Yankees 2010 Offseason Plans
The Yankees are the World Series champions for the 27th time in their storied history and there’s no better time to take a look at the upcoming offseason than the day after the season ended. As the team vies for title number 28, all signs point toward Joe Girardi changing his uniform number from 27 to 28 (Yankees don’t want to stay at #27 for long) for 2010 as that’s the next goal of this franchise.
The last time the Yankees came off a World Series championship they made minor adjustments. The biggest move they made between 2000 and 2001 was the free agent signing of Mike Mussina. The Yankees won’t make a big splash in this year’s free agency because there are no major superstars in this year’s free agent class (led by Matt Holliday) and there’s not many placed the Yankees can upgrade (they are the champs for a reason).
The Yankees will start in-house with three guys that could hit the free agent market. They need to make a decision on what to do with 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, catalyst Johnny Damon, and gritty veteran pitcher Andy Pettitte. It doesn’t seem likely the Yankees will bring back both Damon and Matsui. Damon can still run and play the field but Matsui is a pure hitter and will always hit no matter how bad his knees are. Both players have said they would like to return to the Yankees. If they aren’t retained, retirement is not on the minds of Damon or Matsui. The fact that the Yankees have some aging stars under contract would lead you to believe the Yankees are less inclined to retain Matsui as their DH. As for Pettitte, it would make sense for the Yankees to bring him back in 2010 after the season he had in 2009. The question is whether Pettitte wants to come back. He could ride off into retirement as a winner with five rings if he decides his career is over.
Th next order of business, which we may already know the answer to, is what to do with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. It is almost certain they will both start the season as starters but if the Yankees land a veteran starting pitcher, one of them, more likely Hughes, could land back in the bullpen. This is an unlikely circumstance and expect to see both players preparing to be starters in 2010.
The Yankees went hard after free agents CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira last offseason because they knew this year’s free agent class didn’t have many marquee, superstar names. The Bombers can never be counted out during free agency but they won’t be signing three top tier free agents like last year. A middle ground starting pitcher could be somewhere to look at, as well as a corner outfielder.
The 2010 Yankees team will look similar to the 2009 World Series champion team.
Post By Rich Santonocito
Tags: AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Hideki Matsui, Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira
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It was obvious that the money players were in the infield unlike the days of Maris and Mantle or the DiMaggio era. Usually the first baseman batted fifth ala Joe Collins or Bill Skowron. The Phillies man to man exceeded the yankees in the outfield but Damon so excelled that the deficiencies of Swisher and Gardiner and Cabrara, for that matter, were ameliorated. In their hayday Matsui, Damon and a super star hitting center fielder would have been more than enough to augment the sensational infield versus the Phillies.. Cano off of a great year was was absent in the Worls Series..but that can happen. The Yankees need a better starter than Hughes if they are going to succeed again and Joba belongs in the pen as he throw strikes under stress.