Rocket Out, Villone Back
The Yankees have done the smart move and subtracted Roger Clemens from the roster. Under the new rules, he now has to miss the ALCS, which he probably would have anyway. In his place, the Yankees have added Ron Villone. My understanding is they didn't want to add Kennedy because he isn't with the team and he was away getting married this weekend. I imagine he will be in the mix if the Yankees make the ALCS. So, the choice came down to Ramirez, Villone and Britton who were all with the team. I think Villone is a good move because it gives them a lefty and he can probably go the most innings of anyone in this group.
As for the lineup, Giambi is back to the bench and Mientkiewicz is in. This is the standard move when Wang is pitching, so it isn't a surprise. Matsui is the DH again with Damon in left.
The Yankees have a great chance tonight with Byrd on the mound, talk to you after the game.
Comments
At least you can say that the Yankees played much better tonight than in game four last year. But I'm really tired of this, and I'm flabbergasted that Chien-Ming Wang could pitch so badly twice. Has any other team in baseball history choked this badly for four years in a row? I guess it makes you even more thankful to have lived through 1996-2000.
Let's slot Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy into the rotation next year. Let's explore a trade for Johan Santana and consider dealing Wang in the trade. Let's also explore a Japanese reliever such as Hitoki Iwase to fortify the bullpen, the weakest area of our team.
Posted by: Tyler![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 8, 2007 11:58 PM
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SADNESS
Yanks lose, get eliminated. Bills pick off 5 Romo passes, lose on a last second field-goal (again). My heart is officially broken.
Torre is out. Clemens has probably thrown his last meaningful pitch. A-Rod will opt out of his contract and either walk away or handcuff the team with a $30 million per year contract. AND there's half the team, Abreu, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera to either re-sign or let walk....
I say since Torre has to go, replace him with either Donny Baseball or Joe Giardi. Maybe it will be a good move. I've always liked Torre. I feel he never got enough credit for the 12 years of success the Yanks have enjoyed during his term as manager. However, he can't manage a bullpen (Joba AND Mo in a 8-3 game?) and perhaps the team could use some fire.
As for A-Rod, let him walk. Unless he's going to go to Boston (spend the money, sign him and then trade him. A-Rod in Boston = very bad things). Otherwise, let him go. The contract he'll demand will ruin the team's payroll for years to come. How many good middle-end game relievers can you get for $30 a year for 8-10 years. Find a decent option at 3B and spend the money elsewhere. Not only does A-Rod soak up resources, it seems like he's thrown off the whole chemistry of the team (not to mention the A-Rod curse). He's a distraction. It's Jeter's team and if A-Rod opts out it shows he not only cares more about money than winning but also proves that he doesn't want to be in NY.
Get rid of Giambi by any means necessary. He's the highest paid player in the league and he’s terrible. Go after him on the steroid issue, trade him, put him in a rocket and shoot him into the sun. JUST GET HIM OFF THE TEAM. Take some of the money you save by either freeing yourself of A-Rod or Giambi or both and get a real first baseman. Which may include Jorge Posada....
As for the rotation, it looks solid for next year. Kennedy, Hughes, Joba, Wang, Pettitte and Moose as a #5 doesn't look that bad. Go and grab another mid to end of the rotation starter for insurance and they're in business. Trade for Santana (somewhat worried about his off year and the # of innings he's thrown thus far in his career) and you've created a monster.
The Bullpen needs help. So much so that keeping Joba in his current role may not be a bad idea. Other than Mo, who MUST get re-signed, there isn’t much out there. Keep Veras, Ohlendorf, Britton and possibly Viz. Send Edwar and Bruney to AAA. Trade Farnsworth for just about anything. Sign Scott Linebrink and Ron Mahay along with Hitoki Iwase (who I don’t know much about) and suddenly the ‘pen is a real strength. It would probably also help to put Britton and Bruney on diets ASAP. Fat pitchers, aside from my personal hero David Wells, always have control problems. A seemingly correctable problem that plagued both Britton and Bruney this year.
To recap: re-sign Posada and Mo, exercise the options on Abreu and Pettitte (Pettitte's is a player option so this involves talking him into playing next year, WHICH IS A MUST) and next year is looking good. A decent first baseman (possibly Posada) and serviceable third baseman, along with the pieces already assembled, will provide plenty of offense. Finding a young option at catcher and/or re-signing Molina is also a must. The club needs to get back to pitching and defense, and not get caught up in chasing expensive bats. Cashman has already assembled a nice core of young talent (which will need to get paid someday). Lets hope that this loss doesn’t ruin the one positive thing to come out of this season....
Posted by: Steve | October 9, 2007 01:32 AM |