Future of Robinson Cano and Joe Girardi among several questions Yankees must answer .... You remember what happened in 2008, the last time the Yankees missed the playoffs, right? They went on a spending spree, signing CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira to a guaranteed $423.5 million worth of contracts that produced a World Series title a year later. If only it were so simple this time. Then there was still a championship nucleus in place, one that was jolted back to life with the fresh star power. And the Yankees were still the hottest ticket in town, moving into a new stadium that theoretically would only add to their drawing power, as well as their financial clout. Now their stars are old, injured or retiring, the Stadium is no longer the place to be, as evidenced by all the empty seats, and fans seem convinced that Hal Steinbrenner is not nearly as committed to winning as his late father. And while the Yankees haven’t quite been eliminated from the wild-card race, this final week of the season feels anticlimactic after Sunday’s farewell for Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte that was heartwarming — and then heartbreaking as well. So now what? There are a zillion questions about next year and beyond that need answering before you can get a real feel for where this franchise is headed, but one thing is for sure: there is little, if any, immediate help coming from the farm system, so if the Yankees are going to be serious contenders next year, they’re going to have to spend big again. Ideally, that means re-signing Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, then going out into the free-agent market and adding catcher Brian McCann, shortstop Stephen Drew, starting pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Tim Hudson and relievers Joaquin Benoit and Scott Downs. That would be quite an expensive haul. Whether it’s realistic or not depends largely on the first and most important of the questions we pose here: Does Hal Steinbrenner stick to his plan to reduce payroll to $189 million? As fans know by now, it’s all about getting under the luxury tax threshold, resetting their tax rate from 40% to 17%. It makes all the sense in the world financially, and yet I’m getting a sense from Yankee people that they have too much at stake, in terms of selling their brand, to go through with it. The Yankees’ owner has said in recent months he’ll do it only if he can still field a championship-caliber team, and it’s hard to see how that’s possible. If young pitchers Michael Pineda and Manny Banuelos had blossomed as expected, it might be different. But Pineda didn’t bounce back as hoped from shoulder surgery and Banuelos missed the year because of elbow surgery, and neither can be counted as sure things now. Do The Yankees re-sign Cano? Again, it makes financial sense not to get locked in to a deal of more than five years, but Cano is the Yankees’ only star in his prime, and as a great defensive second baseman who puts up huge offensive numbers, his value is off the charts. He doesn’t seem to move the fan-interest needle in the manner of a Derek Jeter or even A-Rod, but how would the Yankees replace him? It’s not as if they’d lock themselves into a potential salary-cap problem, as in other sports. It’s only money to the Yankees, and as long as they win, they’ll continue to make plenty of it. So if it takes seven years and $165 million, the Yankees won’t like it but they’ll pay to keep him. In that case, the Yankee lineup should be OK, with a couple of additions. The most obvious need is at catcher, and McCann would be a huge upgrade offensively. His lefthanded bat would be perfect for Yankee Stadium, and he could DH when he’s not catching, and that’s important with highly touted catching prospect Gary Sanchez perhaps ready by 2015. Alfonso Soriano has solved their need for righthanded power, and as he’s signed for next year, the Yankees just have to hope he can produce again in left field. Granderson could be a tough call, but the Yankees missed his lefthanded power for much of this season, and ideally he’d be willing to re-sign for one year to try and restore his value. Then there’s the Captain. Can the Yankees afford to take a chance on believing that Jeter, who turns 40 next June, can still play shortstop every day after all of his leg problems this year? The consensus among baseball people is no, that it’s too risky and they should sign someone like Drew. However, it seems more likely they’ll defer to Jeter’s status and re-sign defensive whiz Brendan Ryan as insurance rather than get an everyday shortstop. Does Joe Girardi Stay? The Yankees want to re-sign him after he did a superb job this season in spite of all the injuries, but suddenly there is talk the Cubs want to bring him back to his hometown, and the Nationals may have interest. At the very least, he may want some assurance from the front office that the Yankees are willing to do what it takes to get back on top — and quickly. For the long run, it’s vital the Yankees find a way to make the farm system more productive, and that should start with changes in their player-developement personnel. Meanwhile, money can’t buy the Core Four character and chemistry that defined the last two decades. But for the moment, it’s the Yanks’ only hope for a quick fix.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 16:55:58 +0000
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