Well, Dodger Thoughts got over 500+ comments about the Baez trade, but I think that was mass hysteria.

The Cubs acquiring Juan Pierre and re-signing Neifi Perez have to be scraping the bottom of the barrel.

The Nationals dumping Vinny Castilla on the Padres in exchange for Brian Lawrence was a steal for Bowden.

Good stuff, thanks.

Not resigning Kevin Brown was a good move ('course, it was a no brainer.)
Not trading Cano & Wang were excellent moves.

Oh, you wanted to know about the AL East specifically.

Does anyone really write about that division much?

The Marlins (unless they've sold their name on e-bay) should be allowed to write off the Beckett give-away as a charitable donation to the Red Sox.

Sure, there are questions about Beckett's health, and the BoSox had to overpay for Lowell (money sch'money), plus sacrifice a few kids -- but for now, Beckett looks like a bigtime bargain for Boston to me -- so I hate this trade. Even if the Yanks had the same prospects to part with, I suspect they couldn't have acquired Beckett for the same price.

Great article by the way, I forgot about a few of these deals, and I loved how you filed all the Yanks business under the Cashman deal.

"Once compared with a young Hank Aaron, Soriano has become more like a skinny Dave Kingman"

Very Funny!

I feel like Farnsworth was a move I wasn't wild about, but would I have given the same deal to Flash? No. The Phillies paying what they did for Gordon is probably a worse deal than the one the Yanks gave Farnsworth. And Farnsworth isn't exactly a bum--his stuff is good, I just question his mental make-up.

The Rangers got the good end of the trading stick when they foisted the declining Soriano on the Nationals for Brad Wilkerson and Termel Sledge. Whether Sledge and Chris Young are worth Adam Eaton is another story.

The Dodgers picked up Seo for not too much.

In terms of the Yanks, I agree with rbj. Their best moves were non-moves, like dropping deadweight like Woemack and Flat-herty.

I know this is ostensibly about the AL East, but I'm surprised how undervalued Terrmel Sledge has been.
For the AL East, the Yankees rebuilding their bullpen was vital; the Red Sox losing Damon, even more than the Yankees getting him, hurts; and I like the deal of Baez to LA for Jackson, Tiffany. Why have a closer when you're not ready to win, especially one so overrated as Baez.

Like Sturtze, I think Farnsworth will be too crazy/dumb/etc. to care where he's playing. I liked the move - we got younger, and we got a guy who won't be afraid to buzz people (see: DH from Boston) off the plate.

I think a huge move was bringing back Bernie at a buck and a half. Shows me the unselfishness of Williams, who undoubtedly could have gotten at least 5 or 6 from someone with a need for a CF. I even think Boston might have taken a chance on him if the price was right. He wants to win, and I would assume he wants to finish his career as a Yankee. Reminds me of when Paulie O took less money in the midst of the championship run so he could stay put.

Another seemingly minor deal, but one which I love, is the Cairo signing. Good utility IFs may seem like a dime a dozen, but they really aren't. Cairo did enough in big spots during '04 to retain him, but apparently the Yanks didn't think so for the money he wanted at the time...

Dotel is another huge signing, depending on how the rest of this year plays out. Although I might have given him 2 years, seeing as he might not even make it back until mid-season. If he pitches lights-out down the stretch, he's going to want the big bucks gong into 2007.

Hey Alex, off the topic, but do you know Dave Gabel? I worked with him at the AP and I know he was at SI for a while.
If you do, tell him Vinny from AP says hi.

"even think Boston might have taken a chance on [Bernie] if the price was right."

I seriously doubt that -- if they were worried about Damon's decline in 3-4 years, I doubt they would've picked up an already-declined Bernie, even for "only" $1.5mil.

As for my favorite AL East deal (note: Sox fan here): Sox get Beckett. Least favorite: Yanks sign Damon (I didn't want the Sox to overpay for Johnny, but I would have preferred he went to the NL...and any team but NYY).

The Becket deal was great. If he gives them 200 innings the Sawx should be indicted for grand larceny. I think the Jays have had the best overall winter with maybe the Chisox in second. It'll really bug me if they convert another one of our cast off starters into a solid AL starter. I hate the fact that Chicago moved El Duque that way, he gave them so much, but a bad is a bad wing and I guess they felt they had to do it. The Wagner signing was a good deal especially in light of what Toronto gave Ryan. LA's deal for Baez was also pretty good. I think not moving Cano and Wang was the best move we made.

Alex nice work , but-

I'm not sure where all the love for Cashman comes from, without the requisite reasoned analysis. While lending stability to the club, I'm not sure he's even an average GM (i.e., better than half his peers).

Sure, they won three Serious in his first three years. But, one could argue that he inherited that core.

Yes, they've won eight straight division titles. But their payroll has increased 300% without any improvement.

Here's the point: A great GM is really a financial analyst - determine the market value of each player and sell high, buy low. Drafting prospects falls in the same reasoning - buy promising stocks and watch their value grow. On this scale, Cash is a miserable GM. He consistently buys way too high (Vazquez, Unit, Giambi, etc) and sells way too low (see e.g. Weaver and Vazquez trades). Of course, Cano and Wang being the exceptions - name another prospect that came through the system. In 8 years, there should be someone, no?

Out of curiosity, see below for Cash's major transactions. Bottomline: Cash is mediocre and benefits from the Yanks resources, not because he's a great (or even good) GM. In his eight years, two moves standout as added value - A-Rod and Clemens, but so many more were huge losses in value (Weaver for Brown, Vazquez (coming and going, Lowell, Wily Mo Pena). The FA signings are evenly balanced between flushing the cash (Giambi, Karsay) and getting a quarter for a dime (Matsui, Sheff). The drafts have yielded NOTHING while that money has been spent on Latin FA's. Overall Cash is OVER-rated. This off-season is more of the same (overpriced, past-prime players where value is eventaully lost) but little fore-sight (i.e., where's our next catcher? young arms? Back-up 1B? legit 4th OF/DH?). If anything, Cash regime is looking like one that struggles to hold the pieces together rather than work toward a better model.

1998 (took job Feb. 3):
Signed El Duque
Drafted, but didn't sign, M.Prior and N.Logan
Drafted, but DID sign, Drew Henson
Signed Soriano
re-signed Raines, Cone, Brosius, and Bernie
Traded Chris Singleton for PTBNL

1999:
Traded M.Lowell for stiffs
Traded Wells etc for Clemens
Signed Wily Mo Pena
Re-signed Straw
Drafted A.Phillips (7th round)
Resigned M.Stanton
Resigned Cone
Traded Fat Toad for J.Westbrook and Ted Lilly

2000:
Signed Baby Duque
Signed Gooden
Drafted J.Anderson and B.Halsey (didn't sign latter)
Traded Leyritz for Vizcaino
Traded R.Ledee, Westbrook, and Z.Day for Justice
Traded Henson etc for Denny Neagle
Traded stiffs for Glenallen Hill
Signed D.Navarro
Resigned O'Neill
Signed Moose
Resigned Gooden
Resigned Sojo

2001:
Traded Wily Mo Pena for Henson etc
Traded Marte for Wilson
Traded Jimenez for Witasick
Traded stiff for Wohlers
Traded Justice for Ventura
Signed Karsay
Signed Giambi
Traded Witasick for Vander Wal
Signed Rondell White
Resigned S.Hitchcock

2002:
Resigned Sojo
Signed D.Wells
Drafted Brad Halsey
Traded Lilly etc for Dreamweaver
Traded stiff for Mondesi
Resigned Clemens
Signed Godzilla

2003:
Traded El Duque for stiffs
Signed Flaherty
Signed Lieber
Signed Contreas
Traded R.White for Bubba Trammell etc
traded Marcus Thames for Ruben Sierra
Traded J. Anderson etc. for Benitez
Traded Modesi for Dellucci and Prinz
Traded Claussen for Boone
Traded Ventura for Proctor and Crosby
Traded Benitez for J.Nelson
Traded Hitchcock for stiffs
Resigned Heredia, Sierra
Signed Gordon, Quantrill
Traded Dreamweaver, Brozoban for Brown
Traded N.Johnson, J.Rivera for Vazquez
Signed Shef, Cairo

2004:
Signed Lofton
Traded Sori for A-Rod
Resigned El Duque
Traded Contreas for Loaiza
Signed Olreud
Resigned Flaherty
Signed Pavano
Signed Woemack
Signed Wright

2005:
Signed Tino
Traded Vazquez, Halsey, Navarro for Unit
Resigned Sierra
Signed Small
Traded stiff for Chacon
Signed Stinnett, Damon, Myers, Farns, Dotel
Resigned Bernie, Cairo

Rob Gee Whiz. Here I was about to respond to Alex and you gave me too much to think about. Good detailing.

In a pickle on whether the Damon trade was the best or the worst. Not that I would have gone for any of the other available CFers, but I don't know what I got. And, contrary to the Red Sox spin, I ain't as concerned about him burning out in the final year of his contract as I am him not setting the paths on fire this upcoming season.

Hey Rob.

Wow, was that the New Delhi Freight Train version? How is Brian Cash playing in the Punjab? Good Trip?

What was all that sturm und drang this fall about Cashman not having control. Lets see how the next two or three years go. If he stops the Womack signings as well as the Mo Pena and Brazoban trades I'll drink the Kool-Aid. Time Loves A Hero.

Alex, great call on the Yankees' retaining Cashman.

Rob Gee, no GM who stays with the Yankees for 8 years under George Steinbrenner's tenure can be considered overrated. In fact, Cashman should be given a lifetime acheivement award and full retirement benefits.

Also, it is near impossible to hold Cashman responsible for most of the moves that the Yankees have made since the 2001 World Series, when according to media leaks and industry insiders Mr. Steinbrenner and his cronies in Tampa like Emslie and Connors have been the main decision-making with Cashman often finding out about decisions after the fact. However, Cashman has demanded and apparently has gotten most of the GM powers back with this new contact so now we see how he what does and judge.

Rob Gee, nice list, but I have one issue with it. Because of the previous byzantine (hyperbole) structure of the front office, it's hard to pin all those moves on Cashman. For instance, last year it was reported that Cash favored the Pavano signing, George went after Wright, and Womack was either Stick's or Tampa's decision. A lot of rumor and hearsay, of course, but the point is that, until this offseason, it was incorrect to say that Cash had final say. Now he does (or so the reports of his negotiation will have us believe, and based on Cash's comments this off-season, it seems that the Boss has kept his word). So, let's compare last year's atrocious off-season with this year's seemingly solid results. There's no comparison. Nada. What this means for the Yanks going forward are good things. For the most part, he's displayed a recommittment to young players (Cano and Wang, a newfound aggressiveness toward drafting-Baseball America says some encouraqing things about our lower-level prospects), and he's targeted veterans and relievers that support the team's win-now philosophy. Look at the players he went after this off-season (ok, forget Milton for just one sec, Rob, I know he's your pet project): Giles is a ridiculous OBP machine who would have filled the corner outfield duties that should be taken from Sheff as soon as possible. He also would have been a nice player to make up for the loss of Sheff in two years. He wanted Ryan as a set-up guy. Right guy, wrong contract. Instead, he fills the bullpen with flame-throwers like Farnsworth and Dotel. Given the options, what team did a better job of bolstering its bullpen? He looked at Nomar as a creative super-utility possibility. I think that was a good idea with a lot of upside and very low-risk. Damon was overpaid, but this is the Yanks, and he certainly makes the Yanks the favorites in the AL East for this year.

Alex,

Chuck Knoblauch sold his soul to play for New York? I understand the necessity for impartiality, but...ouch, babe.

Really liked that Soriano-Kingman line, though.

I'm psyched for ya, man. Congrats!

Alex, further on that Chuck Knoblauch line (the best all-around second baseman Minnesota has seen since Chuck Knoblauch sold his soul to play in New York.) ...

That comment would lead one to believe that Chuckie went to NY as a free agent ... when in fact he was traded.

Alex, here are some of the reactions coming from Met fans after reading your piece.
http://www.metsblog.com/blog/_archives/2006/1/18/1713794.html#comments

Whoa, it's too easy to say those moves aren't all Cash's fault. But what about the moves that weren't made? Or trades? I've never heard of Randy Levine pulling the trigger.

Pettitte non-resigning?
Trade Lofton? and thus,
No legit CF for 2004?
No plan for a legit back-up catcher for 2005?
Best effort to promote from within is A.Phillips to the bench? In eight years?

Now, even if others were involved in FA signings (a la Boomer on a napkin), I've heard no evidence that others have made trades over the years. Looking at the list, roughly two of three trades have lost value during the Cash administration. That's a piss poor record.

Granted, Simone, any GM that lasts eight years with the Yanks deserves credit. But like Mr. Wolf said, let's not...uh, let's not get too excited. Longevity does not equal quality.

And wsport, how much longer do you want? Three more years? There's enough of a track record to show that Cash is mediocre. Even the moves you cite Nick, the better ones didn't go through, so they mean nothing. Remeber, we also tried to get Barry Bonds in 1992. And Nick, there's been other years when we've gorged on bullpen help (see Karsay, Steve and Hammond, Chris and Stanton Part Deux and Lofton for F-Rod) with little to show. There's little reason to think Shaky Farm (see last year's playoffs) Myers, Villone, and Dotel will be any different.

Indeed, that's what troubles me - this offseason has been so much more of the same (Overpriced Past Prime - You down with OPP?) that if Cash is really in charge now, the 'credit' for the above list should also go to him (Yeah, you know me!).

Any idiot can stand the longest at an auction. Where's the Cash value? The real problem is that the stop gaps become festering sores for multiple seasons? CF goes back to 2003. The bullpen same deal. Starting pictching? Lots of flailing (Weaver, Vazquez, Loiaza, Leiber, Unit, Leiter) and gorging (Wright, Pavano). The one counter-point is the development of Cano and Wang - except they weren't in any one's plan, just more flailing that broke the right way, like Small and Chacon.

Hey, I don't have the answers. But the sad thing is neither does Cash, man. Was keeping him a bad move? Probably. Is he going to wreck the house? Probably not. Is he worth all the cash? No way. Is he in the top half of GM's? Probably not. Could we do better? Without a doubt.

Rob, I come to neither praise nor bury the Cash Man. I just say let's see what happens when he operates with a little autonomy. I think his point has been that it's next to impossible to put a coherent and cohesive plan in place if you have several parties who attempt to act as the ultimate decision maker simultaneously. If he was GM in name only and in fact has garnered true authority only now then its not fair to judge Cashman as a GM on the post Watson moves. If Cashman is finally the GM of a MLB club as we understand the position, then the clock should start running now. With an established club I think 2 - 3 years is a reasonable interval upon which to judge a GM's performance, short of completely screwing the pooch that is.

BTW either you believe him or you don't about the autonomy thing. I haven't heard of anyone squawking about his characterization of the Yankee Front Office hierarchy up through the time of the expiration of his last contract. I happen to find his description reasonable, that's why I'm willing to be patient. You, maybe not so much.

"Was keeping him a bad move? Probably. Is he going to wreck the house? Probably not. Is he worth all the cash? No way. Is he in the top half of GM's? Probably not. Could we do better? Without a doubt."

Rob Gee, your musings are amusingly reminiscent of Bob Evans' V.O. from "The Kid Stays in the Picture."

"Was she beautiful? As sin. Did I think she'd rip my heart out? Not in a million years. Was I in over my head? You bet your sweet ass? Did I relish every second of it? Yes. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely not..." Or something to that effect.

Using this offseason as an idicator, I'll agree that Cashman is essentially overrated. He's not bad but not terribly imaginative, either.

The Damon signing is a perfect example. Good signing, primarily for what it does to the Sox; but, all in all, Cash could have and probably should have worked harder - and smarter - to acquire a good, cheap short-term fix, a la Reed or Michaels.

Cairo - another boring, predictable signing who won't net the Yanks much upside.

Farnsworth - I honestly haven't watched him pitch much, aside from the '03 NLCS; so all that stuff about him being a total asswipe is sorta news to me.

Dotel - HUGE if. So the Yanks pay HIM 2 mil to play rehab camp so that he can sign with somebody else next year? I still gon't get why this move was so lauded.

I'm glad you mentioned Luis Castillo and the Twins. Castillo would have been a great fit for the Yanks at 2B and they could have spun Cano for a CF who could bat down in the order. It would be interesting to see compare the following offensive combos this year:

Robinson Cano + Johnny Damon
Luis Castillo + Milton Bradley

One combo costs $14 million per year, one costs $4 million but I'll bet the output is nearly identical in 2006.

As for the rest of the AL East the Blue Jays made the biggest moves (Burkett, B.J. Ryan, Glaus) but they got no mention so far. I guess nobody will believe in the moves until they break the strangle hold on 1-2 that the BoSox and NYY have had for so many years.

joejoejoe,

That's what I'm talkin' about - a little imagination!

I'm with you jjj and brock (esp. on the Castillo and Bradley comparisons throughout the season). But keep in mind we didn't need to trade a Cano to get a Bradley - he and another full-time ML'er were had for AA prospect. Not only does Cash lack imagination, he also appears to lack the testicular fortitiude to pull off those trades. No way I see him making Kelly for O'Neill. He has the philosophy of someone who inherited something but can't build it. It's like he still thinks it's 1999 and we just need to plug a few holes. You do that long enough (i.e., five years) and the gap fillers become the dike (i.e., the starting rotation).

And wsport - It's not that I don't believe the stories regarding his autonomy (it sounds good at least, but also self-serving, no?). It's just that this off-season looks no different than the other eight (You down with OPP?). So I'm forced to ask: Is there really a difference? Or has Cash been the man behind the curtain all along. Are the stories we heard a sliver of truth (Womack) with a lot of hyperbole (Bossman's history) to provide good ole political spin, distraction, and cover? Last off-season may have been the worst (perhaps because of back-biting), but this one looks alot like most from 1998 to 2004.

My biggest "huh?" move was the Padres trading Loretta for a Mirabella. How could ANYONE trade a cheap starting 2B for a mediocre-at-best BACKUP catcher??? That trade just boggled my mind. For the Padres' sake, I hope they know something about the guy that we don't.

Rob Gee, your indictment of Cashman as overrated is thorough and compelling, (I'm down with OPP).
In Cash's defense, you can not underestimate how difficult it is for him (or any Yankee GM) to do business with other teams.
How many teams are willing to make a fair trade with the world's biggest and baddest baseball club? What fool will give the Yanks something for nothing?
You calculate that two-thirds of Cashman's trades have gone bad. That means he's still hitting about .300. Given the circumstances, I'll take that. I'll also take the front-office stability for the final years of the Torre, Jeter, Rivera run.
Bottomline as I see it: no matter who's in charge of the Yankee front-office, overpaying for players, and getting short-changed in trades will probably remain business as usual for the Yanks until there's a salary cap, or King George steps down.

To give the Sox a grade of C is quite silly. I'd give them an B+ on the Beckett trade, an A on the Loretta trade, an A on the Timlin re-signing, an A on passing on overpaying Damon, a C- on the Taveras signing, an A+ on not moving Manny for less than full value, an A+ on not moving Marte, Lester or Papelbon.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox have not handed in a couple of major assignments and, therefore, they get, at this point, an overall grade of incomplete. As the semester doesn't end for 10 weeks or so, they have plenty of time to make these up. To my mind, they can still get a grade of A by simply taking care of the CF midterm.

I didn't mean for my line on Knoblauch to be misleading. He was traded after all, and the Twins did get some value in return. But it was Knoblauach who initiated getting dealt out of Minnie, and in retrospect there was something so blatantly Faustian about how things panned out for him. He was allowed to leave the doldrums of Minnie for the bright lights of New York. He was one three straight championship teams, and he was a valuable offensive part of those teams. But he had to pay the piper, in the form of his fielding problems, which lead to his retiring early from the game.

Oh, and you know what was also a pretty good winter deal? The Yanks picking up Dotel.

Rob, I just don't think you can judge him fairly on one off-season. I think there has been a change in Front Office approach. If there wasn't Beckett would now be pitching in the Bronx at a cost of Wang, Duncan, Hughes and God only knows what else.

Oh, I'm down with OPP but I'll always be an OPS man, I guess. You?

In a Sporting News interview in 1998 (shortly before his resignation), Bob Watson shared his philosophy of team building and maintenance, and mentioned a goal of bringing up one impact player each year.

I believe that Cashman tried to continue Watson's program, but that the program began to sputter when Spencer and Ledee failed to have their breakthroughs. The program then became derailed in 2000 with the simultaneous season-ending injuries to Nick Johnson and D'Angelo Jiminez. Johnson, in particular, was slated to play apprentice to Tino in 2001 and step into the starting role in 2002. Since he had been set back a year, the team had to splurge on Giambi. The final blow to the program came with the implosion of Drew Henson.

My favorite trade of Cashman era was Justice for Ventura. Of course, he kept Ventura around for too long (due to misplaced optimism regarding Henson -- probably directed from Tampa), but the trade filled a need while shedding a "surplus" player.

Here is my winter report card:

Womack for Howard+ A Addition by subtraction. Howard will probably start at Columbus, but he provides better infield insurance than Cairo.

Farnsworth A- An Angels-style low-cost bullpen would have been ideal, but with the state of the Yankees' farm corps, one more veteran was needed. After Ryan, Farnsworth was the best choice, certainly an upgrade over the aging Gordon. The price is high, but that's what the market was dictating. His age, health history and consistency (relative to other relievers over the last three years) make his risk relatively low.

Matsui B+ A year too many, a couple million too many, but what could they have done? There were no viable alternatives, and the international marketing angle increases his business value.

Damon B Same contract has Matsui for player of same age, but 36 is scarier for center fielder than for left fielder. Great move for short term (especially since it weekened the Sox), but they may be paying dearly in fourth year. Cheaper, creative altertive would have been nice.

Stinnet B Definitely an upgrade over Flaherty. At worst, he will be the 2004 Flaherty. Todd Pratt would have been a better bench option. Finding a young catcher step in as Posada's apprentice is still a priority.

Myers B Hate to see another veteran being added to the bullpen, but not having a LOOGY has hurt over the last couple of seasons. Myers seemed to have solved his control problems while in Boston.

Dotel B- Another veteran reliever clogging up the Columbus conduit. 2 million is steep for a half season, especially since Dotel has not been consistent since he was setting up for Wagner. Either Dotel or Sturtze should go.

Williams B- An upgrade over Sierra on the bench, though he cannot play the corner outfield positions. A sentimental imperitive, though Piazza or Thomas would have fit the role better.

Cairo C+ Can't really field, can't really hit. There were better utility infield options available.

Sturtze C+ His only advantage over Dotel is that he is a 1/2 million cheaper and thus easier to move.

Villone D+ Trading a lefty relief prospect with a possible upside for a 36-year old lefty reliever with a proven record of mediocrity makes no sense whatsoever. At least Villone makes only 1.2 million, so he can be traded or released to make room for someone coming up.

GPA: 2.85 (B)

If anyone is still checking out this thread...

I was looking over the list of potential free agents next year (courtesy of Alex's home at SI.com) and I saw our old buddy Andy Pettite high on the list. Provided he stays healthy and turns in another solid season, do the Yanks do the right thing and bring him home? I would in a heartbeat and I pray that someone sees the light. Not just any pitcher out there has the steel nerve to win in Yankee Stadium....

The alternative would be Barry Zi