Player: Zone Rating/Fielding Pct/Range Factor
Matsui: .834/.979/2.07
Soriano: .876/.969/2.28
Cabrera: .816/.996/2.06

Of course, the guy's 30 years old and will probably need a 4 to 5 year contract, but he's pretty durable. What would be better, though, is if Soriano could pitch...

What is behind this confluence of mediocrity? Smarter deals for teams with young players? Fall-out from the scrutiny of PEDs? The law of averages (or in this year's case, the Year of Averages)? Nutty Buddy's evil masterplan of parity? What?

Aside from that, this year's playofs just seemed to suck the life out of the whole year. Not just because the Yanks lost, but also because the worst team won. It makes it seem like the effort and pressure to win throughout the season was a complete waste. I begin to see Jeter's point when he says that it doersn't matter if you don't win at the end, especially if you have World Series with both teams backing into the playoffs after almost blowing the season. Is it worth sitting through an entire season of baseball when the teams virtually change completely afterwards.

Just ranting I guess from a casual point of view since I skipped out on the playoffs after the Yanks' loss, but there are a number of ponderables related to the setup that Selig and Co. have wrought that makes the whole enterprise seem profitable, but futile (which is sort of like dedicating this season to Jean-Michel Basquiat) to consider. No wonder I didn't feel the urge to spend my life savings at the Stadium this year. What capital gains? Phooey...

Outside of pitching, IMO, the Yanks' big need is a good-hit/good-field first baseman. Even if Melky plays everyday in either LF or CF, and Matsui, Damon, and Abreu rotate at DH ('Zilla in RF if Bobby DHs?), what happens when Giambi isn't in the field? Who's on first?

Outside of Frank Thomas, who can't play first anymore, the currently available free agents are an uninspiring bunch. Maybe its worthwhile to take another flier on Craig Wilson? Anyone at Scranton/WB? Can Shelley Duncan play 1B?

It's hard enough to project minor leaguers' stats year to year, let alone trying to do it for 2009. I'm sure there were people imagining Ruben Rivera and Rickey Ledee patroling the Yankee outfield for years to come in the late 90's. Hope the youth movement is as fruitful as you predict. I'd be glad if it is.

http://tinyurl.com/y2u7pf

===
Fox Sports finished the '06 World Series with a 10.1/17 average Nielsen rating, the lowest-ever mark for the Fall Classic, and 9 percent behind last year's mark of 11.1/19.
===

Yikes. 9% below that exciting White Sox sweep of the Astros last year.

http://tinyurl.com/uz4ue

The best bargain bat available is Frank Catalanotto. He'd be perfect in Yankee Stadium but I don't know where he would play. Look for the Mets to make a run at him.

I think the most difficult long term need for the Yanks is getting a young catcher to spell Posada in the long term. You have to get that by trade - my favorite young catcher is the Pirates Ronny Paulino. I'd love to see the Yankees overwhelm Pittsburgh with some decent veteran talent and buyouts and grab Paulino. The Pirates have another prime catching prospect Ryan Doumit that was ahead of Paulino before an injury so maybe they make a deal.

The biggest offensive problem the Yanks have is they are getting old and they have a stagnant lineup. I think that is best addressed by dealing Giambi to the Angels who badly need offense and taking back some of the Angels big contracts (Garrett Anderson, Bartolo Colon). A deal can be made with LAA that benefits both NYY and the Angels and frees up critical DH ABs for the Thirtysomething Yankees.

9 The genius of ol' George was, is and forever will be his own best-kept secret.

There isn't anything out there that you can pinpoint and say that it's a good fit. You either take your chances with what you have or take a bigger chance with someone who may not fill your need to begin with. If you're going with the unknown, I'd rather go young and start some guys that can build equity (There's got to be another Melky down there; after all wasn't he somewhat of a Cano?)

Free-agent wise, I mean.

No way do I want Sori's strikeouts.

I fervently believe that a major achilles heel this team has had of late has been striking out (or popping up) in huge spots. IMO, the team's new philosophy should be, "Just put the ball in play and anything can happen."

Of course for this to be a winning strategy, you have to have a superb defense and good pitching.

I don't know how many players are out there who hit, say, .300 and don't strike out, but if they're out there, they'll probably be a lot cheaper than a Soriano. Sign those kind of people and use the savings to invest in pitching and defense.

13 Giambi to the Angles for Anderson and Colon does nothing to solve the 1B problem - in fact, it makes it a huge gaping hole. Anderson is toast. He's 35 next year, can't play the OF well, has played 1B once (in 2000) - and his last productive season was 2003. Pass.

If the Pirates wouldn't give up Paulino, I'd gladly take Doumit instead.

Ditto putting the ball in play. The Yanks finished second in the AL in batting average, tied for the league lead in hits, and tied for second on batting average on balls in play - so it seems they were putting the ball in play quite a bit, too, with great results.

For another...I think it's different in the postseason, when the pitching tends to be better. Remember the beginning of the season, when the Yanks couldn't win a game unless they scored nine runs or more? You have to be able to win some low-scoring pitchers' duels in the postseason.

My feeling is that Yanks, in the postseason at least, had too many hitters who were too similar. It made them too one-dimensional. When the sluggers were shut down, they didn't have a plan B.

I recall two games this year where the Yanks faced the dreaded Zumaya. The guys who had success against him were Cairo, Crosby, and Cabrera. The ones who don't try to do too much.

You wouldn't want a whole lineup of guys like that, but having a mix - some sluggers, some contact hitters, some guys who can bunt and steal bases, etc. - would be a good thing.

And defense. I am still convinced that the old saw is correct. Defense wins championships. No more aging DHs who can't field their positions.

It could be all in my head, I don't know. When 2007 comes around, I'll try to point out each time I see an avoidable strikeout. Giambi and Arod are the chief culprits--guys who never shorten their swing when it's appropriate to do so. It just pains me.

Hear, hear.

The Yankees should NEVER have a player like Giambi on the roster that is best suited as an everyday DH. They will always have loads of veteran talent that can use 1/2 a day off in the DH spot. I want Melky to play every day and possibly develop a 2nd good young OF on the days that Matsui, Damon, and Abreu DH. That can never happen with Giambi on the roster.

I wonder if the Pirates will part with some of their young catching talent? That is a commodity worth paying a premium to get to NY.

I don't see how we can develop two young outfielders with Matsui, Damon, and Abreu on the roster. Heck, I have my doubts about one.

Young players need to play every day if they're to develop to their full potential. And they generally don't hit well off the bench. From the little we saw of Melky as backup OFer, he's no exception.

Torre says he'd take turns DHing the OFers so Melky could play every day, but I have my doubts. He may intend to do this, but when push comes to shove, he'll go with the veterans, and Melky will end up riding pine.

28 I too am skeptical about Torre's willingness to develop young players. He seems to put young players in "sink or swim" scenarios. cf Melky in Game 4 against Tigers.
Melky rode the pine for 3 games and then was placed in an elimination game at Detroit. No pressure there...

Imagine how our outlook would be if we had Beltran in Center and Guerrero in right next year. It would cost us the same as Abreu and Damon will next year.

28 "Torre says he'd take turns DHing the OFers so Melky could play every day, but I have my doubts. He may intend to do this, but when push comes to shove, he'll go with the veterans, and Melky will end up riding pine."

Yes, I can easily see that happening this time of the year in my head already.

I am dreading watching the likes of Melky on the bench next year as Joe insists he's going to try to get him some time soon, with other, even younger guys not even getting a shot. Its going to cost us in payroll and possibly prospects and level of play.

NOW can we sign him for an incentive-laden one year deal as Jorge's backup and DH. I still think it should have been done last year.

I wouldn't be so gung ho about bringing Pizza back to NY if we actually had an heir-apparent to Posada waiting and needing much needed playing time in the Bigs...but since there is no such player, I say let's have a go at Mikey Piazza.

I'm sick to death of aging all-stars.

Sick.

To.

Death.

The team is becoming a parody of itself.

Anyone ever see that great cover of the Onion a few years ago?

It featured all of major league baseball's all-stars (I only remember RJ's mug among the cast of characters) in pinstripes.

The joke's gone on long enough--it's time to bring up our own.

The problem is, that doesn't sell. Attendance is at an all time high and I have no doubt that in large part it's because we hire superstars who appeal to casual baseball fans.

Mike Piazza would surely put butts in the seats and of course he'll contribute, but that's not the kind of contribution I, personally, would like to see.

Ah, found it!

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/27656

Piazza's among the cast of characters, as is Bonds.

:)

""It's an honor to be part of this team," said catcher Benito Santiago, picked up from the San Francisco Giants as insurance in case catchers Jorge Posada, Ivan Rodriguez, and Mike Piazza all go down with injuries. "It's a surprise, certainly, but I'd be crazy to turn down the opportunity to play on what is, by default, the greatest team in baseball."

Yankees manager Joe Torre, whose pitching rotation, prior to the mass signing, lacked a clear seventh ace, now has the luxury of starting each of his hurlers twice a season.

"As they say, you can never have enough pitching in this league," Torre said. "Especially come playoff time. Now, if we make it to the World Series, we'll be able to start Pedro Martinez in Game 1 and still have him fresh and ready to go for a Game 287, should it be necessary."

With so many egos to juggle and so many personnel decisions to make, Torre said his job will actually be harder this season, the lack of opposing players notwithstanding. "

Quite simply, there's something unseemly about it.

If that's what Yankee-haters object to, I see their point.

It's why I had no interest in the old Mets, with Roberto Alomar and Mo Vaughan and Mike Piazza and whoever else they had whereas this current Mets team is easier to like.

Just think how gratifying a championship would be if we have done it while developing people like Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera and whoever the hell else we've cast away.

I have no objection to free agents, even good ones, but when that's your only gameplan, it gets tedious, imo, especially when they don't win. If they're not going to win, I'd rather not win while developing players.

I agree that Giambi has become an albatross for this team a lot more than A-rod, but the chances of moving him are slim to none at this point. at best we can simply hope for his health to improve .

As for putting butts in seats. that's something the Yankees have no worry for really.

I would do Sheff for Bonderman in a heartbeat and throw in any prospect not named Hughes or Tabata really.

But i think realistically Sheff for Prior or Lidge would be for more realistic.

As for catching prospects. I think Pirates / Cubs / Angels/ Braves have some good once, but that doesn't mean we can get them.... espically with only Sheff.... I think you might land a Jeff Mathis or Mike Napoli I suppose though.

Meaning, I'd guess that a Yankee team that won 100 games with the likes of Arod and Randy Johnson, etc. would draw more fans than a team that won the same number of games with lesser-known personnel.

I don't know if that's true, but I'd suspect it is.

I sometimes wonder, in other words, if bringing in superstars has as much to do with entertainment value as it does with good baseball sense. Obviously the two can overlap, because superstars also tend to win, but when push comes to shove, if the team can hire Johnny Damon (hypothetically) or a younger, unknown version of Johnny Damon, they'll hire the former.

You hire the old Damon, you take a chance that he'll continue to perform; you hire the young Johnny Damon, you take the chance that he'll one day in the not-so-distant future perform.

The fans will pay to see the Damon they know rather than the Damon they don't, is all I'm saying.

Personally, I prefer the promise of youth to the predictability of age, but I'm a romantic.

For the yankees they have the reputation already, if someone performs on this team it will be known very fast. Robbie Cano and CM Wang is already far more famous than say.... Dan Uggla and Aaron Cook (two fairly similar players)

The more I think about it, the more fervently I believe we should declare Melky the everyday left-fielder and work everyone around him.

He's the future and I have every confidence he'll get better and better and better.

He could easily hit .300 and more if given a chance to play everyday. Young talent like his should be given every encouragement, he's a special kind of player.

I knew he was special that first game, when he drew a critical walk off Schilling in the late innings. He's going to be a monster one day.

Paul O'Neill said being a young player on the Yankees is like being a contestant on American Idol, and I think he's right. One bad night, and you're gone. Every player goes into slumps. If you're a veteran, then Joe will keep putting you in the lineup, even if the slump goes on for weeks. For a young, unknown player, a few days' slump will get you benched. The pressure must be insane.

Especially for pitchers.

Or maybe they're just its most prominent victims.

Nearly every single pitcher the Yankees have brought in over the last five years has failed, many of whom came with big expectations.

Weaver; Vazquez; the lefty from Colorado whose name I always forget; Contreras; that reliever from Cleveland, forget his name too;
and so many others.

Here's the problem: these people all have insane expectations placed on them. Contreras, for instance. He wasn't given enough time to perform. The organization needs to sign people like that not expecting them to beat the Red Sox, but expecting to simply slip them into the number five slot and give them a couple of years to get their act together.

But they don't perform and pan