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As Hurricane Sandy was hitting New York, the New York Yankees have taken the back page. This may be a blessing for the team, since soon they will again take over the local papers, because not winning a World Series is not acceptable in New York, let alone being the worst playoff team in Yankee history.
The winds of change are blowing, even if they aren’t hitting the radar in New York yet. The team has been trying to lay low, sneaking moves in as New Yorkers and the rest of the East Coast are just getting their lives back together. But with a team as high profile as the Yankees, nothing they do will go unnoticed for too long.
What is known is that Mariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher ever to play the game will be back. He did hold fans hostage with a few nervous moments when he said he wasn’t sure if he would be playing another year. Rivera’s confirmation couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, as the man who took over the closing duties for him, Rafael Soriano, was on his way out of town.
This may be the only positive, and no one knows if he will come back as effective; so many questions still linger there, but an 80% Mo is better than just about every relief pitcher in baseball.
While the Yankees have exercised their options to retain superstar second baseman Robinson Cano, and outfielder Curtis Granderson; Soriano, Nick Swisher, and Hiroki Kuroda were all presented with qualifying offers; but that does not assure they will be in pinstripes in 2013.
Bottom line, there are many holes in 2013, starting with Kuroda. Losing Kuroda would crush the Yankees starting staff. Kuroda may leave not because he wants more money, but because he is thinking about heading back to Japan.
As Halloween passed, and since many in New York were without power, they missed the scariest news other than Hurricane Sandy, Alex Rodriguez is coming back.
No custom needed, Rodriguez staying scares the pants off Yankee fans. The A-Rod situation may not (yet) be a television show or movie, but it sure has been a soap opera for years. The Yankees can come out and say all they want, but what choice do they have. No team in their right mind would take a washed up superstar making 10 times what he should. It was never a good contract and anyone who could add saw that father time was going to catch up with Rodriguez, PED’s or not.
The Yankees are in a no-win situation with Rodriguez unless they can trade him, and they would have to find an insane, or very bad, General Manager to take on any of the money he is owed. So to get rid of him, the Yankees will be paying for him to play for another team.
Joe Girardi had a little talk with Rodriguez recently, stroking his ego, but there is no way this is a situation the Yankees wanted to be in. All the A-Rod love from the Yankees organization is not going to change the fact that he is a shell of his former self. He can’t hit a fast ball, he is decent in the field, but no longer a threat at the plate, he has never been good in October; and honestly, what has he done to put the Yankees over the top?
It is not looking good in the land of pinstripes, and it will be a crazy offseason, and the disappointment may start quick if Kuroda jumps ship. The Yankees need so much and have very little in the cupboards to offer teams for players; they have already lost out on one big free-agent, Dan Haren, and they can’t lose out on another. To get quality players, the Yankees will have to spend. Like it or not, if they want to win it’s time to open the wallet.
What the Yankees will do in the offseason, even they don’t seem to know, but they need to figure it out because in New York it is: “Come big or don’t come at all”.
The Yankees better come up with a plan quick because it won’t be long before they are on the front, middle and back page of the newspaper. And it won’t be a story on them celebrating a 28th championship.
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