There's an opportunity for this off-season to have been a successful one despite the fact that Torre and A-Rod are returning. My point when I said it was that there wasn't a possibility of that happening.
If the Torre/ARod saga continues to hurt the team, or if it get's even worse this year... this offseason will have been a failure because they had a chance to get rid of both of them and they didn't.
I have been more critical than anyone of ARod but I have a weird feeling he's going to get it done this year. Maybe seeing former choker Peyton manning get it done in a big spot has me confused but I have a weird feeling.
I know. That wasn't my point. The possibility exists for A-Rod to come up big in the postseason and be a major factor in the Yankees having success. So by both of them being a part of the team come Opening Day, it doesn't automatically mean they will be a negative, thus making the off-season a negative.
To be honest, I think ARod will recover this year. His pattern seems to be one on year, one off year, and given last year, he is due big time. If he isn't getting it done, rest assured, if the Cubs are anywhere near the race by the trade deadline, ARod is history here, and Cashman will rape Pinella's team. I'm pretty sure Joe is gone at the end of this year, unless somehow the Yankees blow away the divison and win it by 20 games, then sweep the playoffs. That's about as unlikely as the sun blowing out by the end of the year. And I never said there was no way Cashman could be fired this year, but believing the Yankees will win less than 90 games this year is a Mets fan's pipe dream. He'll be back in 2008.
It's not about reg season though, yeah he'll have a good reg season this year but he needs a big postseason. You are saying if the yanks win the div by 3 games then win the ALDS in 4, the ALCS in 6 and the WS in 6 they wouldn't keep him? We have to win the div by 20 and go 11-0 or 11-1 or 2 for him to keep his job? Come on. A WS win is a WS win no matter how many games it takes. I do think if we win it he'll retire but that's another strory.
A little article I found that ranks the Yankees top 10 prospects: New York Yankees 1. Philip Hughes - RHP - DOB: 06/24/86 - ETA: June 2007 2-3, 1.80 ERA, 19 H, 30/2 K/BB in 30 IP for Single-A Tampa 10-3, 2.25 ERA, 73 H, 138/32 K/BB in 116 IP for Double-A Trenton Hughes, a 2004 first-round pick, emerged as the game's top pitching prospect in a 2006 in which he limited hitters to a .179 average and struck out nearly five batters for every one he walked. With plenty of movement on his 91-94 mph fastball and a curveball that's become a dominant second pitch, he has ace upside. His third pitch is a changeup that's a little above average. Since he doesn't have far to go when it comes to command, he'd likely have success in a major league rotation right now. The Yankees, though, would prefer to not have to turn to him right away. Barring injury, he should be up for good by midseason. 2. Jose Tabata - OF - DOB: 08/12/88 - ETA: 2010 .298/.377/.420, 5 HR, 51 RBI, 66/30 K/BB, 15 SB in 319 AB for low Single-A Charleston Tabata more than held his own as a 17-year-old in full-season ball, though he did decline rather than improve as the year went on. Part of the problem was a hand injury suffered in July. He later aggravated the injury in Venezuela, where he hit .275/.392/.422 in 51 at-bats. A center fielder initially as a pro, Tabata made the move to right last year and should stay there. He has a great idea of what he should be doing at the plate for someone so young, and he's likely to develop 30-35 homer power. While he's not going to reach the majors anytime soon, he looks like a potential star. 3. Humberto Sanchez - RHP - DOB: 05/28/83 - ETA: Aug. 2007 5-3, 1.76 ERA, 47 H, 86/27 K/BB in 71 2/3 IP for Double-A Erie 5-3, 3.86 ERA, 50 H, 43/20 K/BB in 51 1/3 IP for Triple-A Toledo After posting a 5.21 ERA at Single-A Lakeland in 2004 and a 5.56 ERA at Double-A Erie in 2005, Sanchez finally began to fulfill his potential last season, at least until he hurt his elbow in July. He made just one start over the final six weeks of the season. Sanchez has always had big-time stuff, but inconsistency, along with questions about his arm, has led many to believe his future may lie in the pen. It's more likely that he'll end up there now that he's a Yankee, the result of the Gary Sheffield trade. Sanchez can throw in the mid-90s and his hard curveball is quite a strikeout pitch. He'll probably reach the Bronx as a middle reliever before the end of the year. 4. Tyler Clippard - RHP - DOB: 02/14/85 - ETA: May 2008 12-10, 3.35 ERA, 118 H, 175/55 K/BB in 166 1/3 IP for Double-A Trenton Clippard has yet to stumble since the Yankees made him a ninth-round pick in the 2003 draft and the numbers, especially his strikeout rate, say that he's a top prospect. Still, skepticism will remain until Clippard gets it done in the majors. Even though he's filled out some, he only occasionally gets his fastball above 90 mph. His changeup is a truly impressive second pitch and his curveball has come along nicely, but as a modest flyball pitcher with below average velocity, he's going to have his share of problems against the stacked lineups of the AL. I still like him as a No. 4, maybe a No. 3. A trade would make him a better candidate to spend the final third of the season in the majors. 5. Joba Chamberlain - RHP - DOB: 09/23/85 - ETA: 2009 Chamberlain's history of weight troubles and the triceps strain that sidelined him for a time in his final season at Nebraska lowered his stock on draft day, allowing the Yankees to select him 41st overall. Because of his upside, the Bombers didn't hesitate to take the chance. After signing late, he pitched in the Hawaiian Winter League, going 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA, 28 H and 46/3 K/BB in 37 2/3 IP in a pitching-dominated league. Chamberlain can throw in the high-90s and has impressive command. He lacks an outstanding second pitch, but both his slider and changeup have potential. If everything breaks right, the possibility is there that he'll develop into one of the American League's better pitchers. Still, he is riskier than most college picks. The 6-foot-3 right-hander has pushed 300 pounds at times, and a $1.1 million signing bonus buys a lot of Doritos. 6. Eric Duncan - 1B - DOB: 12/07/84 - ETA: Aug. 2008 .248/.355/.485, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 38/32 K/BB, 0 SB in 206 AB for Double-A Trenton .209/.279/.255, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 24/9 K/BB, 0 SB in 110 AB for Triple-A Columbus .257/.310/.354, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 16/9 K/BB, 0 SB in 113 AB for Peoria (AFL) Expectations have simply been too high. Duncan was awful after opening last season in Triple-A, but he never should have been there in the first place. Once demoted, he managed an 840 OPS as a 21-year-old in Double-A. That he was able to cut back on the strikeouts while maintaining his power was pretty encouraging and suggests an improved average is likely to come soon. Duncan did spend a little time at third base last year, but he's set to become a full-time first baseman, something that seemed likely from the moment the Yankees made him a first-round pick in 2003. The back troubles he's experienced qualify as more of a concern than anything about his performance to date. He's on his way to developing into a 30-homer guy. The on-base skills probably won't be there to make him a great player, but it's far too early to regard him as a failure. 7. Dellin Betances - RHP - DOB: 03/23/88 - ETA: 2010 0-1, 1.16 ERA, 14 H, 27/7 K/BB in 23 1/3 IP for Rookie GCL Yankees Thought to be going to college, Betances fell to the eighth round of the 2006 draft, where he was snared by the Yankees. They were probably the only team that would have kept him out of school. Betances stands 6-foot-8 and generates plenty of velocity, usually working in the mid-90s. He has a long way to go before he masters his curveball and changeup, but his gains have already come more quickly than anyone would have expected. He's probably not going to be a huge success this year in his introduction to full-season ball, but as long as he stays healthy and keeps making progress with his secondary pitches, the Yankees won't have any complaints. 8. Kevin Whelan - RHP - DOB: 01/08/84 - ETA: Aug. 2007 4-1, 27 Sv, 2.67 ERA, 33 H, 69/29 K/BB in 54 IP for Single-A Lakeland Whelan no longer looked like a closer of the future for the Tigers after the move of Joel Zumaya to the pen last year, but Detroit still could regret including him in the Gary Sheffield deal. Throwing out a lousy May, Whelan had a 1.74 ERA and a 61/16 K/BB ratio in 46 2/3 IP in the Florida State League in his first full pro season. Whelan reaches 95 mph with his fastball and has a pair of strikeout pitches in his splitter and slider. Maybe he won't ever get saves for the Yankees, but he could be a closer for another team someday or a long-term setup man in the Bronx. 9. J. Brent Cox - RHP - DOB: 05/13/84 - ETA: Sept. 2007 6-2, 3 Sv, 1.75 ERA, 54 H, 60/24 K/BB in 77 IP for Double-A Trenton Cox and Whelan were rivals in school, with Cox closing at Texas and Whelan doing the same at A&M. They soon could be teammates in the Yankee pen. Cox doesn't have the same kind of upside as the former Tigers prospect, but he generates a lot of grounders with his sinker-slider combination. He'll probably have trouble with quality left-handed hitters in the majors, but he was actually weaker against righties last season. He'll be a pretty solid setup man for a long time. 10. Ross Ohlendorf - RHP - DOB: 08/08/82 - ETA: May 2008 0-8, 3.29 ERA, 180 H, 125/29 K/BB in 177 2/3 IP for Double-A Tennessee 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 6 H, 4/0 K/BB in 5 IP for Triple-A Tucson The best of the three prospects picked up in the Randy Johnson deal, Ohlendorf was a 2004 fourth-round pick out of Princeton. Despite his reputation as a sinkerballer, he was only a modest groundball pitcher last year. He'd be better with more consistent velocity. Sometimes he works in the low-90s, other times in the high-80s. Ohlendorf does have a pretty good slider and changeup to go along with his fastball. Command and intelligence will help him along and could make him a No. 4 starter. A career as a setup man is also a possibility. Next five: OF Brett Gardner, RHP Ian Kennedy, RHP Christian Garcia, OF Austin Jackson, RHP Jeff Marquez 2006 top 15: Philip Hughes, Eric Duncan, Jose Tabata, Christian Garcia, C.J. Henry, Tyler Clippard, J. Brent Cox, Melky Cabrera, Marcos Vechionacci, Sean Henn, Austin Jackson, Matt DeSalvo, Jeff Marquez, Eduardo Nunez, Brett Gardner 2005 top 10: Eric Duncan, Robinson Cano, Marcos Vechionacci, Philip Hughes, Jesse Hoover, Melky Cabrera, Chien-Ming Wang, Bronson Sardinha, Jeff Marquez, Jorge DePaula 2004 top 10: Dioner Navarro, Robinson Cano, Eric Duncan, Jorge DePaula, Rudy Guillen, Estee Harris, Drew Henson, Ramon Ramirez, Scott Proctor, Mark Phillips 2003 top 10: Juan Rivera, Drew Henson, Brandon Claussen, Jorge DePaula, Bronson Sardinha, Sean Henn, Chien-Ming Wang, Danny Borrell, Rudy Guillen, Andy Phillips http://www.rotoworld.com/content/features/column.aspx?sport=MLB&columnid=2&articleid=27595
Good list, although I'd rank Betances ahead of Duncan. It's not that big of a deal though, while Duncan has disappointed, Betances has barely pitched in the pros (although a few scouts would say Betances' ceiling is higher than Hughes).
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove06/columns/story?columnist=law_keith&id=2742549 not bad considering our farm system has been bashed for so long.
Were talking about forced retirement here man. IMO, Torre is lucky he got one more year, and if not for the superior success of the 90s, he wouldn't have had that much rope. Girardi is back in the YES studio, and Mattingly is in the dugout. Joe's time is done.
If we win a WS he's not getting forved out, I think he'll walk away on his own. I have said for a long time I wanted Girardi to take over for him and I hope that happens. I hope Joe goes off w/ another title and Girardi steps in next year.
I understand you think he will walk away, and that's fine. My opinion is that he gets nudged toward the door, regardless of the outcome. But again, that's just my take on the situation, based on what I've seen. I'm with you though, I want Girardi to be the manager of this team. I also want Mattingly to stay with the club as either the bench or hitting coach.
If we won the WS why would they nudge him out the door? They had an easy escape route after the det series to get rid of him and they kept him.
If Torre was ever going to be forced out, it would have been after the Detroit series. Cashman convinced Steinbrenner to keep Torre around for one more year, and then let Mattingly (or Girardi if Donnie doesn't want it) take over in 2008. Torre won't return, and it'll be on his terms.
I can't explain why he is still here. It was pretty commonly believed that he was getting canned after the Detroit series. Then he met privately with George, and came out with his job for at least one more year. Perhaps DJ going to bat for him didn't hurt. Who knows? If we win a WS, and Joe doesn't get anyone hurt, I'd be willing to give him one more year after this one. I'd really rather move on to Girardi though. Or at least Donnie.
Man what I would do to have Navarro back. I was so excited to possibly see him and Cano come up together. And I was never really a Posada fan, making Navarro more appealing to me as the replacement to Posada, at least a backup...
Just have to hope Navarro doesn't reach his offensive potential. If he does, that trade will kill me more than it already does.
He's 16 and hasn't played an inning of pro ball. His ETA at the earliest is 2010, and that's if he flies through the system. It would be nice to have Navarro around for the few years in between Posada and Montero, and if Navarro is really good, Montero can either be switched to 1B (which scouts feel will be his position), or traded in a package to fill a need. If Navarro isn't so great, then he becomes a solid long-term backup catcher when Montero is ready. But of course, this is all moot since Navarro's been gone for 2 years. We do have a couple of guys who could potentially be Navarro in the system right now, but no likely long term solutions until Montero in 5 years.
