Raytastic

Barring a monumental collapse, the Rays will probably win the division this year. When you think about it, that’s absolutely amazing. They were an AL East punching bag, however, after stockpiling young talent for years, they finally have something to show for all those beatings. Good for them, but it’s not exactly great for the Yankees. As it stands today and after a tough loss, we’re nearly 10 games out (8.5) and are basically competing for the WC with the Red Sox.

Expect big changes from hereon in. The Yankee teams of the future will have to be built a bit differently in order to compete in the AL East. This year has been tough, but the Rays aren’t a fluke. They have staying power and could be a headache for years to come.

Yanks Drop Kennedy

IPK has been optioned back to AAA and the Yanks have called up Billy Traber (useless). Right now, the club just doesn’t have time to wait on him to develop into a capable starter. The rotation will probably feature Darrell Rasner from this point on, or at least until Phil Hughes or Joba return (or Carl Pavano…).

What Plan?

Manny Ramirez won’t be a Yankee next year. At least, that’s what Ed Price believes. He states that Manny in the Bronx wouldn’t be in congruence with Brian Cashman’s plan, as it is a plan that aims to get younger and more athletic. However, I must ask this question—what plan is Price talking about? Now, it seems as though this is a “plan” we’ve been hearing about for a long time, whether it’s from fans, bloggers, writers, etc. It’s not just Ed Price. And, while the idea is nice (younger and more athletic), the practicality of this plan hasn’t really been challenged. Exactly who are the Yankees going to get to play their OF? Beyond Austin Jackson, the team doesn’t have any legitimate OF prospects. Also, it will be difficult to sign outfielders in their prime, especially when clubs are locking players up to long term deals.

So, where are these younger and more athletic players coming from? Seriously. There isn’t a pipeline that delivers these players like oil, at least, not for the Yankees (it happens for teams like Tampa). If Manny Ramirez is available, Brian Cashman will consider him. Why? Because, although younger and more athletic is ideal, it’s just not a reality (right now) for NY.

What To Do

The Yankee bullpen looked terrible last night. They gave away Dan Giese’s win and whenever you have John Lackey on the hook, the ‘pen needs to come through and lock up the victory. The Yankees, again, don’t have time to waste and can’t afford to give away games like this. Jose Veras hadn’t given up a run since July 19th, so obviously this isn’t a common occurance, but still. When a guy like Chris Britton is shutting lineups down in AAA, shouldn’t he get a chance to contribute down the stretch? David Robertson is striking guys out, but he has given up 11 ER in his past 5 innings, so maybe he should take a seat. The Yankees need to have the best bullpen that they can have and right now, that’s not necessarily the case.