PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 02: Johnny Damon #18 of the New York Yankees runs towards third base as he scores on a RBI double by Alex Rodriguez #13 in the top of the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Five of the 2009 MLB World Series atCitizens Bank Park on November 2, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
New York, NY (WFAN) -- “There’s no crying in baseball.”
--Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) in A League Of Their Own
Emotion is for the fans, not the people who run the teams. And while Brian Cashman has as special a place as you do for the players who just brought home #27, he’s not going to let his heart keep him from moving the 2010 Yankees forward. So if it’s not in the team’s best interests to keep Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui in a Yankee uniform, it won’t happen simply as a reward for 2009.
Cashman is no sentimental fool. If you need proof, ask Bernie Williams. Cashman could offer the dynasty icon no more than a spring training invitation before the 2007 season. All the chants of “Ber-nie Will-iams” you could ask for from the bleachers weren’t going to be enough to change his mind. Cashman had decided that it was time to get younger and it was time to cut ties with Bernie.
So don’t think that Damon’s Dash in Game 4 of the World Series or Matsui’s 6-pack of RBIs in the Game 6 clincher are going to be enough to persuade the cash out of Cash. Both players did indeed have productive years, and it might be realistic to find one of them back in the Bronx. But the Yankees need to think younger, even if it means letting go of a fan favorite…or two.
*You’ve heard Mike Cameron’s name for a couple years related to the Yankees and you’ll hear it again this off-season. Cameron is a free agent again and he has allies in the Yankee clubhouse in Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia (both former teammates). Sabathia was especially close to Cameron in Milwaukee and has often praised his clubhouse influence. Cameron doesn’t exactly fit the Yankees need to get younger (he’ll be 37 in January), but his body has held up well. Cameron’s defense has remained superior according to all the defensive metrics. Putting Cameron in centerfield, then shifting Melky Cabrera to left would leave Johnny Damon as a DH and extra outfielder. Brett Gardner would be able to split time with Cabrera in left, Nick Swisher in right, as well as assuming his role as late-inning base-stealer.
I’m guessing you might be able to get both Cameron and Damon on one-year deals totaling anywhere from $16-20 million. It’s an option that makes the Yankees a better defensive team for sure, and it is a viable alternative to over-paying Matt Holliday or Jason Bay on long-term deals.
*But as our own Jon Heyman has said, you definitely can’t count the Yankees out when it comes to big-name free agents like Holliday or Bay. Holliday turns 30 in January and Bay is 32. Both are phenomenal run producers, but if they are hoping to get Mark Teixeira dollars (8 years, $181 million) then the Yankees will likely pass. Even the Yankees have their limits.
Jon Heyman w/ Mike Francesa:
*If John Lackey can be had for A.J. Burnett money (5 years, $82.5 million) that might be worth doing. But at that rate there are probably other teams that could afford him too, including the Angels who would love to keep him.
*If the Yankees want to trade for Roy Halladay, don’t think that being in the same division as the Blue Jays will be a problem. The Blue Jays, under former GM J.P. Ricciardi or current GM Alex Anthopolous, have operated under the same philosophy—that if Halladay were a free agent you’d assume he would end up with either the Yankees or Red Sox anyway. So why not extract a package of prospects from one of those teams, assuming it’s the best deal out there?
*The Yankees won the World Series this year in large part to their postseason schedule. They used three starters the entire postseason thanks to an inordinate amount of off-days (the Yankees played 15 games in 31 days in their title run). Not only were there enough off-days within series, but thanks to time between series the Yankees were also able to start each series with CC Sabathia.
Bud Selig says the scheduling will change in the future, but you have to wonder…would the Yankees have won the World Series this year if they had to use a 4th starter? Sabathia made two starts on short rest (Game 4 of the ALCS and WS) and allowed a total of four runs, helping the Yankees win both games and series. Would a rotation that lacked a good 4th starter and a bullpen that relied on the extra days rest in the postseason have been as effective?
*If you’re starting your holiday shopping for the Yankee fans in your life, you can buy the official 2009 World Series video next Tuesday (Nov. 24) at www.yankees.com and wherever you buy DVD and Blu-ray. I hear there’s a handsome reporter from WFAN who makes a cameo appearance.
Thanks for reading. Send comments and questions to Yankees@wfan.com.
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