Yankees Return To Desperation Already

December 14, 2008

Yankees Return To Desperation Already

19 Comments

By Nicolas A. Lewis

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AJ Burnett during a rehab stint with the AAA Syracuse Chiefs Larry Coor/flickr.com

Last offseason, when the Yankees - without actually coming out and saying it - finally admitted that perhaps throwing money around at free agents like it was going out of style was perhaps not the wisest decision, and that it might be a good idea to try building internally from the ground up, I was genuinely happy.

The main reason I had always despised the Yankees was not because they were always winning, but because they had been the bully of the yard, the group who had always decided that they could solve a problem by simply spending a lot of money - even when signings like Kevin Brown tried to show them otherwise.

It would appear as though the Yankees have given up on that reformation after only one season, and I for one am nothing but disappointed. It's like the fat guy on "Biggest Loser" who gets on the treadmill for five minutes of light jogging, gets winded, says 'holy hell this might actually be difficult' and gives up.

The Yankees failed to actually dedicate themselves to their supposed change in philosophy long enough for it to actually bear results. They didn't actually pay attention to the fact that, because of their previous adding of "win-now" players at the sake of dealing away prospects, they didn't have enough major-league ready talent to help with the transition.

The team brought up guys like Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes, guys who, even if they hadn't suffered the unfortunate luck of injuries, could likely not have been ready to perform at such an advanced level. There was never any patience, as even one year without making the playoffs was seen as one season too many.

Now the team has returned to their big spending ways. Large chunks of salary came off the books this offseason in the fork of Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu and others, and they Yankees decided to immediately turn around and throw that money at what they think will solve their problems.

I have no problem with the team throwing $161 million at CC Sabathia. If there's an ace on the market, and you feel you need one (instead of relying on Chen-Ming Wang to fill that role one season removed from injury), and can afford him, by all means spend the money.

However, I would point out that their initial offer of $141 million was already the richest offer that Sabathia saw, and the option after the third year is what sold him, so they basically tacked on another $20 million for fun, it appears. They also are getting just the "very good" pitcher that saw the AL up through the middle of last season, not the "great" pitcher who mowed through a much weaker National League and specifically the NL Central. That is, assuming he adjusts to everything that comes with being a Yankee.

My real problem is with the ridiculous contract they then signed with former Toronto Blue Jay A.J. Burnett. While Burnett is certainly one of the best #2 pitchers in baseball, he is a #2 guy and not an ace for a reason, and I am therefore hard-pressed to understand why New York felt the need to pay him like an ace, to the tune of $16.5 million per year for five years. Just think: Mariano Rivera, probably the greatest closer of my generation, is hauling in $15 million per season - and he's now only the third highest-paid pitcher on his own team.

Add to that the interesting fact that, in the eight seasons since Burnett became a full-time starter for the Florida Marlins in 2001, he has had only three seasons where he had more than 27 starts, 180 innings, 180 strikeouts, or reached the 12-win plateau. The last two of those three seasons were both walk years - the last season of a contract, and a year where he was in essence playing for a new contract.

Burnett has yet to show he can stay healthy for consecutive full seasons, an important factor in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract. He also may have racked up 220 innings and slightly more strikeouts to go with his 18 wins last season, but he wasn't exactly spectacular. That also came with a rather unsightly 211 hits and 86 walks, which meant that Burnett, more often than is desired, needed those strikeouts to get himself out of jams.

I'm not so sure that Burnett has turned the corner that the experts think he has - if there ever was one for him - and the Yankees will probably find that out when he's riding the bench with either an injury or a bruised ego. Great job Yankees, guess I can go back to hating you again.

Tags: A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia, MLB, New York Yankees

Discussion

19 Comments on "Yankees Return To Desperation Already"

Posted by Mark, December 14, 2008 10:37 PM

I wish some baseball writers out there would look for something else to write about...rather than just the same Yankee hating stuff. I disagree with several points you've made. First of all, I don't know how the Yankees have suddenly given up on the youth movement. By signing 2 veteran pitchers, they are giving the youngsters the time they need in the minors. Last year, the Yankees showed they had faith in them by not trading Kennedy or Hughes. Both showed that they were not ready. The Yankees want to stay competitive so they signed veterans so now those two kids can log more innings and work out in the minors. Should their be an injury, they will be ready to step in. After their performances last year, would you guarantee them roster spots if you were Cashman? Plus, the Braves were also going after Burnett for a similar amount and they are one of the best teams out there at spotting pitching talent, with the As. Plus, Burnett claims that he has learn to pitch last year without "max effort" which could have had something to do with his year. Take of that what you will. Personally, I think he'll be good. I dont know if I'd like a 5 yr deal but it looks like thats what it took to sign him. The Yankees also saw Abreu (16 mill), Pavano (11 mill), Giambi (23.5 mill), Moose (11 mill), and Pettite (16 mill) leave. Plus Farnsworth (6mill) was traded and Pudge (12 mill) is gone. So lets say the Yankees are shedding about 80 mill. They still are about 40 million under their 2008 payroll. If you are the Yankees, what do you do? They could choose to pocket the money, or they could choose to reinvest the money so they put a competitive, winning team on the field. This is a business. Plus, if last year showed us anything, it showed us that a team with one of the smallest payrolls can still be extremely competitive. If the Yankees really had given up on the youth movement, why wouldn't they have traded away Hughes and Kennedy to improve their offense. They didn't because they still have faith in both of them.

Posted by Bob, December 15, 2008 1:19 AM

The Yankees definitely have a formidable rotation right now and their fans have reason to be excited. That said, that rotation is a HUGE injury risk. Burnett will almost certainly miss a few starts, it would be a gigantic success if he made 25. Wang is coming off a very tough injury, but is probably the least likely to injured again. Sabbathia has a pretty clean history, but he got worked like a rented mule all last season and while I put less stock in his body being a risk than others (David Wells was just as fat and wasn't injury prone) he has worn down in October the last 2 seasons. Chamberlain is definitely ace material, but he has never completed a full season as a starter at any level and you have to wonder if he's capable of that kind of work load as good as he is. Hughes is also injury prone and Kennedy just isn't that good.

As for the youth movement, I don't think that there ever was one. Of the so called big 3, only Chamberlain has shown top of the rotation potential (he's a STUD, slider is a thing of beauty). Hughes is very young, but the fastball just hasn't been as good as advertised, the secondary stuff isn't there and he can't command it, and he's proven really brittle. While there's plenty of time for him to develop, I personally don't see him becoming any better than a 2 or 3, not a bad pitcher, but certainly not better than Liriano or Felix as some were touting him to be. Kennedy was never on the level of the other two and was probably just a creation of the media. He got minor leaguers out based on fastball command, but his fastball is too soft to get major leaguers out without a truly excellent secondary pitch, which he lacks. When major leaguers started slamming his fastball he also lost his command, which was really the only thing he had going for him. The other guys in the minors like Horne, Marquez, etc. are really back of the rotation MLer's. Unless Brackman becomes a stud, big if considering his own injury history, the Yankees really don't have that much in the pipe. As for position players it's really just A-Jax and Montero, who's a lot less impressive as a 1st baseman than a catcher. So really, they had to spend money on free agents to get better, their farm system wasn't going to do it. Of course signing Burnett and Sabbathia will cost them 4 high draft picks, so the farm isn't getting better that soon anyways now.

Posted by Brian Lestz, December 15, 2008 11:48 AM

p.s. The Yankees never signed Kevin Brown. He was merely at attempt to shed another pitcher they didn't sign, Jeff Weaver.

All things being equal, that was an amazing trade for the Yankees. They got rid of a pitcher with almost zero value for a guy coming off of a great season, although it was admittedly following two injury-plagued seasons.

Your article conveniently leaves out any mention of Joba Chamberlain, who has some of the best stuff in all of baseball. While Chamberlain also got hurt last year, the injury was extremely minor and was mostly a precautionary leave of absence. He still put up monster stats.

While I agree that the Yankees didn't commit themselves long-term to internal building, they gave Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy ample time to prove themselves last year. While you assert they weren't ready to contribute, I only agree with that statement as it extends to Kennedy. Hughes was the #1 pitching prospect in baseball, and the vast majority of scouts were convinced he was ready. Just because it didn't work doesn't mean you should question the wisdom behind it. Monday-morning quarterbacking is a pretty childish maneuver.

Also, Burnett isn't their #2, he's their #3.

Brian Lestz
Bronx Block Staff Writer

Posted by Brian Lestz, December 15, 2008 11:58 AM

Just to make sure you understand my stance, I don't love the signing, but I really like it. Is he overpaid, yes. However, the Atlanta Braves, a normally fiscally conservative team were going to pay him the same yearly value for one year less. It can't be too ridiculous.

I don't mind if you hate the Yankees. I don't need you to be a Yankee-supporter in order to get off on this.

Posted by Tom Gaffney, December 15, 2008 2:35 PM

Actually, if you think about it, as most knowledgable pundits have recently stated, the Yanks are shedding salary, signing free agents AND furthering the youth movement. I won't re-invent the wheel by giving you all the details, but you can read these articles by Buster Olney (http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=olney_buster&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fname%3dolney_buster) and by Ken Rosenthal (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8938060/Yanks-shedding-salaries-to-go-after-more-players), they do all the heavy lifting.

Posted by Tom Gaffney, December 15, 2008 2:36 PM

Woops - Olney link is: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3768445&name=olney_buster

Posted by bobmac, December 15, 2008 7:23 PM

I was just wondering why any of you are responding to a guy who "always despised the Yankees".He sounds like a Boston fan to me.Let's see the spin if the Red Sox pay Texiera 200 mil.

Posted by leftylarry in reply to comment from bobmac, December 15, 2008 9:13 PM

Yankees gave 31 year old (yes he'll be 32 next month)16.500,000 a year.That's how much ANDY Pettitte received last season and at this stage of their careers AJ is the better pitcher, advantage Yankees.
Now we bring back ANDY FOR 10 MILLON and Id say Yankees were pretty smart about their Starting pitching this season.

Posted by nicolas, December 16, 2008 1:39 AM

not a sox fan, actually, but a long-suffering pirates fan.

every commenter thusfar has mentioned nobody beyond hughes, kennedy, or joba - as if simply giving those three players an opportunity at the major league level is evidence of a youth movement.

a youth movement is what tampa went through, what florida went through, etc. giving your young talent a starting major league spot and saying "the job is yours this season no matter what" and actually sticking to it.

Kennedy and Hughes were both probably brought up before they were ready, and it showed in their numbers. Why did the Yankees do that? Because they had spent so much time acquiring major-league players through trades and free agency that they have no major league depth.

Yes, the Yankees, on paper, are a strong pitching team now. IF CC successfully transitions to pitching in the toughest division and city in baseball. AND if Burnett stays healthy all season and performs like he did last season. AND if Wang doesn't suffer a reinjury or any real lag time before returning to form.

They also still have Shelley Duncan (aka nobody) at 1B, older players in A-Rod, Jeter, Damon, Nady, Matsui, and Posada.

The Yankees are a better team on paper today than they were prior to the winter meetings, but there are still a lot of what-ifs that need to happen for them to close the gap against boston and tampa, and they sure spent a hell of a lot of money to do it.

#10

Posted by Duane, December 16, 2008 1:30 PM

Committing to a youth movement does not mean giving just anybody a chance, for you have to balance the movement with opportunity and potential. The reason why only hughes, chamberlain and kennedy are spoken of is because they had the most media hype. However, if you look at the bullpen, Albaladejo, Veras, Ramirez, Robertson and Coke we all given the opportunity and, for the most part, did well. I do not think that you to ignore the bullpen, which receives little media attention but had a significant youth movement over the last two years.

As for the lack of younger players at the fielding positions, that can be addressed with the lack of opportunity. Most of the the fielding position are already occupied with vets (I consider Cano (and Wang, who came up the same year, as part of the youth movement but apparently you do not, so we'll call him a vet for argument sake) and you cannot simply replace them with low-ceiling youth. The only open position was CF, which the yankees did attempt to fill with younger players (Melky and Gardner). Tampa and Florida had youth in their line-up because they have few veterans on their club (because they tend to trade players away before free agency, for youth).

Also, with regards to the minor league talent, the youth movement started two years ago, and you cannot build a farm system in just two years.
Yes, the Yankees do not have much major league ready talent in the minor leagues, but that isn't an indictment on the youth movement because they do have many guys at the lower levels, who ned time to develop because, as stated above, you cannot develop major league talent in two years (Unless you're D. Price...lol).

And, the signing do keep with the youth movement, but Buster Olney already addressed that.

#11

Posted by Duane in reply to comment from Duane, December 17, 2008 1:32 AM

Plz ignore all my grammatical errors. lol

#12

Posted by AndrewYF, December 17, 2008 9:08 AM

I think Nicolas has shown how little he truly knows about the Yankees by thinking Shelley Duncan is actually their first baseman.

I love the 'close the gap' argument. Oh, IF the Yankees do this, and IF they do that, THEN they'll only have closed the gap. Uh huh. The only way THAT happens is IF every single thing goes right with the Rays and the Red Sox as well. You fail to mention that Beckett, Dice-K, and Wakefield have all proven to be humongous injury risks, and who knows about Lester, who overshot his previous innings high by about 80. That's always, always, always dangerous. And who's the fifth starter? Masterson? Good luck pitching a full game when you can't get lefties out for the life of you. Buchholz? Have fun with your predictable breaking pitches which everyone can lay off and absolutely slam your straight-as-an-arrow fastball. Bowden? He has one start in the majors and you'd give him a rotation slot?

And the Rays had a lot of fairy dust last season, much of which was used to keep all their starters healthy the entire season, and give guys like Grant Balfour a golden arm. That was a team where every single thing went right. Not likely to happen again.

Don't mind this clown.

#13

Posted by gaparch, December 17, 2008 2:33 PM

How about the fact that the Yankees lost 3/5ths of their starting rotation, including their #1, they lost their all-star catcher for the season, their left fielder for the season, their second baseman imploded for 4 months and THEY FINISHED ONLY SIX GAMES OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS!!! Name one other team that could have done overcome that many setbacks and still remain competitive. If Wang and Posada don't get hurt, or Hughes has a .500 year and Matsui stays in the lineup all year, the Yankees are in the post-season. Trust me, the Yankees are making the playoffs this year (after that its all a crap-shoot in the world series tournament).

#14

Posted by RollingWave, December 18, 2008 2:20 AM

do you despise the Mariners / Tigers / Mets then? three other team that threw crazy money last winter? no ? why ? maybe because they didn't always win? see the problem?

who is the Yankee blocking right now anyway? no one in particular, if the Pettitte signing doesn't go down, they have Wang / Chamberlian / Hughes in their rotation to start next year, I don't know about you, but a high payroll team with 3 guys from their own system in the rotation is a awfully good ratio.

That's the problem, if we look at the Yankee roster, they actually have a extremely high ratio of self developed guys across the board, at least amoung high payroll teams . the difference? the Yankees have the money to keep their great talents, other teams doesn't / wouldn't.

#15

Posted by Garrett, December 18, 2008 10:11 PM

LOL at Mark. "By signing 2 veteran pitchers, they are giving the youngsters the time they need". Burnett was signed to a 5 year deal, CC to a 7 year deal. Hughes and Kennedy won't need 5 years, THEY'RE IN AAA! I've heard this from so many Yankee fans, and it just proves they aren't smart enough to think things out.

BTW: I'm not a fan of any AL east team, or AL team for that matter, so I'm not just Yankee hating to boost up my team. Explanation of why I'm not an AL east fan: (Rays bandwagon drives me nuts, because they had no fans until this season, and now the whole country thinks they were always die-hard fans. I hate Youk, enough said. Jays and Orioles are incredibly boring.)

#16

Posted by Duane in reply to comment from Garrett, December 19, 2008 12:59 PM

Two spots are secured for Burnett and CC, plus the 3rd and 4th spots are secured by home-grown talents Chamberlain and Wang. That leaves the 5th rotation spot open (hopefully filled by Pettite on a one year deal) for other home grown talents Kennedy and Hughes in a year or two, depending on who develops first. The one left out (probably Kennedy) is injury protection (cause injuries always develop) or innings limit relief for Hughes and Chamberlain. The addition of the two starters gives insurance, so the yankees don't end up like the did two years ago, when they set the record fora amt of different (AAA..lol) starters used by the club.

There are two sides to every argument and when you go around saying people aren't smart, it just makes you look ignorant, no matter which team your root for.

#17

Posted by Justin, December 19, 2008 7:56 PM

Sorry Yankee fans, you know nothing about youth movements. Especially when I keep reading that a year was enough time to see what the young pitchers can do. It sometimes takes 3 and 4 years for pitchers to mature. Last year was not "ample" time to see what Hughes can do.

#18

Posted by Justin in reply to comment from Justin, December 19, 2008 7:58 PM

Also, stocking a farm system is not a youth movement whatsoever.

#19

Posted by Garrett, December 20, 2008 7:51 AM

Thank you Justin.
Let me remind you of the most recent rebuild in baseball. The 2005 Florida Marlins started everything over by trading almost every player on their roster. In the first year, they expected about 30 wins. If you think Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy would come up and win 15 games (half of what the Marlins expected) then your insane.
Next example: Paul Maholm. It took him 4 years to finally develop into a really good pitcher. If the Pirates would have given up on him after one season, wouldn't they look like idiots?
So I know what your saying about the injuries, but aren't the Yankees rumored to be after Lowe and Sheets, if they don't sign Pettite? Wouldn't that push them back at least 3 more years?
And besides, aren't both of these guys so much more valuable than a 5th starter, and an injury replacement/ long reliever?
Yankee fans don't understand that a young core could take a few years develop in the bigs, and AAA baseball won't help them develop into an ace. (Did Cole Hamels come up and dominate? NO!)