Pujols and the Yankees: a match made in heaven?

On the eve of Game 1 of the World Series, all anyone seems to care about is Albert Pujols’ impending free agency. Or is that just me? As I don’t care who wins, my focus is on how the Yankees can improve for next season. Their first step must be to sign CC Sabathia and then fill out the rest of the starting rotation (another World Series participant CJ Wilson may be an option). But the intriguing question of whether to go after Pujols, who after a slow start most blamed on the break-down of his contract negotiations hit .299 with 99 RBIs, remains. Here are my thoughts in no particular order.

Pujols is the first player in MLB history to bat .300, hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs in his first 10 seasons making him far and away the best player in baseball. Of course, the same could be said of Alex Rodriguez when the Yankees signed him to a ridiculously long-term contract, essentially out-bidding themselves as no other team had any intention of paying  out that much money. The difference with Pujols is that he has a proven post-season track-record with one World Series title already in his possession. This time around, he’s batting .419 which A-Rod can only dream of!

The other issue is that Pujols is a first baseman and the Yankees have already handed out another hefty contract to Mark Teixeira to play that position. I know Tex had another rough post-season but he’s not going anywhere, nor is he moving to DH as he is great defensively.  I doubt a player of Pujols’ caliber will agree to DH at this point in his career as he has many good years left.

In sum, while it may be tempting for Cashman to go after the biggest name out there, buying a collection of star players does not automatically lead to a championship. Of course, the wild card in all this is Hank Steinbrenner who is dying to make his mark on the team and has already over-ruled Cashman by signed Raphael Soriano which, as we all know, didn’t work out too well. Hopefully, common sense will prevail but this being the Yankees, I expect some drama this off-season!

AP Photo / Albert Pujols

 

Another shot at Jeter…really?!

This article appeared in the New York Post Hank Steinbrenner tweaks Derek Jeter over mansion of Yankees captain and I must admit that I’m stunned. Not because Steinbrenner is yapping yet again – this time blaming Jeter for their playoff loss to the Rangers – that’s a given due to his lineage. No, the issue I have is that he’s clearly gone off the deep end. In his mind, Steinbrenner thinks that these constant jibes at Jeter which began during his contract negotiations (remember Cashman daring Jeter to test the free agency market?) somehow will motivate him to do better this season. Yes, his numbers were down of late but let’s note that he is 74 hits shy of becoming the FIRST Yankee to reach the 3,000 career hit plateau. This is the same franchise which Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle,  and Reggie Jackson played for. I think this lack of respect for a 5-time champion is not a good sign on the cusp of the 2011 season. Jeter is the ultimate professional and despite admitting to a certain confusion over the public nature of his contract negotations, refuses to say a bad word about the organization.

This, however, is not the only reason why I think Steinbrenner is delusion. In saying that Jeter was distracted from the playoffs because he was building his mansion in Tampa Bay, Steinbrenner has clearly forgotten just how bad his team’s pitching was all season. Management didn’t get Cliff Lee (pay attention Hank – he said the reason he chose Philly was because they had the best shot at a title!) and now what’s left is a newly svelte Sabathia playing out his final contract year, A.J. Burnett who Cashman was so concerned about that he visited him in Arkansas to establish his mental state, and a fat(ter) Joba Chamberlain. Fantastic!  Plus, Steinbrenner is responsible for giving A-Rod, in what is one of the worst contracts of all-time (right after his similar deal with the Rangers), $300 million until 2017!! Hank, you set the market impossibly high! If A-Rod is worth that money (debatable), of course Jeter who means more to the Yankees organization has to get a humongous contract. So,  maybe Steinbrenner is running his own distraction campaign so that we don’t focus on his off-season shortcomings (were you distracted while running your mouth?) but my guess is that this season will not run smoothly to say the least.

Where's the love Hank? Photo courtesy of Steve Nesius - AP