Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Old approach won't yield new results for Yanks
Start the drumbeat. Another desperate Yankees off-season is under way, and a dizzying list of free-agent and trade possibilities is making the rounds.
Right fielder Gary Sheffield and catcher Jorge Posada might be dealt. Second baseman Robinson Cano could be the bait for Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon, Orioles closer B.J. Ryan and Padres catcher Ramon Hernandez are among potential free-agent targets.
So?
The Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2000 and might not win another before 2010, no matter how much money they spend, no matter how many additional mercenaries they acquire.
They're too old, too unathletic, too reliant on unheralded performers like pitchers Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon.
What the Yankees need is an infusion of young talent, similar to the one they received in the mid-1990s — back in the day before owner George Steinbrenner formed the YES Network and started pursuing television stars first, baseball players second.
But unlike the Braves, who advanced as far as the Yankees this season while blending in an impressive array of youngsters, the Yankees possess neither the patience nor scouting-and-development savvy to replenish from within.
Cano and right-hander Chien-Ming Wang represent a start, but Cano is half a player, invigorating on offense, indifferent on defense, Alfonso Soriano without the power. Outside of Class AA third baseman Eric Duncan and Class A right-hander Philip Hughes, the Yankees' system is short on top upper-level prospects.
From a business perspective, the Yankees' star-driven formula is a proven success — the team drew 4 million fans this season for the first time in its storied history. Alas, aging, overpaid stars make for good box office, but not good baseball.
The Yankees would be truly dangerous if they used their vast resources in a different way, trading expensive veterans and the majority of their salaries for premium young talent. Let's say the Yankees could send Sheffield to the Blue Jays for right-hander Brandon League, Posada to the Diamondbacks for first baseman Conor Jackson and right-hander Carl Pavano to the Tigers for center fielder Curtis Granderson. Such deals would make the Yankees a better, more interesting team, and their trading partners would be getting established veterans at a discount.
The problem is, the Yankees don't even think that way. Steinbrenner isn't interested in building for the future, and many Yankees fans have adopted his mindset, setting unrealistic expectations, demanding new stars.
Thus, the Yankees have fallen into the classic trap: By trying to win the World Series every year, they don't win it in any year, digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole. They've already committed $145 million to 12 players in '06, and that's not including left fielder Hideki Matsui and setup man Tom Gordon, potential free agents who must either be signed or replaced.
This is not the profile of a team in a rebuilding mode. And even if the Yankees could get younger by trading say, Sheffield and Posada, they would create other problems. Imagine No. 2 hitter Alex Rodriguez hitting in the middle of the lineup without Sheffield to protect him. Imagine a new catcher and a new pitching coach trying to handle a staff in decay.
The Yankees drumbeat is coming, only once again it has no rhythm. Cue up the same tired refrain.
Source: http://msn.foxsports.com/
Right fielder Gary Sheffield and catcher Jorge Posada might be dealt. Second baseman Robinson Cano could be the bait for Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon, Orioles closer B.J. Ryan and Padres catcher Ramon Hernandez are among potential free-agent targets.
So?
The Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2000 and might not win another before 2010, no matter how much money they spend, no matter how many additional mercenaries they acquire.
They're too old, too unathletic, too reliant on unheralded performers like pitchers Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon.
What the Yankees need is an infusion of young talent, similar to the one they received in the mid-1990s — back in the day before owner George Steinbrenner formed the YES Network and started pursuing television stars first, baseball players second.
But unlike the Braves, who advanced as far as the Yankees this season while blending in an impressive array of youngsters, the Yankees possess neither the patience nor scouting-and-development savvy to replenish from within.
Cano and right-hander Chien-Ming Wang represent a start, but Cano is half a player, invigorating on offense, indifferent on defense, Alfonso Soriano without the power. Outside of Class AA third baseman Eric Duncan and Class A right-hander Philip Hughes, the Yankees' system is short on top upper-level prospects.
From a business perspective, the Yankees' star-driven formula is a proven success — the team drew 4 million fans this season for the first time in its storied history. Alas, aging, overpaid stars make for good box office, but not good baseball.
The Yankees would be truly dangerous if they used their vast resources in a different way, trading expensive veterans and the majority of their salaries for premium young talent. Let's say the Yankees could send Sheffield to the Blue Jays for right-hander Brandon League, Posada to the Diamondbacks for first baseman Conor Jackson and right-hander Carl Pavano to the Tigers for center fielder Curtis Granderson. Such deals would make the Yankees a better, more interesting team, and their trading partners would be getting established veterans at a discount.
The problem is, the Yankees don't even think that way. Steinbrenner isn't interested in building for the future, and many Yankees fans have adopted his mindset, setting unrealistic expectations, demanding new stars.
Thus, the Yankees have fallen into the classic trap: By trying to win the World Series every year, they don't win it in any year, digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole. They've already committed $145 million to 12 players in '06, and that's not including left fielder Hideki Matsui and setup man Tom Gordon, potential free agents who must either be signed or replaced.
This is not the profile of a team in a rebuilding mode. And even if the Yankees could get younger by trading say, Sheffield and Posada, they would create other problems. Imagine No. 2 hitter Alex Rodriguez hitting in the middle of the lineup without Sheffield to protect him. Imagine a new catcher and a new pitching coach trying to handle a staff in decay.
The Yankees drumbeat is coming, only once again it has no rhythm. Cue up the same tired refrain.
Source: http://msn.foxsports.com/
