<OBJECT id=flash1 codeBase=http://active.macromedia.com/flash2/cabs/swflash.cab#version=4,0,0,0 height=47 width=570 classid=clsid
27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000>
<EMBED SRC=http://static.espn.go.com/swf/page2/story_headline.swf?subhead=Pride%20of%20the%20Real%20Yankees swLiveConnect=FALSE WIDTH=570 HEIGHT=47 QUALITY=best SCALE=exactfit wmode=opaque ID=flash1 NAME=flash1 MENU=false DEVICEFONT=false FlashVars=null BGCOLOR=#FFBB00 TYPE=application/x-shockwave-flash PLUGINSPAGE=http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash></EMBED></OBJECT>By David Schoenfield
Page 2
<!-- hasAccess this is not a premium story -->I imagine the conversation went something like this ...
"CASHMAN!"
"Yes, Mr. Steinbrenner."
"I thought Michael Kay said the Red Sox would never win with their long hair! But there I was watching the playoffs and I see that hippie freak Johnny Damon beating us with two home runs! He said the Red Sox were too undisciplined!"
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5 rowSpan=2><SPACER height="1" width="5" type="block"></TD><TD width=195>
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=195>[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Poor Brian. He should have listened to Dave.[/font]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"Well, yes, Michael did write that. But, you know, in baseball, you never know."
"Leave Yogi out of this! Yogi is a real Yankee! In fact, that's we need. Some real Yankees. Like Paul O'Neill. Now there was a true warrior. I'm not sure Rodriguez and Sheffield are real Yankees. Like Scott Brosius and Tino Martinez. Those guys were real Yankees. Get me some real Yankees, Cashman! And some warriors. Like O'Neill. Real Yankees don't choke!"
"Yes, Mr. Steinbrenner."
"And see what that Schoenfield guy over at Page 2 has to say. Last year, he said to get Schilling instead of Vazquez. He said to get Tejada instead of A-Rod. He said to get Edmonds for center field. He said to sign Colon, not trade for Kevin Brown. Did we do any of those things? NO! This Schoenfield guy, maybe I should hire him!"
"Yes, Mr. Steinbrenner."
So once again, because this crumbling dynasty hasn't won anything in the past four seasons, because they choked like no team has choked before, because a strong Yankee team is in the best interests of baseball, I provide my second annual guide on "How to Rebuild the Yankees."
Last year, I predicted the departure of Andy Pettitte and the trades of Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson. I predicted the signing of Gary Sheffield and the sale of Drew Henson. I predicted Aaron Boone would be gone and a big-name shortstop would be brought in. Most presciently, I wrote this: "Forget Javier Vazquez, another popular rumor. The Yanks need a Proven Postseason Pitcher -- like Schilling, who is available ... "
If they had listened to me, the Yankees would be world champions. Listen to me this time, and they will transform from one of baseball's ugly ducklings back into the swans they so richly deserve to be.
1. First off, Yankee fans, you aren't going to be trading Jason Giambi back to the A's for Mark Mulder and the rights to Billy Beane's brain. So let's be realistic here. You're stuck with the G-Man and his hyper-inflated contract ($15.5 million in 2005 and growing) through 2008. Enjoy.
However, as first-base/DH insurance, the Yankees should sign Tino Martinez. I know what you're thinking: He's old. But last year, Martinez had his highest on-base percentage (.362) since 1997 and his second-highest slugging percentage (.461) since 1998. And most importantly, Tino is a Real Yankee®, a leader in the clubhouse and a Proven Postseason Performer®.
2. On the other hand, Kevin Brown, definitely not a Real Yankee, should be traded to the Braves, with the Yankees picking up about $10 million of his $15 million salary. What will the Yanks get in the deal? The pleasure of not having Kevin Brown on the team.
3. Mike Mussina and Vazquez will be back in the rotation, but Jon Lieber, Orlando Hernandez and Esteban Loaiza are free agents. Obviously, the Yankees need to get some left-handed starters on the team to combat the Red Sox. Randy Johnson is the ideal candidate, but the Yankees' minor-league system is more used up than Paris Hilton. That leaves only the free agency route, and there are really only three quality lefty starters available that way: Odalis Perez, Eric Milton and ... David Wells.
As tempting as Wells -- a Proven Postseason Performer® and a Real Yankee® -- is, Cashman knows the Yankees need to get younger. So they should swoop in and sign Perez (four years, $32 million) and Milton (three years, $21 million).
4. El Duque should be signed as insurance (one year, $3 million), but we know the Yankees need six starters. So that leaves ... no, not Pedro Martinez, because we don't want to disrupt the clubhouse chemistry. It leaves ... Matt Clement. He can be a little shaky, but the Yankees need a guy who can bring some heat in the rotation. Plus, he won't break the bank (four years, $35 million).
5. Likewise, the Yankees need some lefty relievers to combat the Red Sox. Steve Kline (three years, $10 million), come on down! Kent Mercker (two years, $4.5 million), come on down!
6. We know everybody thinks the Yankees have already measured a uniform for Carlos Beltran. We know Bernie Williams has only one year left on his contract. We know Scott Boras is reportedly searching for a 10-year contract. And we know the Yankees can afford it.
And we say: Just do it. Don't even think about J.D. Drew. Forget another year of Bernie out there. Get Beltran, get him now, and get him the contract he wants (which won't be 10 years, but in the neighborhood of seven years, $115 million).
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5 rowSpan=2><SPACER height="1" width="5" type="block"></TD><TD width=275>
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=275>[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Is he a real Yankee? Who knows, but Placido won't break the bank.[/font]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>7. Miguel Cairo had a nice season and even showed signs of being a Real Yankee® in the playoffs. But he isn't. Jeff Kent is tempting, but he's old and we're not sure how he would fit in the clubhouse. The Red Sox proved the value of team chemistry. The Yankees don't need to break the bank here. Sign a nice player like Placido Polanco, who can pick it at second and is just 29 years old. He'll cost about three years, $16 million.
On second thought, the Yankees need Randy Johnson. Here's how to get him: Sign 21-year-old Cuban switch-hitting slugger Kendry Morales and package him and Perez to the Diamondbacks. Throw in another prospect or two, a little cash, maybe a little advice on how to hire a manager ... yes, it can be done.
The Big Unit in pinstripes.
Meet your 2005 Yankees (salaries included):
Lineup
Derek Jeter, SS ($20.0M)
Alex Rodriguez, 3B ($20.0)
Carlos Beltran, CF ($15.0)
Gary Sheffield, RF ($13.0)
Hideki Matsui, LF ($8.0)
Bernie Williams, DH ($12.0)
Jorge Posada, C ($12.0)
Tino Martinez, 1B ($4.0)
Placido Polanco, 2B ($5.0)
Jason Giambi, PH ($15.5)
Rotation
Randy Johnson, LHP ($16.5M)
Mike Mussina, RHP ($19.0)
Javier Vazquez, RHP ($10.5)
Matt Clement, RHP ($8.0)
Eric Milton, LHP ($7.0)
Orlando Hernandez, RHP ($3.0)
*Kevin Brown ($10.0)
*salary picked up after trade
Bullpen
Mariano Rivera, RHP ($10.5M)
Tom Gordon, RHP ($3.75)
Paul Quantrill, RHP ($3.0)
Steve Kline, LHP ($3.0)
Kent Mercker, LHP ($2.0)
Steve Karsay, RHP ($5.0)
Felix Heredia, LHP ($1.8)
Total payroll: $195 million. Throw in that $10 million owed to Kevin Brown and, sure, the Yankees will be pushing $200 million.
But don't cringe at that figure. Added revenue from winning the World Series will make up for the increased payroll.
That is, if the new guys prove to be Real Yankees®.
David Schoenfield is an editor for Page 2 in his day job. He can be reached at davidschoenfield@yahoo.com.
27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000><EMBED SRC=http://static.espn.go.com/swf/page2/story_headline.swf?subhead=Pride%20of%20the%20Real%20Yankees swLiveConnect=FALSE WIDTH=570 HEIGHT=47 QUALITY=best SCALE=exactfit wmode=opaque ID=flash1 NAME=flash1 MENU=false DEVICEFONT=false FlashVars=null BGCOLOR=#FFBB00 TYPE=application/x-shockwave-flash PLUGINSPAGE=http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash></EMBED></OBJECT>By David Schoenfield
Page 2
<!-- hasAccess this is not a premium story -->I imagine the conversation went something like this ...
"CASHMAN!"
"Yes, Mr. Steinbrenner."
"I thought Michael Kay said the Red Sox would never win with their long hair! But there I was watching the playoffs and I see that hippie freak Johnny Damon beating us with two home runs! He said the Red Sox were too undisciplined!"
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5 rowSpan=2><SPACER height="1" width="5" type="block"></TD><TD width=195>
"Leave Yogi out of this! Yogi is a real Yankee! In fact, that's we need. Some real Yankees. Like Paul O'Neill. Now there was a true warrior. I'm not sure Rodriguez and Sheffield are real Yankees. Like Scott Brosius and Tino Martinez. Those guys were real Yankees. Get me some real Yankees, Cashman! And some warriors. Like O'Neill. Real Yankees don't choke!"
"Yes, Mr. Steinbrenner."
"And see what that Schoenfield guy over at Page 2 has to say. Last year, he said to get Schilling instead of Vazquez. He said to get Tejada instead of A-Rod. He said to get Edmonds for center field. He said to sign Colon, not trade for Kevin Brown. Did we do any of those things? NO! This Schoenfield guy, maybe I should hire him!"
"Yes, Mr. Steinbrenner."
So once again, because this crumbling dynasty hasn't won anything in the past four seasons, because they choked like no team has choked before, because a strong Yankee team is in the best interests of baseball, I provide my second annual guide on "How to Rebuild the Yankees."
Last year, I predicted the departure of Andy Pettitte and the trades of Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson. I predicted the signing of Gary Sheffield and the sale of Drew Henson. I predicted Aaron Boone would be gone and a big-name shortstop would be brought in. Most presciently, I wrote this: "Forget Javier Vazquez, another popular rumor. The Yanks need a Proven Postseason Pitcher -- like Schilling, who is available ... "
If they had listened to me, the Yankees would be world champions. Listen to me this time, and they will transform from one of baseball's ugly ducklings back into the swans they so richly deserve to be.
1. First off, Yankee fans, you aren't going to be trading Jason Giambi back to the A's for Mark Mulder and the rights to Billy Beane's brain. So let's be realistic here. You're stuck with the G-Man and his hyper-inflated contract ($15.5 million in 2005 and growing) through 2008. Enjoy.
However, as first-base/DH insurance, the Yankees should sign Tino Martinez. I know what you're thinking: He's old. But last year, Martinez had his highest on-base percentage (.362) since 1997 and his second-highest slugging percentage (.461) since 1998. And most importantly, Tino is a Real Yankee®, a leader in the clubhouse and a Proven Postseason Performer®.
2. On the other hand, Kevin Brown, definitely not a Real Yankee, should be traded to the Braves, with the Yankees picking up about $10 million of his $15 million salary. What will the Yanks get in the deal? The pleasure of not having Kevin Brown on the team.
3. Mike Mussina and Vazquez will be back in the rotation, but Jon Lieber, Orlando Hernandez and Esteban Loaiza are free agents. Obviously, the Yankees need to get some left-handed starters on the team to combat the Red Sox. Randy Johnson is the ideal candidate, but the Yankees' minor-league system is more used up than Paris Hilton. That leaves only the free agency route, and there are really only three quality lefty starters available that way: Odalis Perez, Eric Milton and ... David Wells.
As tempting as Wells -- a Proven Postseason Performer® and a Real Yankee® -- is, Cashman knows the Yankees need to get younger. So they should swoop in and sign Perez (four years, $32 million) and Milton (three years, $21 million).
4. El Duque should be signed as insurance (one year, $3 million), but we know the Yankees need six starters. So that leaves ... no, not Pedro Martinez, because we don't want to disrupt the clubhouse chemistry. It leaves ... Matt Clement. He can be a little shaky, but the Yankees need a guy who can bring some heat in the rotation. Plus, he won't break the bank (four years, $35 million).
5. Likewise, the Yankees need some lefty relievers to combat the Red Sox. Steve Kline (three years, $10 million), come on down! Kent Mercker (two years, $4.5 million), come on down!
6. We know everybody thinks the Yankees have already measured a uniform for Carlos Beltran. We know Bernie Williams has only one year left on his contract. We know Scott Boras is reportedly searching for a 10-year contract. And we know the Yankees can afford it.
And we say: Just do it. Don't even think about J.D. Drew. Forget another year of Bernie out there. Get Beltran, get him now, and get him the contract he wants (which won't be 10 years, but in the neighborhood of seven years, $115 million).
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5 rowSpan=2><SPACER height="1" width="5" type="block"></TD><TD width=275>
On second thought, the Yankees need Randy Johnson. Here's how to get him: Sign 21-year-old Cuban switch-hitting slugger Kendry Morales and package him and Perez to the Diamondbacks. Throw in another prospect or two, a little cash, maybe a little advice on how to hire a manager ... yes, it can be done.
The Big Unit in pinstripes.
Meet your 2005 Yankees (salaries included):
Lineup
Derek Jeter, SS ($20.0M)
Alex Rodriguez, 3B ($20.0)
Carlos Beltran, CF ($15.0)
Gary Sheffield, RF ($13.0)
Hideki Matsui, LF ($8.0)
Bernie Williams, DH ($12.0)
Jorge Posada, C ($12.0)
Tino Martinez, 1B ($4.0)
Placido Polanco, 2B ($5.0)
Jason Giambi, PH ($15.5)
Rotation
Randy Johnson, LHP ($16.5M)
Mike Mussina, RHP ($19.0)
Javier Vazquez, RHP ($10.5)
Matt Clement, RHP ($8.0)
Eric Milton, LHP ($7.0)
Orlando Hernandez, RHP ($3.0)
*Kevin Brown ($10.0)
*salary picked up after trade
Bullpen
Mariano Rivera, RHP ($10.5M)
Tom Gordon, RHP ($3.75)
Paul Quantrill, RHP ($3.0)
Steve Kline, LHP ($3.0)
Kent Mercker, LHP ($2.0)
Steve Karsay, RHP ($5.0)
Felix Heredia, LHP ($1.8)
Total payroll: $195 million. Throw in that $10 million owed to Kevin Brown and, sure, the Yankees will be pushing $200 million.
But don't cringe at that figure. Added revenue from winning the World Series will make up for the increased payroll.
That is, if the new guys prove to be Real Yankees®.
David Schoenfield is an editor for Page 2 in his day job. He can be reached at davidschoenfield@yahoo.com.
