Of course if Dunn DHs 140 times and plays LF maybe 10, I say hello Adam Dunn!

Just because the 2008 staff gave up fewer runs doesn’t mean it wasn’t mediocre. The 2007 offense was able to compensate, but the 2008 lineup wasn’t. A huge part of the problem was awful seasons by the two youngest players. As we saw with Jeter, his off season, like Cano’s, was not because of his age.

I also disagree with your assumption that there is a good chance that Posada, Jeter and Matsui will have bad years. While injury concerns are real for Posada and Matsui, if healthy, I would expect them to have good years. The risk is health, not performance with those players. As for Jeter, I don’t think he is a high risk to have a bad year.

Having said that, I am all for signing Holliday. I want no part of Bay, however. I see him as the kind of player who will decline quickly. He already has significant holes in his game.

Still, I’m with [3]. Sign both Matsui and Damon to one-year deals knowing that Jackson and Montero are very close should anything go wrong. Montero also helps cover for Jorge, especially if they get Pena working with him all Spring.

Failing the one-year deals, I say you go get Bay. He’s shown he can hit in the AL East. With his OBP, he could also be a very good #2 hitter. And hitting in front of A-Rod, maybe he gets better pitches to hit.

Dunn would also be a very good fit, especially at home.

If his knees don’t crumble, he might be able to mash NL pitching. (Again, if his knees don’t crumble.)

Although honestly, ARod should be as good if not better next year. The guy is in great shape and doesn’t appear to be anywhere near decline.

Mo and Jeter, if healthy, don’t look to fall off a cliff.

Posada? Well, he looks pretty good, his shoulder does NOT appear to be an issue, and he got plenty of rest this year.

I don’t see JD signing a short deal. It’s his last chance to get a 3 or 4 year deal, and I think he has to use his excellent 2009 to extend his career. If he signs for 1 year with us, and has a bad year, at 37, he will not be attractive to sign a deal for 2011 and beyond… so he’s gone.

Matsui may be a different story. I thought he was going back to Japan if he isn’t resigned…. but now, he says he wants to play the OF again. To say this seems to mean he is looking for another MLB contract. Again, I would go 1 year with him, but I’m not sure he will go for it. Would the Mariners give him 2 or 3 years? And what is he worth in today’s market as a DH? 2/$16m? More? Less?

In any event, I say don’t resign him and use the money for Crawford/Bay/Holliday. I love JD and Mats, but they are both older and physically breaking down. It’s time for the Yankees to spend their money on yongers players. Hopefully, the ‘Lets-get-an-old-stud-veteran days are over.

When you turn to guys like Syndey Ponson to help, you know things are bad.

Imagine if Moose pitched like his age. Oy.

Amazing the Yankees won as many games as they did.

Pitching may have been mediocre last year, but they allowed runs at around the same clip that they did last year;
09: 4.6 r/g
08: 4.5 r/g

On the offensive side of things
09: 5.6 r/g
08: 4.9 r/g

And Hall of Famer of not, Fisk at 38 had a horrible season (Posada will be 38 next year), while the 3 shortstops who had great years at 36 (Jeter’s age next year) were Honus Wagner (the greatest shortstop of all time), Luke Appling (who played in 1943, with the majors devoid of most of the best players), and Eddie Joost (who’s value at 36 came because he walked 122 times).

As for [4] – your story doesn’t fit the facts. The 2007 Yanks allowed 777 runs; the 2008 Yanks bested that, allowing only 727 runs (+50). The 2007 Yanks scored 968 runs; the 2008 Yanks scored but 789 (-177). No, the problem was that Posada missed 2/3 of the year, and was bad when he did play; the Yanks of course had no replacement for Posada’s bat; Jeter had his worst year ever; and Matsui missed almost 1/2 of the year, and hit but 9 HR (SLG .424, his worst ever in the US) when he did play. And to top it off, as you say, Cano and Melky sucked ass.

The odds of Posada, Jeter, and Matsui having bad years again is high. The Yanks need to go into the year expecting that to happen, and act accordingly.

I would also stay away from Holliday, because small sample or not, he looked bad in Oakland, bad against AL pitching. Boras will want a fortune for him over too many years and frankly, he’s not worth it.

I’d rather take my chances on an older Damon or Matsui than rely on a lesser player like Nady, especially one coming off an injury. When it comes down to talent versus age, I’ll take talent every time.

I think the Yankees have two options: sign Matsui and Damon to short term deals or sign Holliday (Nady, Damon, Matsui and Molina =$35mn coming off the books). If I was running the show, I’d aim for Holliday AND whichever of Damon/Matsui would take the shortest deal.

[0] I thought Forman’s piece was fascinating. The Yanks have done something that hasn’t ever happened before: 4 guys over 35 performing so far over expectations. I don’t think there’s any reason to expect it will last.

Though my position has been, all along, that the Yanks should certainly let Damon go, and keep Matsui but on a one-year deal, I now wonder if that’s the right thing to do. It’s possible, likely even, that both Jeter and Posada are going to go downhill next year, whether due to injury or age or both. Having 2 starting hitters over age 3536 is probably the limit. To have 3, or even 4, could kill the team – like it basically did in 2008.

I say let Damon go, sign Nady to play LF, and then try to find a bat on the trade market to DH (Adam Dunn? The Nationals need pitching still . . .). If the trade route doesn’t work, I’d be open to a Miranda/Shelley DH platoon, at least until Montero is ready. =)

if the Angels wanted to acclimate to this environment before jetting out of sunny So Cal they should have practiced in an air conditioned car wash.