How so? DeRosa has only played a handful of games in LF, is old and coming off injury.

I think ranking ’07 ahead of ’04 is an interesting choice. The ’07 offense and RD was much better, but the ’04 team for all of the horribleness associated with it DID come within 3 outs of a pennant.

I’d leave the 2000 in the #3 slot even though it had a poor run differential. The reason for that is because I strongly remember the Yankees entering a quasi shut down mode over the final three weeks. Heading into September, the team’s run differential was much stronger.

The 2002 team is correctly identified as a very good team with a RD/G of over 1.2 (25th best in Yankee history and best in the decade).

1. 2009 – This ranking (along with the worst team) would seem to be the most obvious.
2. 2001 – Normally I’d say World Series champs HAVE to be at the top of the list but the ‘01 team won more games, scored more runs and allowed fewer than the ‘00 team while coming – literally – one pitch away from the title. To me, that’s enough to trump. Admittedly, it’s a controversial ranking.
3. 2000 – Subway champs but only 87 wins and a (relatively) small run-differential.
4. 2003 – If not for David Wells (and Jeff Weaver and Josh Beckett), this team would have been champs.
5. 2002 – This was my first year covering baseball in New York and I still remember how stunned I was to see the Yankees get run out by the Angels in the ALDS. This team had a plus-200 (!) run-differential and won 103 games. Their flameout remains a massive disappointment.
6. 2006 – Very, very solid year. Very disappointing October bust.
7. 2007 – I know this team finished second in the AL East; I still think they beat any of the teams below them in a seven-game series (with regularity, too). Terrific offense.
8. 2004 – Will always be remembered for the epic collapse but 101 wins obscures the difficulty of the regular season.
9. 2005 – Oldest team of the decade. Average age of hitters was 32, of pitchers was 34. On a related note, this was Randy Johnson’s first year.
10. 2008 – No explanation necessary.

“For all the consternation about going into the season with a TSBG(Gardner)/Hoffmann platoon in LF, once we factor in baserunning and defense it’s really not a bad thing. If we assume that TSBG will get 450 PAs and Hoffmann 225, that’s a collective wOBA of around .334, which is a run or so better than a league average hitter. I’ve got a league average LF projected to have around a .338 wOBA, which makes a 675 PA TSBG/Hoffmann platoon about three runs below average with the bat. Add their projected 44 SB/11 CS to that and you get another 5.5 runs of offensive value. That makes them essentially league average, or 2.0 wins above replacement. Add in defense and they could potentially be 3 or 3.5 WAR.”

I don’t believe Cashman is passing on Holliday to wait for Carl.
I don’t believe Cashman buys the ‘marginal value’ argument, as he knows injuries and subpar performances happen.
I believe it is simply about Payroll controll, for this year and the next few years.

Cashman knows what I know.
We must have some cost controlled players on this team.
Gardner is Melky’s replacement, and at a savings of millions of dollars over the next 4 years… should Brett make it that far.
I don’t think Brett outperforming Melky… considering O, D and speed is that far a reach. We can talk about Melky’s POTENTIAL, but his performance is a 88 OPS+ and a poor .316 wOBA. I believe Brett can outperform Melky, and give us one more all-important cost controlled player.

But whatever folly this might turn out to be, Cashman will fix it mid-season. Cashman still has plenty of bullets. Out April roster will not be our PS roster.

What scares me is:
- #4 outfielder: Jamie Hoffman
- #5 outfielder: Colin Curtis

That’s where a Mark DeRosa would have come in handy. Cashman, in defending the Vazquez trade, said that a left fielder is easier to find than a pitcher. Go find one, Cash, and I’m not talking about Jerry Hairston, Jr.

I would have rather gone with Hughes and Joba in the rotation with one or two low-risk/high-reward options (Sheets, Duchserer, Wang) for insurance/depth while leaving more payroll flexibility for the outfield.

Who the f*ck are the Knutsens?

The only reasons the Yankees should settle on Gardner is because they either have a budget, don’t value the potential replacements or really covet another option in 2011. Making that decision based on marginal value of regular season wins in a best case scenario is foolish for a team with the Yankees resources.

Dissertations on His Dudeness

You get the idea.
Our Free players are a supporting cast, and while they may have minimal production, conceptually, thay are as important as ARod and CC, because they allow us to pay ARod and CC (and the others)

The Yankees are already at the top of their budget.
If you do the numbers for 2011 and 2012, you will see there is very little coming off the books that doesn’t need to be replaced in kind. For example, losing Andy and Javy allows us to sign a ‘Cliff Lee’.

The only ‘Free’ money I see in the next 2 years is when Posada retires and we can replace him inhouse (w/Montero Romine).

If Brett can be one of our OFers, it really helps Cashman, who has little cash to play with over the next 2 years.

But will he play left or center?