Post by yankeesgm on Nov 8, 2007 20:55:47 GMT -5
The cleansing has continued in New York.
At the end of the 2003 season, things were looking pretty bleak for the franchise. Sure they had won the wild card without much movement (re: little activity, my bad) throughout the season, but the team chemistry still was not like the 1996-2000 Yankees.
Things changed for good after the Subway Series in 2000, perhaps out of greed. We've since seen the additions of high-priced, questionable characters of Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, and Hideki Matsui. Throw in David Wells and Roger Clemens, and you've got the makings of disaster with the youngsters in AAA who saw their dreams crushed.
With new GM Chris Cosenza on board, the Yankees cut their ties with The Rocket and David Wells. Jason and Mike have been asked to become team leaders, alongside Yankee farm-producing legends and fan favorites Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter, while the team goes through its transition period. After all, Giambino and Moose are going to be paid over $100 million together over the next 4-6 years, they are being paid top dollar to not just play, but to inspire.
The result has been given mixed reviews. The media has seen this as regression towards mediocrity as we head into the 2010's, but this GM and some of the loyal fans like what they're seeing.
After the Yankees rewarded the young Soriano with a 5-year contract, Jeter invited the rising start to his home this past winter to help him fine-tune his craft. Soriano's confidence exploded and began to show more patience and better hands.
Giambi hung out with Nick Johnson during spring training. And while Nick has struggled at times, he now looks like to supplant Giambi at 1B with his excellent D as well as his growing power. The scouts now think he'll be a 40-home run guy. Giambi will then be going to DH full-time, and hopes to hit another 250 home runs before the end of his contract in 2010.
During free agency, the Yankees were very particular in who they wanted to sign, looking for veteran leadership at key positions as well as a ton of energy in the bottle. They signed Michael Barrett, Mark Bellhorn, and Tyler Houston to back up at various positions.
The key signing though, was Cory Lidle. He had closed last season with the rival Blue Jays, but the Yankees felt he could anchor the rotation, allowing Moose and Pettitte to slide down a spot to face more favorable matchups. Salomon Torres was signed as well for depth at starting pitching and with Jose Contreras, the becomes their 6th and 7th starters.
The recent trade with Arizona was pulled in a move to add depth to both the major and minor league squads. Highly touted Robinson Cano, with Soriano's long-term deal, became expendable and was traded for what the Yankees feel are very underrated players in Jon Garland (they believe he can be their #2 after some good coaching) as well as several good prospects who are one good development away from becoming every-day players).
Several free agents were signed this past month to anchor the AAA and AA squads. The Yankees highly value team leadership, and hope that the likes of Wilton Guerrero, a master at every position, will provide the spark for several players that the Yankees are banking on coming to make The Show in 2008 and beyond.
While the minor league system is rated by Baseball Prospectus as the worst in the league, the Yankees are able to make a splash in free agency to compensate, but that's not their driving force. GM Chris Cosenza believes that in due time, the youngsters will flourish with the new mindset of veteran leadership and hard work at all levels.
"The goal," remarks the GM, "is to have a average-rated system by 2006, and a top-10 by 2008...all the while maintaining 95 win seasons."
Wang has made the jump to The Show and is flourishing in the new Yankee mindset. The 2004 Yankees are surprising many by getting an early lead, much better than their run projections would say, but it could be the sign of future success.
"We obviously want to win the World Series every year, but management is dedicated in making it work every year, not just this season...But I like our chances this year, I like the clubhouse vibe, it's very positive," said manager Joe Torre.
As everyone dressed and headed off to dinner...together, as a team...you have to wonder why did the Yankees stray from this model after the 2000 World Series win?
Well with ownership on board, giving GM Chris Cosenza full control, he looks to mimic that success, the balance, the strength, and patience to erase the bad memories of 2001-2003.
At the end of the 2003 season, things were looking pretty bleak for the franchise. Sure they had won the wild card without much movement (re: little activity, my bad) throughout the season, but the team chemistry still was not like the 1996-2000 Yankees.
Things changed for good after the Subway Series in 2000, perhaps out of greed. We've since seen the additions of high-priced, questionable characters of Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, and Hideki Matsui. Throw in David Wells and Roger Clemens, and you've got the makings of disaster with the youngsters in AAA who saw their dreams crushed.
With new GM Chris Cosenza on board, the Yankees cut their ties with The Rocket and David Wells. Jason and Mike have been asked to become team leaders, alongside Yankee farm-producing legends and fan favorites Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter, while the team goes through its transition period. After all, Giambino and Moose are going to be paid over $100 million together over the next 4-6 years, they are being paid top dollar to not just play, but to inspire.
The result has been given mixed reviews. The media has seen this as regression towards mediocrity as we head into the 2010's, but this GM and some of the loyal fans like what they're seeing.
After the Yankees rewarded the young Soriano with a 5-year contract, Jeter invited the rising start to his home this past winter to help him fine-tune his craft. Soriano's confidence exploded and began to show more patience and better hands.
Giambi hung out with Nick Johnson during spring training. And while Nick has struggled at times, he now looks like to supplant Giambi at 1B with his excellent D as well as his growing power. The scouts now think he'll be a 40-home run guy. Giambi will then be going to DH full-time, and hopes to hit another 250 home runs before the end of his contract in 2010.
During free agency, the Yankees were very particular in who they wanted to sign, looking for veteran leadership at key positions as well as a ton of energy in the bottle. They signed Michael Barrett, Mark Bellhorn, and Tyler Houston to back up at various positions.
The key signing though, was Cory Lidle. He had closed last season with the rival Blue Jays, but the Yankees felt he could anchor the rotation, allowing Moose and Pettitte to slide down a spot to face more favorable matchups. Salomon Torres was signed as well for depth at starting pitching and with Jose Contreras, the becomes their 6th and 7th starters.
The recent trade with Arizona was pulled in a move to add depth to both the major and minor league squads. Highly touted Robinson Cano, with Soriano's long-term deal, became expendable and was traded for what the Yankees feel are very underrated players in Jon Garland (they believe he can be their #2 after some good coaching) as well as several good prospects who are one good development away from becoming every-day players).
Several free agents were signed this past month to anchor the AAA and AA squads. The Yankees highly value team leadership, and hope that the likes of Wilton Guerrero, a master at every position, will provide the spark for several players that the Yankees are banking on coming to make The Show in 2008 and beyond.
While the minor league system is rated by Baseball Prospectus as the worst in the league, the Yankees are able to make a splash in free agency to compensate, but that's not their driving force. GM Chris Cosenza believes that in due time, the youngsters will flourish with the new mindset of veteran leadership and hard work at all levels.
"The goal," remarks the GM, "is to have a average-rated system by 2006, and a top-10 by 2008...all the while maintaining 95 win seasons."
Wang has made the jump to The Show and is flourishing in the new Yankee mindset. The 2004 Yankees are surprising many by getting an early lead, much better than their run projections would say, but it could be the sign of future success.
"We obviously want to win the World Series every year, but management is dedicated in making it work every year, not just this season...But I like our chances this year, I like the clubhouse vibe, it's very positive," said manager Joe Torre.
As everyone dressed and headed off to dinner...together, as a team...you have to wonder why did the Yankees stray from this model after the 2000 World Series win?
Well with ownership on board, giving GM Chris Cosenza full control, he looks to mimic that success, the balance, the strength, and patience to erase the bad memories of 2001-2003.