Yanks land the offseason Whale…

All 290 pounds of him… The desperate Yanks became bidders against only themselves and raised their original bid from $140M to $161M to land their new ace Sabathia.

Let’s not pretend that this was not a good signing for them, it was. It simply makes them a better team. However, if you put value into the argument it’s clearly not. He’s not even the best pitcher in New York but he’s the highest paid. It now makes the Mets signing of Santana a great deal and even more baffling why the Yanks didn’t get involved.

There are some red flags with this deal. Rumblings were that CC was looking for a reason NOT to pitch in NY. He clearly preferred the West coast, but the Yanks made him an offer he couldn’t refuse – an additional $21M on top of the original $140M that no one else had matched. He’s also getting them to include a player option after 3yrs, and also a no trade clause. So, he can bail out of NY after 3 seasons and also block any potential trades. Handing over that much control to a player simply shows how desperate the Yanks were to sign him.

More Starters?
This is only step one in the Yanks buying process. Sabathia will essentially replace the season the now departed Mussina had. They now have their staff ace but still have several question marks throughout the rotation. Wang & Chamberlain have been injury issues, while Hughes and Kennedy have essentially been no shows. They still need to acquire more starters.

The latest rumor is AJ Burnett for 5yrs and $85M. Talk about desperation. He’s 31 and has only thrown 200 innings in three of his ten seasons. And two of them have been in contract years. Since joining the AL, his best ERA was 3.75. What’s his arm going to be like at age 36? He’s a good pitcher (not great) when he does show up. But will he be another Pavano?

They are also in the mix for Derek Lowe. He had a terrific season with a 3.24 Era. But at age 35 and return to the AL you can expect that to jump significantly. For a guy that had “late night” issues I’m guessing Manhattan isn’t the best environment. Issues aside, he’s probably a better option than Burnett. But you’d still expect diminishing returns on a 39yr old arm.

Position Players?
The Yanks are rumored to be going after Mike Cameron (buddy of Sabathia). He’s certainly an upgrade of the fading Melky Cabrera, but he’s 35. He’ll probably give them .250 / 20 / 75 which is only marginal. It will cost them Cabrera AND a minor league arm.

They have been quiet on the Texiera front, but you’d think they would be all out on this one. It wouldn’t be a shock for them to swoop in at the last minute. They overpay for everything else, so why not. Even if they acquire Burnett & Lowe, they can still fit his $20+M in the mix. What’s a $230M payroll with a new revenue driving ballpark? Why wouldn’t they jump at a chance to overpay a player who will be on the decline in the last 2-3yrs of their contract? It’s standard operating procedure.

Haven’t they learned anything?
With all of these top flight signings (Type A free agents), they continue to surrender first round draft picks. Trading for a 35yr old Mike Cameron? AJ Burnett will be 36 when his contract is up, and CC will be 35. They are trying to win in “the now” and bastardizing the future again. The reason they were so successful in the 90’s is because they had a great core of players come up thru their system. All they needed to do was add a few pieces via free agency. You can't rebuild your system without first round picks. Most current players on the team are past their prime. Here are the impact players at 30 or under: Cano, Nady, Swisher (or replace w/Texiera who would be 38 at the end), and Cabrera who is about to be traded for a 35yr old. The clock is ticking and the window is closing, especially with Tampa Bay now as a factor.

Is it irresponsible?
The Marlin’s President seems to think the CC contract alone was inappropriate & irresponsible based on the current economic climate. He has a clear bias as a small market team, but he does bring up an interesting point. Are the Yanks unaffected by the current economic conditions? Reports say that the new ballpark will generate an additional $100M per year. So yes, the Yanks are not affected. Whether it is inappropriate or not depends on your point of view. The Yanks don’t care either way, as they are doing what they feel is best for business. Any small market team will tell you it is irresponsible and always unfair. Is it time for a change? Possibly. The luxury tax seemed to have no affect. But that’s a discussion for another day…