The 2010 Yankees…
October 8, 2008, 5:43 amBased on free agent availability after the 2009 season (so, next winter), here’s what I think the Yankee lineup will look like, or, I guess I should say, what I think it SHOULD look like, come opening day in 2010. Of course, I took into account the many moves that might occur during the current offseason.
Austin Jackson CF
Derek Jeter SS
Matt Holliday LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Manny Ramirez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Jorge Posada C
Xavier Nady RF
Robinson Cano 2BCC Sabathia LHP
Chien-Ming Wang RHP
A.J. Burnett RHP
John Lackey RHP
Joba Chamberlain RHP
I didn’t bother with the bullpen, as it is ultimately such a fluid organism and could change in an assortment of ways, although I would assume Mark Melancon will be there (I actually think Melancon will be the setup man as early as next year). In terms of the players included in this list, there aren’t too many surprises. I’ll outline my thinking process as if I was the GM (but with tremendous brevity, with no mention of arbitration, compensation, etc.):
First, for 2009:
Sign CC Sabathia
Sign Mark Teixeira
Sign Manny Ramirez
Sign A.J. Burnett
All 4 of these players will likely gain Type A status once the season is over and their individual production levels are ranked by ESB. I’ve been unsure of the MLB rules regarding how many Type A players a team may sign (there can be limits), yet I believe that the signings are contingent upon the number of free agents available in a given year (the more players that file for FA, the more Type A players you can sign). The following website seems to relay that information.
Now, these 4 players are expensive powerhouses on the free agent market. The reason I think that the Yankees will make a concerted effort to sign all of them, is that they are all quality players and the Yankees are lacking in homegrown talent. While Cashman likes to talk about his young players, the Yankees simply don’t have many position players in their prospect pipeline (and, out of the small group that the Yankees do have, Jackson is the closest one to being ready) and the young pitchers simply aren’t ready yet. With the Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays and even the Orioles making significant gains over the past year, the Yankees will have to be at the forefront of the free agent player pool.
This will allow for the following 2009 team:
Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Manny Ramirez RF/DH
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH/OF
Xavier Nady LF
Robinson Cano 2BCC Sabathia LHP
Chien-Ming Wang RHP
A.J. Burnett RHP
Andy Pettitte LHP
Joba Chamberlain RHP
The point is to overwhelm the competition–a tough AL East division–in terms of offense and pitching (the two main aspects of the game), and if this were the 2009 lineup, it certainly would do just that. Now, after the ‘09 season, the Yankees will get a chance to feast on another solid free agent group with even more young players. In that group, we’ll probably see Matt Holliday, John Lackey and Brett Myers, two pitchers that I’m sure the Yankees will be interested in. Holliday will actually start the 2010 season as a 30-year old, Lackey will be 31, and Myers will be 29. I chose Lackey out of the bunch since the Yankees have seen him do well in the AL, although Myers could be a big pickup. In addition, depending of Xavier Nady’s performance, he too could return as he will also be a FA.
Thus, we have come full circle and have this:
Austin Jackson CF (23)
Derek Jeter SS (35)
Matt Holliday LF (30)
Alex Rodriguez 3B (34)
Manny Ramirez DH (38)
Mark Teixeira 1B (30)
Jorge Posada C (38)
Xavier Nady RF (31)
Robinson Cano 2B (27)CC Sabathia LHP (29)
Chien-Ming Wang RHP (30)
A.J. Burnett RHP (33)
John Lackey RHP (31)
Joba Chamberlain (24)
These are the lineups with ages attached to the players, although some of the ages could be off by a number (it’s late and I’m tired, leave me alone). Clearly, the team has some youth to it (e.g. Holliday, Cano, CC, Teixeira, etc.), but there is also a lot of age, as well. Lackey could always be switched out with Myers if the Yankees want to go with a younger arm (or they can simply stick with Hughes, if he’s ready). Also, Carl Crawford will be very young and very available (instead of Nady).
The reason behind all of this is because I’m bored, for one, but also because of the options that will be available to the Yankees are very viable and sound. Young free agents will cost them a lot, however, they’ll also part with a variety of aging pieces (Abreu, Damon, Matsui, Pettitte). The Yankees simply do not have a loaded farm system that is teeming with position players. Pick up the younger players that become free agents and sign them to multiyear deals. While those guys are on the team, draft more position players and hope that they’ll develop enough to replace the others as they grow old. The task of filtering out the archaic nature of the team will take a long time, and this is merely part of the process.
2009 Team looks good, but I have some questions…
Q1. Will the team salary reach to $225MM-$230MM or even more?
Q2. Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Manny Ramirez are all offensive players with no power arms, will the OF combination lost defensive ability?
Q3. I understand Hideki Matsui still has one year’s contract with NTC, do they get any chance to trade Hideki Matsui for prospects or pitcher(s)? For example OAK(Duchscherer / Belvins), CLE(Lewis / Shoppach) or any other team who needs a lefty slugger. If so, make Manny as an everyday DH, Damon on LF and aquiring a power arm with quick legs on CF(Matt Kemp or Brett Gardner type), if the Yanks receive a quality starting pitcher from Matsui’s deal probably Pettitte could be replaced. Would it be a good idea in both overall performance and team salary reduction?
I’m bored either….
Is this what you think the Yankees “should” look like in 2010, or what they could look like in 2010 if they were to have a $300 million payroll? C.C, Tex, Holliday and Manny will all be $20 million a year players if and when they hit the free agent market, Lackey and Burnett could comand $15-18 million a year each as well, and don’t forget A-Rod making closer to $30 million a year. Do you really want your 2010 Yankees to have $130 million invested in only 7 players? That’s insane. By 2010 Cano, Chamerlain and Wang will also have an increase in their salary as well. I think that this would be a really fun team to make on a video game, but acquiring all of these vets would take lots of money committed to contracts that keep them in a Yankee uniform until after their prime and will seriously cripple our team 5-7 years down the road, just as the Giambi contract has.
I don’t necessarily think that it’s impossible to have such a team. Obviously, it would cost a TON of money but I think the Yankees will continue to take on water, in a financial sense, and up their payroll continuously, as they don’t have really any other options. This year the payroll was around $210 million, so a subsequent increase into the $220 million range wouldn’t be an impractical stretch.
They can look to cheaper free agents after 2009 (Brett Myers instead of Lackey or they could use Phil Hughes if he’s ready), and, to be honest, although I’d like to see Manny on the team, I don’t fully believe that he’ll end up in pinstripes, so they’d save money there. Also, Joba, Wang and Cano will likely get raises (Cano will get $9 million), however, even those are relatively cheap. Couple that together with a very inexpensive bullpen (outside of Mo) and there is money being saved in certain areas. The Yankees could choose to leave Nady out of the mix, as well, and go with a cheaper option.
While I agree that the contracts the Yankees would commit to would keep a lot of these players well past their prime, many of them would be held onto until they were around 36 (Holliday, Tex). You’d get them for at least 2 prime years and they are elite players so solid production would still be gained well after that. Giambi’s contract is misleading in a lot of ways. It looked terrible at the tail end, however, he was one of those players that I felt didn’t really age well. Steroid use and the way he played first base (like a statue), hurt him physically. He essentially missed 2 seasons on that contract, also, which created this “he’s an albatross” sort of mentality. Guys like Teixeira, Holliday, CC have always been healthy.
To Bronx, I don’t think Matsui can be traded. His injury-laden year will likely keep him in NY. Plus, he looked good as the DH, so I think the Yankees don’t mind having him around for one final year (and yes, if the OF was Manny, Damon and Nady, the OF would be pretty weak from a defensive standpoint).
[...] It Begins… In my last post I wrote about the 2009 rotation (and lineup) for the Yankees, stating that they would look to dominate [...]
Manny???
I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
The 2010 lineup and rotation is fucking nasty.
“Is this what you think the Yankees “should” look like in 2010, or what they could look like in 2010 if they were to have a $300 million payroll? ….”
The 2010 Lineup is actually quiet feasible without even adding much onto to the payroll.
After ‘09, Damon comes off the books, that’s 13 million and Matsui comes off the books, that’s another 16 million. Depending on the market, Nady came replace Damon’s 13 million. Holliday will replace Matsui’s 16 million. Lackey doesn’t have to be signed. Our bullpen is still relatively cheap and will continue to remain in house. Only person getting a salary boast will be Wang.
But honestly I’d just prefer Holliday, see how Gardner does this year and shift him to a corner outfield spot and Jackson holds down the other outfield spot.
Cano already got his extension, so he’s signed for another 4 years.
[...] Right, Chris January 23, 2009, 8:41 pm On October 8th, I put forth the following (bold) prediction: This will allow for the following 2009 team: Johnny Damon CF Derek Jeter SS Mark Teixeira 1B Alex [...]
Honestly this is pathetic. Manny Ramirez? John Lackey?
FART POOP
nice job, you nailed a lot of this.
I dont see Lacky in a yanks uniform. Maby Sheets but dont forget the cuban superstar, Chapmen. If yanks get him then they wouldn’t even need Lacky. Yanks will not get Manny. Crawford becomes a FA in 2010 and Rays may not want to be to tight financially so they could let him go. Holliday failed big time in Oakland but is owning in St.Luis. If an AL team gets him, he will go right back to sucking. Manny is 38 and clogging up that Dh spot. I think they should call up Montero and move Posada to Dh.