The Yankees have gone fishing

Picture the scene: there are twenty-nine General Managers sitting on the riverbank, fishing rods dangling into the water below.  Some have modest objectives and are hoping for a few small fish to tide them over.  Others have great expectations of landing a monster and visions of walking away at the end of the day with the others glancing at them enviously.

And then Brian Cashman comes along.  He sits down in the prime position on the river, sets up the flashiest fishing equipment on the row, casts away and lands himself the most desirable fish known to be in the water.  The others sit there demoralised, only for Cashman to put his Great CC to one side, cast again and land yet another big fish in A.J. Burnett. 

The fishing competition isn’t quite over, but the Yanks have an unassailable lead. 

Having missed out on the postseason in ’08, the Yankees have assessed their performance and decided that pitching was their downfall.  Agreeing a seven-year deal with Sabathia was a big step towards fixing that problem and adding Burnett as well puts them in a very strong position.  The two new acquisitions will be joined by Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain to round out the top four of the rotation. 

The fifth spot could still go to Andy Pettitte if he decides to pitch again and from the outside you would think it looks a very exciting proposition (being part of a potentially great rotation in the first year of the new stadium).  If he decides to walk away then the Yanks can either look at their internal options (Phil Hughes being the most likely to have first shot, if he isn’t traded in the meantime) or head back out onto the market.  Sheets and Lowe are still there waiting to be snapped up.  It would seem a bit greedy to snatch three of the top pitching free agents in one go, but greed is good in the eyes of the Bronx faithful who haven’t seen a World Series win since 2000.

The best-laid plans can quickly come undone and anyone forecasting a Yankee rotation for the 2009 season might want to put an asterisk next to Burnett’s name with the appending comment: ‘if not injured’.  All baseball fans know the book on the former Blue Jay.  When fit and healthy he is a top pitcher, but staying fit and healthy has been a problem for him so far in his career. 

His agent will tell you that A.J. is in the best condition of his life and that his 2008 season, in which he made a career high number of starts (34), is testament to this.  However, the cynic will point to the only other time Burnett has made thirty or more starts (2005) and draw a less complimentary conclusion.   In both cases, he knew that he would be a free agent at the end of the year (via his opt-out clause in the most recent case) and considering that he has sometimes been labelled as a guy who frets at the first sign of soreness, there’s an argument that he only gives his all when there’s a new contract to be won.

I’m sure Burnett would fiercely dispute this notion and maybe it’s just been a coincidence on both occasions?  It’s up to A.J. to get out there and prove this to be the case.  Having just seen the back of Carl Pavano, they don’t need another expensive version taking his place on the treatment table. 

The potential of the Yanks’ starting rotation takes some pressure off the batting lineup, which is definitely a good thing  They have several ageing players on the down curve of their careers (Posada, Damon, Jeter and Matsui), while younger players like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera have taken a step backwards recently.  Adding Nick Swisher was a good first move in shoring up the offense, despite his disappointing 2008 season with the White Sox,  but another addition or two will be on Cashman’s agenda over the rest of the off-season.

The Yankee’s spending has naturally caused astonishment at a time when seemingly everyone else in the world is being cautious with their money.  However, MLB.com points out that the Yankees have seen $86m in payroll obligations come off the books this winter and while they have committed to giving Sabathia and Burnett $243.5m over their contracts, this actually amounts to an annual average of $39.5m.  Factor in the financial boost they will undoubtedly receive from their new stadium, regardless of the global economic crisis, and the spending takes on a relatively sane appearance.

Which just goes to show the advantage that the Yankees have over their competitors this off-season.  They’ve already caught two of the biggest fishes and, with plenty of bait left, they are not about to leave the river bank just yet.