6Pound8OunceBabyJoba: Offseason Thoughts

Okay, so I know we’re only 6 games up, and we should be focusing on the pennant race, and all the games and whatnot, but I have to take a moment to think about this upcoming off-season.

There are 7 Yankees eligible for free agency after this season: , Johnny Damon (Type A), Hideki Matsui(Type B), Andy Pettitte (Type B), Jerry Hairston Jr (Type B), Xavier Nady(Type B), Jose Molina, and Eric Hinske.
If all of them walk, and the Yanks make no acquistions, the 2010 lineup and rotation would be as follows:

SS Jeter

DH Swisher

1B Teixeira

3B Rodriguez

C Posada

2B Cano

LF Gardner

CF Austin Jackson

RF Melky Cabrera

CC Sabathia

AJ Burnett

Joba Chamberlain

Phil Hughes

Chien-Ming Wang

As you can see, the lineup has a rather inexperienced and light hitting outfield while the rotation has major question marks with Hughes and Wang. So…Here’s my strategy

Offer Arbitration to Pettitte and Hairston. If they accept, Pettitte can be an option in the rotation, and Hairston can continue his superutility role. If they decline, the Yanks get a compensation round pick for both Pettitte and Hairston. If Hairston declines, the Yanks should still try to sign him, he’s a great asset for the team. Matsui and Nady would both likely accept arbitration, and the Yanks can’t afford to have two DH-type players on the roster, not with Jeter, A-Rod, and Posada all getting older. I would not offer arbitration to Damon because he would likely accept. In arb. he could probably get his salary boosted from $13mm to $14 or 15mm. If the Yanks wait to sign him as a free agent, he might settle for $7 or $8mm.

Call up Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli will take on Molina’s role as the backup catcher. The pitching staff loved him in his stint in the majors this year, much like they love pitching to Molina. Cervelli is a nice, cheap option to back up Jorge, and he hit as well as you could have expected him to in his time in the majors. He is only a backup, so he doesn’t have to be Josh Gibson or anything.

Call up Shelley Duncan. Hinske was great on the bench this year, but Duncan can be just as effective. .271/.370/.534 in triple A with 27 homers. Those numbers are worthy of an MLB roster spot.

Call up Austin Jackson. The center fielder of the future needs to make it to the Bronx this year. He might not be “ready” by April, but I’d be shocked if he isn’t manning center field by May 31st.

Decline Sergio Mitre’s 2010 Option: Okay, he had a good start yesterday. Doesn’t mean I want him on the team next year.

Offer Chien Ming Wang for Seth Smith: Look, the Rockies have Brad Hawpe, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Ryan Spilborghs, and Smith in the outfield. They can get rid of one of them, right? Hawpe, Fowler, and Gonzalez will likely make up their starting outfield, and Spilly can be a fine number 4. The Rox will have a rotation of Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Hammel, Jorge de la Rosa, and Jeff Francis. Francis is coming back from shoulder surgery and Cook has had problems with his shoulder as well. So their rotation needs some insurance. Okay, I know what you;re thinking, Wang’s had shoulder surgery too, but the Rox could still use him. Think about it, it’s more likely that 2 of 3 players recover from surgery than 2 of 2. Right? Add in that Wang is a groundball pitcher (exactly what is needed at Coors Field) and you have a good fit. A switch to the NL might be a nice change for the Wanger. He’ll get out of the eye of the NY press, he’ll be facing teams that are easier to beat, and Bob Apodaca has a habit of reviving the careers of aging veterans. Meanwhile, Smith gives the Yanks a big bat in left. And he’s a lefty. A lefty slugger in the New Yankee Stadium? Sounds good to me.

Offer contracts to Andy Pettitte, Ben Sheets, Erik Bedard (Type B), and Justin Duchscherer (Type B). The Yanks’ rotation after declining Mitre’s option and trading Wang leaves just CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Joba Chamberlain returning. That is, if Andy Pettitte doesn’t accept arbitration. If he does, then he’d be in there as well. The Yanks will try to move Phil Hughes back to the rotation as well. Don’t forget that Ian Kennedy will be back from his aneurysm trouble and George Kontos is another in-house option. That’s a lot of young arms to depend on though. Pettitte has easily earned himself a contract for next year. Bedard and Duchscherer are interesting options because although both are injury prone, they have both seen substantial success in the bigs. Sheets is my personal favorite. He missed this year due to injury as well, but God he can throw a baseball. Sheets, Bedard, and Duchscherer are all risky pick-ups, but I don’t see any of them making more than $10mm next year, and none of them are likely to sign for more than 2 years, and even that might be a stretch. The Yanks can flex a little financial muscle to take on a risky pitcher like that, because if they stay healthy the Yanks could end up with the best rotation in baseball. Imagine, if all are healthy, trotting out Sabathia, Burnett, Sheets, Joba, and Hughes.

Some might be outraged that I don’t have an Aroldis Chapman signing, or a Matt Holliday or Jason Bay signing. And I understand that. I’d obviously love to have Holliday or Chapman in pinstripes (not a big Bay fan, sorry), but I see my plan as a simpler way of getting another World Series caliber team out on the field next year. That team would, ideally, look like this….

Lineup

SS Derek Jeter

DH Nick Swisher

1B Mark Teixeira

3B Alex Rodriguez

LF Seth Smith

C Jorge Posada

2B Robinson Cano

RF Brett Gardner

CF Austin Jackson

Bench

OF Melky Cabrera

1B/OF Shelley Duncan

C Francisco Cervelli

UTIL Jerry Hairston Jr.

Rotation

LHP CC Sabathia

RHP AJ Burnett

RHP Ben Sheets

RHP Joba Chamberlain

RHP Phil Hughes

Bullpen

Mariano Rivera (CL)

Alf Aceves

David Robertson

Brian Bruney

Phil Coke (Lefty)

Damaso Marte (Lefty)

Mark Melancon

Also Available:

RHP Chad Gaudin

RHP Jon Albaladejo

RHP Anthony Claggett

RHP Ian Kennedy

RHP Edwar Ramirez

RHP George Kontos

LHP Zach Kroenke

LHP Michael Dunn

1B Juan Miranda

3B Yurendell de Caster

IF Ramiro Pena

That’s what my plan would be if I were Brian Cashman. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear it in the comments

*This post was written by Kevin Seefried of 6Pound8OunceBabyJoba*