WHY AREN'T THE YANKEES DOING WHAT THEY DO BEST, SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY AND IMPROVING THEMSELVES THROUGH FREE AGENCY?!?!?!?! HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO WIN A WORLD SERIES WITH FREDDY GARCIA AS THEIR THIRD STARTER AND ANDRUW JONES AS A SEMI-REGULAR OUTFIELDER?! IT ISN'T 2002 ANYMORE!!
Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's get down to brass tacks.
It feels like a long time since the Yankees last won a championship, even though it was only 3 seasons ago.
Things have gone somewhat downhill for my beloved Yanks since they won a title in 2009. Derek Jeter had his worst offensive year in 2010 and only mildly rebounded in 2011 (even though he hit slightly under .300 and had his 3,000th hit in July), Andy Pettitte and now Jorge Posada have played their last games in pinstripes (potentially), AJ Burnett became the second most hated person in New York, and the most hated person in New York became even more despised when he couldn't stay healthy and struck out to end both the 2010 ALCS and 2011 ALDS (you know who you are...ALEX RODRIGUEZ). There have been a few bright spots: Jeter's 3000th hit, Mariano Rivera's 602nd save, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano forming a modern-day Murderer's Row...but at the end of the year, watching the Rangers advance to two straight World Series and losing to the Tigers in the first round means that 2010 and 2011 can be chalked up to nothing more than failed seasons. While it's a rough mentality to have (most teams would be thrilled just to win the Wild Card), it's the norm in New York.
What's even more upsetting for a Yanks fan is that they've sat idly by, both last offseason and this one, while other teams snatch big name players up like Manny Ramirez snatches up fertility drugs from his wife. They lost the Cliff Lee Sweepstakes to the Phillies last season and had to put together a rotation that consisted of ace CC Sabathia, joker AJ Burnett, and some cards that didn't even belong in the pinstriped deck like Garcia and Bartolo Colon, two pitchers who hadn't been effective since 2005. There was a highlight in Ivan Nova, a rookie who won 16 games despite posting a 3.70 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. However, they felt the pang of letting Lee slip through their fingers; thankfully, they didn't allow CC to do the same when he filed for free agency after 2011, signing him to an extension. The offense didn't suffer in the same fashion, as they ranked 7th in BA and in the top 3 of all other offensive categories, but notorious choker A-Rod couldn't come through in the clutch in the bottom of the 9th inning of game 5 of the LDS versus the Tigers this season, in the same way he froze up in the EXACT SAME SITUATION a year before in game 6 of the LCS versus the Rangers.
This offseason, they watched CJ Wilson and Mark Buehrle, two hurlers who could have stopped the bleeding in the rotation, sign lucrative deals elsewhere, and didn't bother making offers to Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder or Jose Reyes. Admittedly, this would have been pointless, because they already have some established superstars at first base and shortstop, but it would have been nice to see them try, if only to assure us that they're still the big bad moneymakers we know and love. In reality, this is actually kind of nice. It seems like a maturation of the Yankees organization, that they believe in spending frugally, and cultivating exciting young players in the minor leagues. They're becoming more sensible in who they sign, and are more rational in their expectations of how a season will be viewed at its conclusion. Naturally, this has confused and infuriated Yankees fans.
Keep those eyes covered, CC...things don't look much better for 2012.
We're not used to the Yankees not being linked to every free agent that could help bring the Commissioner's Trophy back to the Bronx. It's not like anyone named Steinbrenner to not spend more money than the national budget of most third-world countries to fill a hole in left field (no offense, Swisher, but your time is up). So what gives? Could the greed finally be sated? Are we happy with the mega-signings of the 2008 offseason? Will Jesus Montero, Manuel Banuelos and Dellin Betances be the new Key Three in a few years? Even worse, could the Red Sox, Blue Jays or equally intimidating Rays leapfrog the Yanks as the talk of the AL East? It's a scary situation. We could see both Jeter and Mo gone within the next 2 years, Cano and Granderson will reach free agency within the next 3, and A-Rod's contract is set to expire just after the turn of the next century. The Rays have a youthful, strong roster (how is it possible that Evan Longoria is only 25?), the Blue Jays continue to hover around .500 waiting to strike, and worst of all, the Red Sox STILL exist. And the Yankees sign Eric Chavez to back up A-Rod at third. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!
It's a sad, sorry state that the Yanks are in as we look toward the 2012 season. Lest we forget that they are still the New York Yankees, who always seem to win no matter how many people want them to lose. But with the lineup skewing too old, the rotation raising more questions than it answers, and a second wild card to be added in the American League this year, it's tough to be optimistic. Now and forever, though...GO YANKEES.
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