are their any CFs available? Pettitte and Mussina probably return. Basically the same foundation as last year.

[Dave7393]

Hell, there's a chance Pavano's option gets picked up, as crazy as that sounds.

Amazing how Hampton and Pavano, two of baseballs biggest pussies, finally get their shit together (even if just a bit) during their walk seasons. They should pick up Pavano's option at their own peril.

[Rogue588]

In other news, I see most players staying. Giambi probably goes. Pettitte and Mussina probably return. Basically the same foundation as last year.Cash was on Francesca yesterday and flat out said they weren't picking up Giambi's option. :banana: However, he didn't say that didn't mean Giambi wouldn't be back. :sad: And on Girardi's show, Joe said he has a feeling that Moose would retire and Andy would come back...but that could change once they've been away from the game a bit...

Oh, and we're stuck with Cash until 2011.