State of the Yankees - offseason needs

Hello gang. Here's a quick look at where the Yanks stand and what they need this offseason. It's been since Year 2000 and now close to a billion dollars since they last won it all. Hell, it seems like T-rex was around the last time they won it - especially in NY. With an aging team and one of the thinnest free agent markets in recent memory, they have a lot of work to do this offseason. The only stability they have is now at GM & a revamped coaching staff. The farm system has been depleted the last couple years, and doesn't have much talent above single A ball. Cashman will have to get creative to pull off any significant trades...

Catcher:

Posada - will be 35, hit .258 and power #'s down. Definitely on the back 9, Big Unit still won't pitch to him

Backup? Future? Big issue if Posada goes down, or skills disintegrate.


1B / DH:

Giambi - will be 35, "rebounded" to hit .271, 32HR, 87RBI. Who knows what you get next season - roid / HGH effects. Full time DH in 2006? Definite in 2007...

Tino - will be 39, no telling if he comes back. Had a brief power spurt, but only hit .243

Sierra - will be 41, #'s way down, will be a cheap option

Hold on with platoon guys until prospect Eric Duncan is ready in 2 seasons?


2B:

Cano had solid rookie season. Should be long term option.



SS:

Jeter - will be 32, hit .308 but power #'s down. Could be start of decline, but still has a few years left


3B:

A-Rod - will be 31, had MVP caliber season. Will be OK if he gets gambling under control


Utility:

Need to pick up 1B & infield backup - most likely vets on back 9 of career


RF:

Sheffield - will be 38, had solid 2005 #'s, but age and injury history bound to catch up soon


Outfield:

Crosby - will be 30, backup duty at most, will be shocked if given start in CF

Lawton - huge disappointment at trade deadline, now suspended for roids. Not much impact in 06.

Free Agency:

Bernie - probably won't be back - already have cheaper options with same stats / short money

Matsui - will be 32, must re-sign. No better options out there but he won't be cheap.

Damon - biggest name free agent on market. Will be 32 & wants at least 5 years. Yanks will have to offer 6yrs & more money than Sox.

Giles - will be 35, power #'s OK but declining. Still significant upgrade over Bernie. May force Matsui into CF which weakens defense. Teams will run on Matsui in center.

Trade: (rumored)

Milton Bradley - hit .290 but only 13HR, 38RBI's, some injury history & what a head case. Good luck with this one...


Relief:

Rivera - will be 37, had great 2005. Age has to catch up to him at some point. Doesn't it?

Small - will be 35, now with his 15th major league team. Don't expect repeat of last season. There is a reason Torre kept taking him in & out of the rotation. He's bullpen bound in 06.

Free Agency:

BJ Ryan - had solid 2005, best reliever on market (outside of closers). Yanks will have to overpay with several teams in bidding war. They'll get him, but they'll pay.

Sturtze - had subpar 2005 with 4.7 ERA.

Others: Good luck. Worst crop in a while - topping last year's list. Guys like Gordon, Guardado, Mesa, Urbina all want to close, not be setup guys behind Rivera.


Starters:

Big Unit - will be 43. Ouch. Mediocre 2005. Back problems persist, no cartiledge left in one knee. Worst season in years, should have stayed in NL. Don't look for much improvement, will probably see #2 type numbers at best.

Mussina - will be 38. 13 wins & 4.4 ERA is respectable, but not for a #2 making $20M. Age & injuries will continue to follow him. Can't stay healthy the entire season.

Chacon - will be 29. Yanks most consistent starter, pitched well in 2005. Still only a solid #4 or fringe #3 guy.

Wang - will be 26. Solid rookie season with 4.1 ERA, could be potential #3 guy. Not a good sign when your rookie pitcher is out 2 months with a strained shoulder. Can't be too optomistic with the youngest pitcher on the staff spending significant time on the DL.

Pavano - will be 30. Very mediocre 4-6, 4.7ERA performance. Still has the "potential" tag, with career losing record & 4.3ERA. Don't expect a breakout season with "new" rotator cuff injury. Not sure how mentally stable he is. Already mentioned in trade rumors to Seattle.

Wright - will be 31. Bounced back from horrific start, but turned into a ball magnet. Based on injury history, any success will be short lived.

Free Agency:

AJ Burnett - best pitcher on market. Will command high dollars, but stuck with same "potential" label as Pavano. His early Florida exit may be warning sign he can't handle the pressure, and there's plenty in NY.

Matsuzaka - plays for Japanese league's Seibu Lions. On a few teams radar, exceptional talent apparently. Doesn't have permission to leave, but still hired Scott Boras as agent. Long shot at this point.


Bottom Line:

Overall, not much change coming to the everyday lineup. Big question marks are CF, mid relief, and the starters. As proven again this season, pitching wins in Oct. Their lineup will be fine, with some depth needed at catcher and outfield.

But the starters are OLD and injury prone. Not one guy on the staff has made all their starts. Big Unit is no longer the true Ace he was even in 2004. Mid relief will probably be their achilles heel in 06. Other than BJ Ryan, the free agent crop is thin, and teams will be reluctant to part with any arms - especially effective ones.

Cashman will need to be very creative, especially with an immature farm system. The current Yanks payroll is just shy of $170M even with the loss of multiple big contracts (Bernie, Kevin Brown, etc). Money obviously isn't an issue. But, between CF ($7M-11M), Matsui ($10M), BJ Ryan ($6M), possibly AJ Burnett ($11M) & dead money ($5M - via trades), you're looking at $210M. Just obscene.

Don't expect to see this sign - except in a museum, Yankee fans. There's still not enough pitching. The drought will continue in NY...