The Flip Side
If Theo Einstein not only made certain that his ballclub would not be plaguing one of NY's baseball teams, he also made it likely that his favorite trading partner, Kevin Towers' Padres, would be giving NY's other team some problems. If you look at the National League right now, the Padres may be the one team that can compete in the playoffs with the Mets, largely because of Epstein's's largesse. The Padres now have perhaps the best big game number 2 in that league in Wells (he's certainly better than Glavine, Lowe, or Suppan) and the best one two combo coming out of the bullpen in Meredith (thanks Theo!) and Hoffman. And winners in five game series are made from the top of the rotation and the top of the bullpen. they also have a badly needed defensive supplement to Piazza in Bard.
You know it's interesting. Many of us feared slow Joe would get off the hook for all those bad decisions he made (OK still makes) because his benighted cultists (calling Ms. Waldman) would blame the Yanks' fate on the injuries. But it's the boy-genius in Boston who has in fact benefitted from that misbegotten analysis, even though the Sox went into the hamper before their major rash of injuries, some of which (Manny, Pena, Gonzalez, Crisp, Mirabelli,) were clearly losing-induced.
Hideki rehabbed last night at Trenton, 1-3, a BB, and a RBI. He sounds ready!
You know it's interesting. Many of us feared slow Joe would get off the hook for all those bad decisions he made (OK still makes) because his benighted cultists (calling Ms. Waldman) would blame the Yanks' fate on the injuries. But it's the boy-genius in Boston who has in fact benefitted from that misbegotten analysis, even though the Sox went into the hamper before their major rash of injuries, some of which (Manny, Pena, Gonzalez, Crisp, Mirabelli,) were clearly losing-induced.
Hideki rehabbed last night at Trenton, 1-3, a BB, and a RBI. He sounds ready!
posted by joe valente | 11:52 AM
5 Comments:
Francona talks at the postgame press conferences like he was a victim of Katrina
Hilarious.
Yep, the chowderheads are back to their old ways: feeding on the bitter sustenance of bile and ressentiment.
Much as I love him, I do beleive this embarassment of OF riches does spell the end of Bubba at Yankee Stadium. I am less certain that it means the end of Sheff. Don't get me wrong, I think it should mean the end of Sheff, but I wouldn't put it past Cashman et al to instate Sheff at first, Giambi at DH and turn Melky into a fourth outfielder, splitting reserve time with Bernie Williams. This would be a truly terrible outcome, retarding the development of an exciting player and future star. But even if they are wise enough to let Sheff go. There's no way they are going to reduce Hideki to a DH role, nor can he and Melky split that duty unless giambi becomes an everyday first baseman, and he seems to fragile as well as too glove-challenged for that. And I don't see them dealing Damon, who has become a central cog in this machine, Abreu, who is the perfect three hitter in the line-up, or Matsui, who is not only one of the best clutch performers on the team and a consummate professional, but one of the few who actually earns the Yankees more in merchandising than they are paying him to play. All of this is to say, I really do fear for the future of Melky. Will they trade him, which would be a disaster for the team, or do they sit him, which would be a disaster for Melky himself? They can get him some games rotating in the OF, but Giambi's need to DH on a semi-regular basis really shuts down some options, unless of course Melky can play first on occasion as well.
What happened to Boston this year, up to the salvaging of something for Wells, is the effect of management strategy to not invest beyond the point of keeping the team just good enough to fill Fenway every night. The design is to produce contenders not champions. If Red Sox Nation buys the victim narrative, the fate narative or a combination of the two, i.e. the curse narrative, they license that strategy and assure themselves of the yearly dose of "bile and ressentiment" that was their perennial measure right up to 2004. Since they appear to be buying the death star paradigm yet again, the question would seem to be: are they, having been brought up ina slough of baseball despond, too docile and resigned to demand retribution, i.e. the rolling of heads (Yankee fans would settle for the figurative enactment of such a stricture, though they'd desire the dang an sich); or rather, taking the trauma theory route, do we find them to be so habituated to the slow baseball death, that they have come to secretly enjoy the toxin, or Soxin, to depend upon it even, so that 2004 was as unconsciously disturbing for them as it was consciously nauseating for us? Submitted for your consideration.
I wonder if Abreu can play some first base? He seems more the type than Melky to me. But I think next year, the Yanks will deal Sheff and let Bernie ride off into the sunset. Then they'll have 4 outfielders and Giambi at first. Hideki will DH once in a while, Abreu will DH once in a while, and Giambi will DH with someone like Wilson to back him up. That'll get Melky a start in the outfield every 4 games or so when Giambi plays first. If they can get Abreu to play some first, then that increases Melky's starts. For a second-year guy, that seems ok to me for a year. The question is what happens after that.
It wouldn't surprise me to see the Yanks deal Melky for some pitching either next year or the following. I wouldn't want to see that, but I think the jury is still out on whether Melky is the next Robinson Cano or the next Ricky Ledee. Trading Ledee turned out nicely, and he looked pretty good in his first year with the Yanks. So if they end up trading Melky for some good pitching and it helps them win a Series, I'd take it.
I wouldn't want to see Abreu playing first base at all. He's the only outfielder on the team wioht a really good arm. Matsui is too dizzy a fielder to play right effectively and Melky claims to have trouble picking up the ball from the right side. More than that, from following Abreu in Philadelphia, I can tell you he's a creature of habit; he didn't even like changing places in ther batting order. I don't think you'll get the best out of him moving him around.
You may be right about them trading Melky, but I think it would be a mistake. I don't think he's another Robby, but he's only 21 and he's much, much better than Ledee was when he broke in at 24. There was never a moment I didn't think Ledee was weak. The thing about Melky is he doesn't really slump. Every time you look up, he's hitting 285. Plus he's gotten some big hits and made some big plays in the field. Did I say he's only 21? That's really young for a rookie in the majors these days. I hope they keep him. Actually I don't think the Yankees should ever trade young talent for pitching. If your advantage is money, then press it by adopting a 2-pronged strategy: A) grow your prospects; B) buy what you need on the free agent market or in salary dumps like Abreu. Real trades, where you give up value to get value, is for paupers and fools. Do enough trading and you lose the likes of Arroyo, Cla Meredith, Josh Bard, Renterria, Henley Ramirez, Anibel Sanchez etc wihtout much return.
One more thing. The Yankees have Tyler Clifford, Phillip Hughes, Chien-Ming Wang, Karstens and maybe Raszer in their future. I don't know how much they need to be giving up for more pitching. Look to groom a closer to replace Mo in the next three years and we're set.
Post a Comment
<< Home