http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/01/yankees-reach-agreement-with-randy-winn.html

Excellent point. I hope they will, but I know deep down they won’t.

[6] [8] I’m really excited to see the pitches per plate appearance team stat over the first month: because it’s sustainable even during a slump (see Giambi), it’s the kind of offensive trick (getting to middle relievers early) that keeps paying dividends season long. And it’s truly a team stat where the no. 9 contributes as much as the no. 4 which is more of a reflection of intentional team design (Cashman) than just about any other offensive stat.

i hope the yanks work montero out at rf some on his non-catching days rather than at 1b or 3b. if he is slow, which it sounds like, and he has a decent arm, i think rf at ys makes more sense for him than lf.

But that Gardner slump happened before he hurt his thumb. He proved he can stink without injury.

So I guess the worry is more about the current players regressing rather than about something Cashman did or didn’t do (short of signing Bay/Holiday for awful money). I think that’s legit and I share the concern. Like I said, I totally understand why the Yankees are playing this game of chicken with Damon. They have no reason to rush. Let Boras prove he can get a better offer by getting one.

Otherwise, having Montero is a very nice backup plan for NJ. I wonder if they’d ever be tempted to run him out to left field. They’re the Yankees so they probably won’t, but almost every other team finds a way to get a youngster into the games if their bat is worthy. Montero could get 400 ABs between C/DH/LF as a spot starter (30-40 games) at each. It will never happen but it will be fun to think about as Montero hits .300 and slugs .500 in AAA over the first two months.

Yanks were 4th in AL last year in Pitches/PA.

Add Granderson and Johnson, subtract Damon and Matsui … who knows?

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/7UvMV

Lest you think this was a YS III effect, the Yanks rocked the house away from home too …
Led AL in runs, 2nd in hits (2 behind Angels), led in doubles, led in HRs, went 55 out of 63 (87%) in SBs, 3rd in walks, 3rd fewest strikeouts, tied for 1st in BA, led in OBP, led in SLG (by .020 over 2nd-best), led in OPS+ (124)
http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/wRbQt

[4] there’s a lot to like about Granderson, and he’ll definitley field his position better than Damon. But let’s not forget Damon’s ability to work pitchers. Cliff noted his 9 pitch at-bat against Lidge preceeding his double steal of the century. No doubt Granderson will have his magic moments, but let’s not forget the things that are not represented in Damon’s hitting line.

But like you said, the pitching should be legit, and there’s depth there. I like the Red Sox top 3 starters better, but I like the Yankees top 4 starters better.

My one worry is that someone will breakdown of the Jeter-Jorge-A-Rod triumverate. In Jorge’s case at least we’d get to see Montero. But Pena for any length of time is worrisome. And Nick Johnson….would have been nice to also have Jim Thome around for $1.5 million. Still, I can see perfectly why the Yankees continue to wait on Damon. The little bit of defense he gives adds a bunch of flexibility.

I forgot how good Cano was. A comparison of two 2Bs:

Player A: .320/.352/.520, 25 HR, 85 RBI, 103 R, 48 2B, 331 TB, -5.2 UZR
Player B: .326/.376/.493, 17 HR, 83 RBI, 118 R, 53 2B, 322 TB, 9.8 UZR

Guess which one won an MVP?

Yeah, Cano (Player A) was that good and Pedroia (Player B) is continually helped by his home bandbox to the tune of 100 points in OPS.

The Yanks *may* have less offense this season, but would you agree that their overall rotation (and staff) may be *better*?

Will Posada, Cano, and Swish keep up their excellent grades?

Will Granderson replace Damon’s dearly departed A-?

Will Nick Johnson stay healthy, and replace Matsui’s dearly departed A?

The Yankees hit (and Mo’ed) their way to a championship last year, and those walk-off hits made a huge difference. It’s a lot to ask of these 2010 Yankees to replicate that success.