by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (12-13-13)
[Part one - Arrivals and Departures]
TODD:
I disagree that the spending cap is irrelevant. I think it still means something and the men in charge are trying their best to stay underneath it. The delay on the Alex Rodriguez verdict puts a damper on things since they have no knowledge of what will become of his $30 million per year. But the big moves thus far have kept them under $189 million with or with A-Rod in tow. Likewise, I would be very surprised if the Yankees moved in on one of these "ace" free agent pitchers for a big contract. While they certainly need another starter, Matt Garza or Ubaldo Jimenez for $18-$22 million per seems outlandish. The old Yankees wouldn't have cared because, as I said, they need another starter. But I think these Steinbrenners this year will try to stay under the luxury tax threshold.
That being said, there was a lot of money going around anyways. With many contracts off the books, there was green to disperse. I'll attack these moves one at a time, before getting to the McCann - Ellsbury debate.
DAN:
Hold on. There is a TON of money going around. They may avoid the luxury tax, but that by no means makes them frugal. If we assume Alex is suspended and his salary wiped away, there is nothing holding our Yankees back from swinging from the fences financially.
TODD:
We shall see, but as for the deals that went down.
Robinson Cano signs with Seattle. I'm fine with how things played out. He was a great player who wanted way too many years on his next contract. The Yankees will surely miss his bat and glove at second base but he is not irreplaceable. The key to this situation was obviously the timing of the Ellsbury signing. Once he signed for $153 million, there was no way Cano was going to come back for less than $200 million. Old baseball fans always harp on the exorbitant sums of money and how one mistake made by one franchise shouldn't effect the price another player gets. But it always does and it always will. Everyone agrees Cano is a better player than Jacoby Ellsbury. Even if Cano and his agents come to a realization that New York gave Ellsbury more than he was worth, are they really going to accept less? Get real.
Yankees sign Kelly Johnson. This actually happened before Cano signed with the Mariners, but I like the move either way. Johnson is a serviceable second baseman, with good speed and some power in his bat. He is not an everyday player, nor does he hit for much average, but a 15/10 season (home runes/steals) seems likely from him. He was also signed for $237 million less than Cano...if that matters.
The real kicker here at 2B will be if the Yanks manage to sign Omar Infante. Infante is a super utility guy who can play second most of the time but also rotate to third and short to spell guys. He would be perfect, as would his .318 average from last year. Apparently he and New York are far apart on a contract at the moment though.
Curtis Granderson signs with Mets. Combined with the fact that the Yankees signed Carlos Beltran, the departure of Granderson means almost nothing. He is a good power source from the outfield but not as good of an all-around hitter as Beltran. These moves offset each other and the upgrade from Grandy to Beltran helps cover a little of the departed bat at second base as well.
DAN:
Side note. I love how Curtis tried to suck up to the Mets fans by jumping on the "true New Yorker" bandwagon. Its probably the biggest headline he'll get as a Met, assuming he stays healthy and the Mets continue to be the poor baseball product we know and love.
TODD:
Yankees re-sign Hiroki Kuroda. It was for just one more year, which seems right for a pitcher of his age. While Kuroda was superb the first half of last season, by far the team's best pitcher, he tailed off so dramatically at the end of the season, I would have been fine with the Yanks not bringing him back. As it stands, we need him in the rotation, hopefully as not much more than a third or fourth starter though. A lot depends on the usefulness of Michael Pineda. Remember him? Hopefully the 6'7" youngster is finally ready to contribute in 2014 because we need him to be a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for six months.
With Pineda, Kuroda, Nova and Sabathia set, we have four fifths of a good starting five. There are also a number of options already in the organization for that fifth spot. The problem is, no one on this list is really an ace or even a dominant number two. Sabathia is not that anymore if last year was any indication. The signing of a Matt Garza or Ubaldo Jimenez would solve this problem but, as I mentioned, I doubt the Yankees would spend the money on that spot, nor should they necessarily. At it stands, the Yankees rotation is fine but very mid-heavy without a top flight ace. Only Pineda has that upside of anyone on the major league roster right now.
As for Ellsbury and McCann...where should I begin?
I guess I'll start by saying I like both players in a vacuum for sure. Brian McCann was lauded as a perfect signing for New York because, as you touched on, the catcher position last season was a black hole of incompetence. This is true, and McCann is clearly a huge upgrade in this slot, but is the weakness of a spot reason enough to sign McCann when there were better hitters available at other positions? I guess this goes to NBA or NFL draft technique a little bit in regards to whether it makes the most sense to draft for need or to just take the best player.
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