Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Which Top 10 Free Agents Should the Yankees Sign?


The offseason is upon us and the hot stove is warming up as the World Series is over and it’s time for qualifying offers, arbitration, and free agency. The Top 10 free agents always have the biggest names and biggest contracts every season and the Yankees always seem to be right in the middle of the ruckus every single year. The Top 10 free agents this season, in no particular order, include Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, James Shields, Melky Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Yasmany Tomas, Nelson Cruz, and Russell Martin. Which free agent should the Yankees sign?












This space was left intentionally blank because I don’t think the Yankees should sign any of them. The more I see and the more I read about Ramirez the more I want to walk away. The rest seem like potentially the next in line of terrible contracts I will be complaining about on the blog in four or five years. The Yankees should stay away from the top heavy free agents and contracts and go middle of the road and for the right fit this time around. Throwing money at people is not working anymore and it’s time to try something new. Try something that the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and others are doing rather than what we have been doing for the last 50 years, it may work. 

11 comments:

  1. I couldn't have said it better. I'm to the point where I don't care about the aav of the contract. I care about the length of the contract. $20million doesn't bother me for 5 years. It bothers me when it's for a 38 year old way past his prime. I don't think a player's age plus the contract years should add up to more than 35. Anybody past 35 should be playing on a year to year basis. I think it's foolish to hand out multi-year deals to players that will surely decline towards the end of the contract.

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    1. For some players it should be long before, obviously it's a case by case basis though. Players like 36 year old Victor Martinez should not be asking for a four year deal. Well he can ask all day, he shouldn't be getting it though.

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  2. Why do we always have to sign a big name player that is over 32 to a five or six-year deal?
    CC, A-Rod, both have helped us win a WS but now look at them now...NO Help from them, going forward, I suspect! And I hope to be proven wrong!!!!
    I will never criticize a GM for cutting a player loose a year before he drops off the table, and I didn't when Cashman cut a few players after the 2009 (I think) WS. They all wanted a three or more year contract, they all went on being productive for a year or two but, in my tenuous opinion...he did it right.
    Maybe that should have been, "inept opinion", because everyone yelled at me for saying he "done, done good" Oh well, so be it!

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    1. Hideki Matsui had one good season after 2009 before falling off the face of the Earth. Johnny Damon never was Johnny Damon again after his years in pinstripes.

      The same can be said for when the GM cuts loose a player like Russell Martin that turns into one of the best catchers in all of baseball after leaving New York on a very team friendly deal that we could have matched or beat.

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  3. Only one player would really help the Yankees, big time next year...IF, he can stay healthy!
    That player is Troy Tulowitzki, he fits the opening at SS and carries a better defence and bat combo than anyone out there.
    I think both Daniel and I have brought his name up before but, one thing has me bothered...his back! Backs are tricky things to put your money on, but so is a 37-year-old outfielder and 3rd baseman.

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    1. Tulo's hip scares me. Not many positional players have had the torn labrum surgery in their hip besides obviously Alex Rodriguez. The problem is A Rod did steroids after his surgery so we don't truly know what to expect from him.

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    2. I don't see the Yankees being able to top an offer by another team for Tulo.

      A package would probably have to be led by Brett Gardner, who is young and signed to a team-friendly contract. After Gardy it would probably take a couple top prospects too. And even that may not be enough considering what other teams could offer.

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    3. Colorado is not close to competing, at least a couple years away to give those young starters some time. I think the package would be more centered around Severino, Murphy, and Judge.

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    4. Yeah, I assumed and you see where that got me. You're not the only one saying it would only cost top prospects.

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    5. Which, as you could guess, I am not a fan of.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)