Matsui makes it hard for Yankees to let him go

I’VE maintained for a while that the Yankees should get younger and let Hideki Matsui depart this winter, but how do you do that now?

This wasn’t Reggie Jackson hitting three home runs in one game, but what we saw last night by Matsui (six RBIs in the Yankees’ 7-3 World Series-clinching victory in The Bronx) was one of the great performances in World Series history.

The Yankees are champions, and Matsui was every bit deserving of the MVP. It just goes to show you what kind of hitter he is. He could hit lefties from the first at-bat I ever saw him. Just his ability to hit all types of pitchers is amazing. He’s probably got another three or four years left in him. The Yankees will face a tough decision.

Johnny Damon and Matsui both have expiring contracts and it probably makes sense to let at least one of them go. If I had to keep one, it would be Damon. It’s a big decision to make.

Damon doesn’t have the best arm, but it just depends on how you want to go about it. Damon’s offense is good and he’s a smart player who can be a factor. Matsui is limited to just being the DH and is a liability because of his knees. He’s been around awhile and can still hit, as we saw last night, so somebody is going to make him a better offer than the Yankees, who probably would want Matsui back on a one-year deal.

Some would say why change a team that just won the World Series? But, remember, they did it with me.

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After we swept the Padres in the 1998 World Series, the Yankees traded me to Toronto for Roger Clemens. That is just how they roll.

There will be more questions this offseason about what the Yankees should do with Joba Chamberlain. I’ve said all along, keep him in the bullpen. He’s more effective and he could be a good closer someday. You groom him right now. I think they totally screwed up by trying to make him a starter and doing pitch counts — you’re just messing with the guy’s mind that way.

Early in my career Toronto did that to me — starter, reliever, starter, reliever — and I got ticked off and told them I want one or the other, and they released me. That was the best thing that ever happened to me. My theory is put Joba in the setup role for Mariano Rivera. Let Hughes be your seventh-inning guy and then Joba for the eighth and then Mo. You would have the three strongest guys in baseball.

As for the rotation, they’re good enough that if they stay within the organization they have got a couple of guys in the minors they can try. You have still got Chien-Ming Wang. If he comes back strong you’ve got four guys and Chad Gaudin can be your fifth.

I’ll be in fantasy camp this year with the Yankees. If my arm looks good they can look at me down there and consider me as a starter. I’ll make a comeback at 46. I don’t throw as hard, but I’ve still got control and can get outs.