So the Winter meetings started on Sunday and are on the verge of wrapping up, yet little closure seems to have taken place. I've sat and watched what has become of the Yankees over the past few years, and there seems to be a simply reality that this team needs to accept. There are players that belongin NY and WANT to be in NY, and there are players who don't. The Yankees need to wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to the Jake Peavy's and (more importantly) the CC Sabathia's of the world. Guys like these have zero appreciation for what it meansto pitch for the New York Yankees. They have no appreciation for the history of the organization and for the players that emerged here. This is not by any means meant to be a diatribe about how great the New York Yankees franchise is and how everyone should want to be a part of it. The same thing I'm saying here can be applied to the Mets, Cubs, Angels, and even the hated Red Sox. What this comes down to is very simple. People are cut from a different mold. Guys like Sabathia and Peavy value there own agenda first and opt to take the safe option where failure in big spots matters little in the eyes of the general public and in the eyes of their fans. Sabathia has been sitting on a 140 million dollar offer from the Yankees for 24 days now. The next closest bid for his services is $40 million less. By not accepting the Yankee offer at this point, he has made it abundantly clear that he has little desire to be a part of the Yankee organization and that the laid back West Coast is better suited for his style. In one regard I can't fault CC for feeling this way. L.A. is a fantastic place, making a 100 million over 5 years pitching for the Dodgers or Angels is a pretty sweet gig. On the other hand, I'm having a tough time understanding something. My question to CC is....."At what point did you lose your passion for winning?" Love em or hate em the Yankees are 1000% committed to putting forth all measures to win championships every year. As a life-long competitor, I can't fathom how a player of CC's stature can pass up the privledge of playing for this franchise. I love this sport, and at one time felt that I was good enough to have a career in it. Throughout time the one thing that has never changed is my desire to win. Certain franchises stand for winning and I simply can't understand how any professional can not have the passion and desire for success that I do. CC is embarassing the Yankees at this point, and they really need to move on. The guy doesn't want to pitch in NY and the fans know it. For him to begrudgingly accept the deal would be a disaster, because the second he struggles the fans will be all over him. CC has missed the window of opportunity to sell people that he wants to pitch for the Yankees. Nobody is fooled at this point, and ithas all of the makings of a bad marriage. Here's what I think the Yankees should do at this point:Take the CC proposal off the table and bring in Ben Sheets for 2 years, Derek Lowe for 3 Years, and yes.....I'm going to say it........Manny Ramirez for 3 years.
Sheets is loaded with potential, but is a clear injury risk. The upside is well worth the 2 year risk since no 2-year deal can hurt a team with the spending power of the Yankees.
Derek Lowe is onthe older side and from a talent standpoint isn't the greatest, but the one thing I will say about him is that he has some passion and really wants to win. The Yankees are in dire need for a guy with Lowe's character. His sinker-ball style also leads me to believe that age is not quite the factor that it would be otherwise. He's a gritty, gutsy guy who's won before. I'll take him in a heartbeat.
Manny deserves his own blog, but let's be honest here. The guy is a hitting machine and everwhere he plays teamates seem to love him. He may drive me crazy with his antics, but nobody in all of baseball can protect A-Rod tin the order the way Manny can. Plus.....How great would it be to head into Fenway with this guy on OUR side for once? There is always room for the best Right-handed hitter I've ever seen on the Yankees.
The best part of all these deals is that none of them should require more than a 3-year commitment. This free agency class is terrible and the Yankees would drastically improve their team whill not locking in to any crippling long-term contracts. Make it happen, Cashman!
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