Brian Cashman didn’t want to part with the young arms. Hal Steinbrenner believed paying a pitcher close to $150 million for seven years was too expensive.
So, against Hank Steinbrenner’s wishes, the Yankees allowed Johan Santana to slip into Queens. Some believed it wasn’t that big of a deal because Santana didn’t land in Boston. However, when you see how many question marks there are with this pitching staff, the need for Santana increases.
Nobody has enough pitching. Even with Santana, the Mets are short. But no team with World Championship hopes is counting on three neophytes in key spots like the Yankees are doing with Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain. Beyond those three, Mike Mussina is 39, Andy Pettitte’s elbow has been an issue his entire career and the Roger Clemens’ saga might drag Pettitte back into it, and nobody is sure what effect the beatings Chien-Ming Wang absorbed from the Indians in the ALDS will have on the staff ace. Wisely, Chamberlain was kept in the bullpen where he won’t match last year’s seven-week dominance but he should be good enough to get games to Mariano Rivera.
And, oh yeah, there is a Joe in the dugout. But it’s Girardi not Torre. That isn’t a bad thing, but it’s change.
Here is a closer look at the 2008 Yankees:
CATCHER
Jorge Posada briefly made eyes at the Mets and then returned to The Bronx with a four-year contract worth $52.4 million. At 36 (he’s 37 in August) some believed the Yankees paid the switch-hitter for his past rather than future. While the Yankees are improving behind the plate in the minors, nobody is knocking on the door to replace Posada, who batted a career .338 last year with 20 homers and 90 RBIs. In Jose Molina, the Yankees have a solid backup.
FIRSTBASE
A year ago the Yankees did their best to keep Jason Giambi away from here. This time, he is easily the best player at the position in the final season of a seven-year deal. In order to balance the lineup, Giambi has to play first so Hideki Matsui can DH. Shelley Duncan, whose best tool is his bat, will play some against lefties.
SECONDBASE
The Yankees dropped $30 million over four years on Robinson Cano, convinced he is not far from superstar status. Cano will hit over .300 and look like Roberto Alomar going to his right. Must improve going to his left.
SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter worked on his flexibility during the offseason with the hope he would be more agile and increase his range, especially going up the middle. There are oceans of statistical data that spin a tale that Jeter is among the worst shortstops in baseball. To which the Yankees say “bullspit!” Put him down for close to 200 hits and 100 runs scored.
THIRDBASE
Mark this down: Alex Rodriguez WON’T bat .314 with 54 homers and drive in 156 runs like last year. However, he will have a solid season and could add his fourth MVP award. It’s the first season of a $275 million, 10-year deal, and it will be interesting to see if the Yankee fans he won over last summer remain on his side. Error total will rise from 13 to about 20 without Doug Mientkiewicz’s leather at first.
LEFTFIELD
At the start of camp, Johnny Damon talked about getting his name back into the conversation about elite players in baseball. At 34 and coming off the worst season of his career due to a long list of nagging injuries, it will be a challenge for Damon. To prepare, he used the gym equipment in his Orlando home this winter for more than towel racks. Matsui will play here a little.
CENTERFIELD
Scouts insist Melky Cabrera isn’t a quality center fielder because he takes poor routes to fly balls. However, the Yankees have been used to Bernie Williams and Damon in center and what Cabrera loses in tracking balls he more than makes up for with an above-average arm that is the most accurate in baseball.
RIGHTFIELD
Look for Bobby Abreu in the Mets preview next year. In the final year of a contract that pays him $16 million, Abreu is poised to have a stellar season. He is among the elite offensive players in the game when it comes to on-base percentage, batting average, drawing walks and scoring runs.
DESIGNATEDHITTER
Matsui arrived in camp with a limp after right-knee surgery, but there was nothing wrong with his stroke. Duncan will get at-bats against lefties, and look for Giambi to pop up here occasionally.
BENCH
Girardi might use Molina more than Torre ever used his backups. Molina is a threat at the plate, throws well, and the pitchers say he calls a good game. Easily the best backup since John Flaherty. Wilson Betemit can play four infield positions, and the switch-hitter is much better from the left side.
ROTATION
Welcome to the biggest question mark in the Yankees’ universe. Santana would have answered a lot of problems. With Wang and Pettitte (if healthy) the Yankees should be OK. If either misses extended time, the Yankees are kaput. Mussina had a good spring, but nobody can predict what Hughes and Kennedy are going to deliver.
BULLPEN
Moving Chamberlain in front of Rivera was not only the right move for 2008, but forever. Finding somebody to dominate the seventh and eighth innings is harder than discovering a fourth and fifth starter. Chamberlain won’t repeat his brilliant seven-week performance of a year ago, but he will be effective. LaTroy Hawkins will contribute, but who really believes Kyle Farnsworth’s third year in pinstripes is going to be any different than the first two.
MANAGER
Girardi isn’t Torre, but he will be compared to Torre for as long as he sits in the chair. Torre is going to the Hall of Fame for what he accomplished (four World Series rings) as a Yankee manager, and Girardi is in his second season (first with Yankees) as a manager. Girardi’s players bought into the conditioning program he installed and genuinely seem to like him.
PREDICTION
90-72, second in AL East. Last game of the year is Sept. 28 in Boston.