Missing Lilly
July 19, 2009, 11:00 amFrom Ken Davidoff (Newsday):
If Lilly rather than Igawa had joined the 2007 Yankees, then Torre – who served as a coach of Lilly’s National League squad Tuesday night – might still be managing the Yankees.
I briefly discussed this in February. Not signing Ted Lilly—or, should I say not signing Ted Lilly and opting for Kei Igawa is a move that has haunted the Yankees. While I don’t know if I would agree with Davidoff’s comment about Joe Torre, I do think that having Lilly—a lefty workhorse—in 2007 to fortify a fairly thin rotation would have helped the team (that’s the year we brought in Roger Clemens on a pro-rated salary). He also would have been a valuable asset in 2008.
Some may look at his NL numbers and discount his talent, but you really can’t argue with the results or the consistency he has demonstrated out in Chicago.
