Wow. You're kidding, right? Please. The Yanks got a draft pick for Viz, and the best improvements available to this team were to basically do nothing. Especially with relievers, who for the most part are notoriously fickle from year to year. Who would you have signed? Hmm? Better off finding out if guys like Veras or Ohlendorf can contribute. Man, you can find the worst in anything. The Yankees require an all-star at every position? You need a media-approved "ace" for a rotation? And Cashman is to blame for the length of Giambi's contract, right? I also think that you'll find that either Betemit or Ensberg will do just fine at 1B.
Chad Jenning's has a great blog focused on the Yankees minors, mostly AAA/Scranton. He has been doing a series of "Best Case, Worst Case" posts for each position in the Yankees organization. Here is the one for the starting pitchers. http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/...5/Best-case-worst-case-Starting-pitchers.aspx Here are his others "Best Case/Worst Case" posts Relief Pitchers Right Field Center Field Left Field Third Base Shortstop Second Base First Base Catcher
:lol: Who's going to fire him? The owner who said we need to give Joe Girardi and this team time? If anything, Cashman will walk and Oppenheimer becomes GM. Hawkins 1 yr. + draft pick > Vizcaino 3 yrs. In 2009 and 2010, when the seeds are planted for a new dynasty with ATLEAST Hughes, Joba, Kennedy, Wang, Sanchez, Horne, Melancon, Brackman, Cano, Tabata, Jackson, possibly Montero... just remember who built that.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3225433 Wouldn't mind him for a minor league deal.
No, I'm not kidding at all. That's just the way it is and if you don't realize it you are kidding yourself. Without an Ace at the top of the rotation we wouldn't get out of the first round again. That has been proven the last three years. The only point I made is that this was Cashman's call and against what Steinbrenner wanted to do. It's his decision to live and die with if it doesn't work out.
It's not a question of firing him. It's a question of not rehiring him and didn't Vizcaino sign a 2 year contract, not 3? The only person in that list who would have been part of the Santana deal is Hughes. So again, it comes down to how Hughes does this year.
Oh. I didn't realize that "that's just the way it is." Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'm convinced. First rule of any kind of analysis: correlation does not equal causation. The lack of an "ace" (which isn't even something you can define except by perception, as opposed to performance) is not the sole, or even predominant, reason why the Yanks have been bounced in the first round the past three years, and it certainly doesn't "prove" that they need one to get past the first round. You made a few more points than that, otherwise I wouldn't have disagreed with you. You also said that Cashman "has done absolutely nothing to improve the team this off season" and that "he made it worse by letting Vizcaino go." You said that there is "still no first baseman worth two cents" and that "Cashman is just pathetic." No. If the Yanks were to acquire Santana on the original offer the Twins said they would accept, it was Hughes, Melky, Kennedy, and a fourth prospect. You would've likely said bye to Horne, Tabata and/or Jackson, as well. And Hughes is the most highly touted of all on that list. I'm sure Hank is impatient like his dad, but expecting an injury to Hughes to be what puts Hank over the edge is ridiculous. I sincerely hope you don't spend this season comparing Hughes' performance to Santana's. That's just beyond dumb.
2 or 3 years, the fact that the Yankees got a comparable player for only one year AND a sandwich pick makes it much better for the Yankees. Hughes wouldn't have been the only player in the deal. Atleast one of Horne/Kennedy and Tabata/Jackson would've had to be included.
Hey, we can argue about it all year but the facts are that the Angels got better, Seattle got better (once they get Bedard), Detroit got much better and maybe even Boston got a little better in their pen (not like they needed to). Those are just the teams that come to mind. I am willing to let you convince me exactly what the Yankees did this off season to get better in even the slightest. (Well, in retrospect, we did get rid of Torre and that is a definite improvement. That one escaped me).
IIRC, last year's Opening Day rotation was: Wang Pettitte Pavano Mussina Igawa This year's will be: Wang Pettitte Hughes Chamberlain Kennedy That puts Moose in the pen. Plus, the pitching from the minors is a year older. I'm waiting to see guys like Ohlendorf in Spring Training before I go writing off the bullpen. Last year's Opening Day outfield: Matsui Damon Abreu The second two being out of shape. We've already heard that it will not be happening this year. This year's outfield: Damon Cabrera Abreu We all know how much better the defense in the OF was once Cabrera became the full-time CF last year. We've got a new manager, one who believes in actually being hands-on. At the same time, we have the consistency of Long, who ARod credited last year with "fixing" him. We also have Eiland as the pitching coach, which can only be a boon to Phil, Joba, and Ian. I don't know what else you expect right now. You're acting like this team finished 8 games out of first. I'm not saying we are now world beaters, but come on, you're being a bit too hard on the organization with nothing to base it on yet.
I also think that Eiland will help Farnsworth. The Yankees haven't had a good pitching coach in years, and maybe Eiland will be able to straighten Farnsy out and make him an effective reliever
I understand the youth movement. And I understand that hopefully we'll be better off in the long run. But this is the first time in years and years that I do not look forward to making the playoffs this year. I just dont see it. Not with that disgusting bullpen(and you cash supporters have to answer for his inability to fix it how many years running now) and not with the young arms......we're putting wayyyy too much trust in these guys
read this, then rip on Cash for not spending tons of money on mediocre arms in the bullpen. http://riveraveblues.com/2008/02/06/anatomy-of-an-effective-bullpen-2099/
Cash is just grabbing anything he can off the market until the young relievers are ready. There's already a bunch of young hard throwing guys who will be available this year, but next year is when the real quality guys should be ready.
You are? Oh gee golly, thank you SO much for this opportunity! I'll get right on it! Actually... everyone else already did a pretty good job. If you want to think the Yanks definitely haven't improved over what we went into last year with, well... I can only think of one thing to say: There are plenty of pieces to try to fit into the puzzle. It's no guarantee, but nothing ever is. But what it IS is a more successful strategy than running out and signing/trading for a veteran reliever. I guess this is the most important question: If you're so down on what Cashman has done this year... what would you have done instead? What move would you have made?
walsh where is that from? bruney and veras and latroy and farnsy....cmon bro, the bullpen is a pile of shit
I wish we had more piles of shit like Bruney. If Eiland can improve Bruney's control just a little bit, he could be unbelievably dominant.
