2015 and Being Cautiously Optimistic

There are three more games during the 2014 season left to play out but as far as I am concerned the season is over. Derek Jeter will never play another game at home in Yankee Stadium unless it’s Old Timer’s Day. The Yankees will once again miss the postseason for the second consecutive season, which is unheard of during my generation. The 2014 season is over, the Boston series or not, and it’s time to start thinking towards and building towards the 2015 season.

There is the potential to be a lot change in the Bronx once again this offseason. Brian Cashman’s contract runs out at the end of the season and while I am almost certain he will be retained for next season I am cautiously optimistic that the Yankees will jump on Frank Wren for the GM job. The news that Cashman’s job was safe was announced before the Wren firing and before the team missed the postseason once again. We discussed yesterday here on the blog why Wren would be a good fit for the Yankees so I will refrain from getting into that again, look it up.

I’m cautiously optimistic that Alex Rodriguez will return to the game and be a healthy and effective part of the Yankees offense. Gone are the days of him hitting .300 and knocking 50 home runs but I would be more than happy with .265 and 25 home runs from the right hander. I know many think that’s out of the realm of possibility with his age, missing basically two seasons, and the hip surgery but I believe Alex could do it. He showed no ill effects last season in his limited playing time and even showed an enormous amount of power to the opposite field. That’s encouraging to me, but maybe it’s just me.

I am also optimistic that the Yankees will somehow someway find a position for Jacob Lindgren and Robert Refsnyder to play out of spring training next year. With Josh Outman designated for assignment and Rich Hill a free agent at the end of the season the time seems to be now for Lindgren. Refsnyder may be a tougher sell with Martin Prado likely to spend a bulk of his playing time at second base next season. Unless the Yankees can move either Prado or Refsnyder to shortstop for 2015 though I am not holding my breath.

The 2015 season will be here before you know it and I refuse to be negative about it. I don’t want to get in the habit of saying “there’s always next year” so hopefully the Yankees can do something this winter to change that. 

Frank Wren the next Yankees GM?

Let’s be unrealistic for a second here and consider just what would happen if the New York Yankees were to not bring back Brian Cashman after his contract expires after this season. New York has already announced that they were going to tender Cashman a contract to keep their GM in the Bronx for at least another season but what if Cashman declined it? What if the Yankees changed their mind? Would the recently fired Frank Wren of the Atlanta Braves make sense in New York?

Wren has his faults like any other GM but he definitely made his name on building the farm system and by specifically developing starting pitching. Wren was not afraid to lock up his young talent in Craig Kimbrel, Jayson Heyward, and others either which is something we see far too little of in New York lately. Sure Wren gave a big money extension to Dan Uggla and gave even bigger money to BJ Upton after a career year but his track record, albeit in a shorter sample size, looks more hit than miss in Atlanta.

I personally think Wren got a raw deal after his pitching staff was decimated by injury all season long. Wren went out and acquired the likes of Ervin Santana, which was a no brainer, and Aaron Harang, which carried them at the beginning of the season, late to bolster his team. One thing about Wren was he was not afraid to make a move and aggressively improve his team. It is also noteworthy that Wren did not sell off any of his top prospects out of the farm system either while getting the better end of the Justin Upton trade with Arizona.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that Wren would be a sight for sore eyes in New York and may be, faults and all, the GM that the FANS have been screaming about for a long, long time.