Is this the last of the Yankees?

[tygerphan4ever]

On what planet are the Yankees winning 88 games this year? I figured they'd win 84-87 coming into the year BEFORE all the injuries. Now, they'll be extremely lucky to finish at .500. I'm thinking they're looking at about 76 wins.

You are a victim of sour puss syndrome. In case you were ignoring it, while the Yankees lineup has been crippled up, they still have a good pitching staff.. and, when you have good pitching anything is possible.. invluding the Yankees finishing over .500

 

[tygerphan4ever]

Also, I think you need to look again. Between the absolute bleakness of their farm system and the fact the Steinbrenners are tightening the purse strings, and the albatross contracts currently biting them squarely in the ass, they're definitely in for a few lean years. They'll always spend, but I think they're hoping to spend more wisely in the future, and other teams' prime players aren't reaching free agency anymore. And, again, while the Yankees always spent big, they weren't these vultures looming over the small market teams like they were made out to be. That was always grossly exaggerated. I mean, how many free agent players did they really lure away from small market teams? Pavano? Sabathia? Giambi? That's about it by my count. And those guys all received fair market value. The rest of the players were either acquire through trades or signed away from other teams who were perfectly capable of re-signing the player themselves, and they spend a ton (and often overpaid) to re-sign their own players.

Not everyone can afford to keep superstars, if they could then how do you explain some of the people Detroit has plucked off the market?? If you think the Yankees won't chase the big fish who get out there after next season, then obviously I know more about the Yankees than you do.

 

[$500 Million]

About 2 years ago, on the old CBS board (and again last year), I posted that the Yankees were going the way of the dinosaurs and were going to be extinct. I gave them a 2 year window to win before lean times, and this is the second year. Needless to say, many Yankee fans mocked me.

My reasoning was the following:

1. The Yankees are an OLD team.
2. They have nothing in the farm system that will be able to help them next season
3. By the time 2015 rolls around and some prospects do show up, Sabathia will be 35, Teixeira 35, Jeter 41, A-Rod 40, and even Cano will be 33. Even if Kuroda is still pitching (and with the Yankees), he will be 40.
4. Rivera and Pettitte will be long gone
5. Maybe most importantly, the Yankees just can't sign the best free agents anymore because most teams are locking up their young, core players into their 30's.

I would like to know where those Yankee fans are now. Are they here under different screen names? NyNasty, Village Plumber, etc.?

Come out of the woodwork and take your medicine.

Who's laughing now?

I’m laughing, but only at you post, which is hilarious.

So two years ago you made a prediction that the Yankee run was almost over and the lean years were soon to begin. You did this as Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were approaching their forties. Well, congratulations pal, your powers of perception are just amazing.

This coming from a guy whose favorite team didn’t sniff October either of those last two years, hasn’t won a playoff game since 2008, and haven’t won a title since 2007. How did it feel to watch those old decrepit Yankees reach the ALCS last year while your Sox were the laughing stock of baseball? You don’t need to ask any Yankee fan how it feels because you know exactly how it feels don’t you?

If I wake up every morning and say “It’s going to rain today”, sooner or later I’m going to be right. So you go ahead and keep thumping your chest and laughing, the Yankees will be back in contention sooner than you would like. In the meantime enjoy the Red Sox latest run, and maybe even a playoff appearance, imagine that.

 

[depraved]

I think in a few years the Yankees will regroup and go for another run. However, that will be after a few lean years. The Steinbrenners will let the team suck for a 2-3 years and when they see their cash cow is taking a hit and not making them as much they will then decide it may be time to reinvest in the team and make the Yankees a household name again. Let's face it the Yankees are in good position to suck for a few years, because at the first sign of them being good, New Yorkers, and band-wagoners who are familiar with the name will jump right back aboard since its the Yankees!

 

[ImSmartherThanYou]

You are a victim of sour puss syndrome. In case you were ignoring it, while the Yankees lineup has been crippled up, they still have a good pitching staff.. and, when you have good pitching anything is possible.. invluding the Yankees finishing over .500

Not at all. I'm not a victim at all. I knew this was coming. Going into Spring Training, I saw a team that was a 4th place club with about 84-87 wins. After all the injuries, I said if they managed to finish around .500, it would be nothing short of a miracle. I'm a realist and someone who actually watches nearly every minute of every game they play.

The Yankees don't have good pitching. They have decent pitching, and they have performed valiantly to this point, but they're coming apart at the seams. They have Hiroki Kuroda and a bunch of wild cards. Pettitte is done. Phil Hughes is Phil Hughes. CC Sabathia is probably hurt or not fully recovered from his surgery. Phelps is a #5 at best. Nova is a roller coaster. Pineda is a non-factor. The bullpen is excellent, but that's been the case every year since Girardi became manager.

For the bulk of the season, they were 5-10 games over .500 with a roster that should have been 10 games under .500. The equilibrium shift has finally arrived. It's been a fun ride. Much better than I expected. I'm actually happy they're at where they're at, rather than bitter or a "sour puss" as you described it. This season has been a success in my eyes.

 

[RobBase]

The Tigers have always been Yankee killers. A-Rod is an abortion to our planet.

 

[ImSmartherThanYou]

Not everyone can afford to keep superstars, if they could then how do you explain some of the people Detroit has plucked off the market?? If you think the Yankees won't chase the big fish who get out there after next season, then obviously I know more about the Yankees than you do.

I never said they wouldn't chase the big fish (in the increasingly rare instance that the big fish becomes available). I said they'd always spend. But they're going to be more frugal as they do it. They don't want to compound the albatross contracts they already have. They're going to let a big one fall off the books before piling on another. They're going to continue to look for chances to take advantage of salary dumps by other teams. Things like that. If you think otherwise, you clearly haven't been observing the day-to-day operations of the team since Hal Steinbrenner took the helm. He's a businessman first and foremost, not a shred of "baseball man" in him.

I also never said everyone can afford to keep superstars. Not once. Didn't even imply it. I think more teams can afford it than they'd like you to believe (like the Orioles), because they want to be able to maximize profit margins and point the finger at others for their shortcomings. I also think some teams make the conscious effort to not sign big deals because they feel it's not fiscally responsible (such as the Cardinals and Rays), which I can't blame them for doing.

So, yeah, way to go with that.

 

[tygerphan4ever]

Whatever, you're so stoneheaded at times, I'm not even going to argue this with you, but as businessmen, don't you think the Steineys see the fiscal prudence in attracting the big names by outbidding everyone in order to pack Yankee Stadium to the rafters?? I know alot more about the Yankees than you think I do.. they're only a playoff opponent of ours like almost every season it seems like.

 

[rokketmn]

Well, for starters, that's just for next year. I don't think this team is going to be ready by next year anyway, but they need pieces. They still need to develop and see what they have in guys like Flores and D'Arnaud.

Secondly, while they need power, I don't think guys like Morse or Morales are good choices either. They're too inconsistent. Flores could have the potential to be an even better hitter than those guys, so since it's a building year, I wouldn't mind giving him a full season, even if his defense is awful. He's also cheap, which the Wilpons love.

Finally, a guy like Choo is PERFECT for the Mets. They are going to be built around pitching. Their park suppresses power. In light of that, you need guys with gap power who get on base a lot. You need guys who get on base in front of Wright, and Choo is an OBP machine. He's also got perfectly acceptable speed. Where are you getting that from? He steals 20 bases a year. He's got good gap power, and is a good defensive RF.

And please... Ike Davis is no trade chip

You're saying they are not going to be ready next season, and I agree with you, but you want them to spend a lot of money. That doesn't make sense. You wait until you are contending, or at least close to contending before you start adding high salaries and years to player contracts. Don't forget, in order for the Mets to keep their core, they are going to have to sign the Harveys, Wheelers, etc to long term deals to keep them from free agency. They have time on many of those guys, but they could still look to lock them up before their arbitration years kick in.

I think Ellsbury is a good idea because he serves multiple purposes. He is a leadoff hitter, and good defender in the OF. Plus, he has great speed. I am of the opinion that you don't pay for speed, as I was against the Crawford signing in Boston, but Ellsbury makes sense for the Mets.

As for Choo...he is already 31 years old and making about $8mm. Whay will he want in free agency, since this will likely be his last contract? He tops out at 20 SB's a season and this year he has 12 and has been caught 8 times. Not a great percentage. He is miscast in CF in Cinci, but he has looked brutal there. A move back to RF could help, but his defense (or speed) will not get better as he gets older.

A guy like Morse makes perfect sense. Injuries have been his problem. The guy hits .290 every season with power, and though he is not the best option in the OF, he can play out there if you need him. He also does not make a lot of money, and the injury history will keep both his annual dollars and years down. Same thing with Morales. The guy can hit and can probably be signed to a 3 year deal. They are not inconsistent. They are good hitters whenever they play. Playing has been the problem and Morales has shown he is over his ankle issue. Morse played a month with his injury this season because the M's couldn't put him on the DL because of all of the other injuries they had. That is a reason why it took so long for him to come back.

These type of players will help the Mets be better in the next few years as the team grows around them, without committing long term dollars.

Take a look at the 2014 free agents. There are not many good options and the best options will be over 30 years old. They have to spend wisely.

As for Ike Davis...he is a trade chip. He still has power and he did hit .250 after the All Star break last season. He also had good success in 2010/2011. Teams looking for a young player still under team control for 3 more seasons will definitely take a shot with him.

 

[rokketmn]

Thanks, BigD on the tip for the Quotes. I was trying everyting with the quick reply instead of a new post.

I definitely knew who you were from the old CBS board. Your name was similar and you root for the Dodgers. Pretty easy.

 

[tygerphan4ever]

The Tigers have always been Yankee killers. A-Rod is an abortion to our planet.

Yes, they have. Most years, the Yankees are better than Detroit, but this particular series happens to be in NY, and the Tigers are catching Nova, Hughes, and Pettite. Needless to say, those are not nice people at all, plus Detroit isn't using Scherzer. So, no.. that's no series to take for granted. Not saying for sure the Yankees win this one, but I wouldn't be shocked to pieces if they were to.

 

[BigDDude]

Thanks, BigD on the tip for the Quotes. I was trying everyting with the quick reply instead of a new post.

I definitely knew who you were from the old CBS board. Your name was similar and you root for the Dodgers. Pretty easy.

Glad to be of help & service, as always.

 

[rokketmn]

How did it feel to watch those old decrepit Yankees reach the ALCS last year while your Sox were the laughing stock of baseball?

It felt pretty good. You may feel otherwise, but I am of the belief that if my team is not good enough to win it all, I would rather get a better draft pick.

I would rather that than be utterly emabarrassed on the national spotlight like the Yankees were last season.

The Sox record last season doesn't bother me. You either win the World Series or you don't. I don't dwell on the past. I live in the now and look to the future.

Sox future > Yankees future. Book it!

 

[rokketmn]

And what do you mean the road was easy in the 90s and there were no good teams? That's some revisionist history right there. The Indians, Orioles, White Sox and Mariners had very strong cores in the 90s. They just didn't put it all together. The 1990s Yankee teams were mostly built from within and supplemented with smart trades, and smaller free agent pickups. The idea that they plucked every small market team's star player to construct their roster is a hilarious myth.

I didn't say the Yankees plucked every small market team back then. That is about the only period in their 40yr Steinbrenner history they didn't do that. There was also a reason for that. Steinbrenner was banned from baseball and Gene Michael was able to hold onto draft picks. In this last decade, the Yankees threw money at every big name there was.

The road was easier. While the Indians had a solid lineup with Manny, Belle, Baerga, Lofton, Thome. etc, Charles Nagy was their best pitcher. Yes, Charles Nagy going against the likes of Clemens, Key, Pettitte, El Duque, Cone, Wells, and Gooden.

The White Sox and Orioles? They weren't consistent winners.The White Sox were awful and the Orioles had one good season in 1997. Then Jeffrey Maier ruined it for them.

The Blue Jays were awful and the Sox had two good years in 1998 and 1999.

Seattle won 90 games once in the late '90's and that was exactly 90 wins in 1997.

Where was the competition? Oakland got good in the early '00's.

The truth is the A.L was weak aside from the Yankees. Even the N.L had just the Braves as consistent winners. The playing field in this last decade has certainly evened out, and when that happened, the Yankees spent $400mm on Sabathia, Teixeira, and Burnett in 2009. Nothing wrong with that. They won. It's worth it. But let's call a spade a spade here, please.

 

[cezero]

It's fun watching Yank$ and Sux fans try to insult each other.

 

[rokketmn]

Let's get back to talking about a team with a future...The Mets!

OR... Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers, Rays, Jays, Royals, A's, Mariners, Rangers, Nats, Braves, Cards, Reds, D-Backs, Dodgers, Pirates, and even the Marlins!!

The Marlins have a better future than the Yankees!! Who wants to talk about that?

 

[rokketmn]

It's fun watching Yank$ and Sux fans try to insult each other.

I don't hurl insults. I just give my opinion and try to correct everyone who is wrong.

 

[HammerDown]

 

[tygerphan4ever]

I don't hurl insults. I just give my opinion and try to correct everyone who is wrong.

Hahaha ; > /)

 

[tygerphan4ever]

[MEDIA=twitter]365882739636969472[/MEDIA]

That's Nova out there though, in Yankee Stadium no less.. that scares me. Tigers can't always beat you everyday, though at times they look like they can.