At the end of the 2016 season well be rid of...... Carlos Beltran = currently earning 15M this year & 15M more due next season. Mark Teixeira = currently earning 22.5M this year & 22.5M more due next season. C.C. Sabathia = currently earning 23M this year & 25M more due next season. He does have a 25M vesting option for 2017 but I've no doubt the Yankees will execise the 5M buy out option. A-Roid = currently earning 21M this year still has 20M each due in 2016 & 2017. Now the bright side is, can you imagine being stuck with this......... Elvis Andrus (Tex) 8 yrs (2015-2022) for 120M Currently hitting 1/14/230 with a .289 OBP Shin-Soo Choo (Tex) 7 yrs (2014-2020) for 130M Currently hitting 7/23/243 Albert Pujols (Cali) 10 yrs (2012-2021) for 240M Currently hitting 8/16/229 with a .282 OBP Robinson Cano (Seat) 10 yrs (2014-2023) for 240M Currently hitting 1/11/247 with a .290 OBP Matt Kemp (SD) 8 yrs (2012-2019) for 160M currently hitting 1/22/257 with a .294 OBP
Pujols is the one that really jumps out at me. I mean 229 now & he still has 6 more years left on that contract.
The dead weight contracts are bad, but the main problem here is player development. The way to win is to develop good players in their 20s and have some on hand to be able to trade for players in their 20s as well. You CANT win through free agency anymore. You can certainly add pieces to the nucleus through free agency, but you can not build a title team through free agency. It's nice we'll have positions freeing up, but we need the Judges, Severinos, Jagielos, Birds, Refsnyders to develop. We havent produced a starting pitcher since Andy Pettitte. I mean we had some guys flash like Wang and Nova, but nothing consistent whatsoever. And basically the only position player we've produced since Cano is Brett Gardner, both of those guys are into their 30s. Guys dont hit FA until their 30s anymore. And 31 is old in the post-PED era. Decline and injuries are commonplace for those guys. The spotlight will shine on the farm system until it gets it done. And getting it done means having guys grown in it get it done in MLB.
Good stuff Rick...... IMO, all those noted above were "dumb" contracts and moves, by the Brass of the Teams these players went to...... It will be nice to have that much $$$$ come off the books, unless Trashman turns right around, and repeats himself, with more trash not worth the cash..... As long as Hank and Trashman continue on their Yellow Brick Road mind-set, I can't foresee the Yanxs re-booting, without those several huge contracts to drown them; in the future as well, by what? Creating more foolish long term contracts to FA's who are over 30 yrs of age; and/or obtaining Top Prospects to rebuild a solid team...... Blue: you hit the nail perfectly on its head- (You took the words right out of my mouth) - If both Hank and Brian were out of the Picture, these two** need should of been shit canned a long time ago, Farm Director- **Gary Denbo, and Scouting Director- **Damon Oppenheimer..... Our Farm & Scouting Directors have stunk to high hell for over a decade plus: Mark Newman, just prior to Denbo Pat Roessler Several years, the Yanx did not have a Farm Director, (03 to 08); while only utilizing a Scouting Director, (honestly with both positions, one seems redundant); Oppenheimer was the Farm Dir., in 02,
Big thing with the high salary duds is that when they hit 2016 time will not be on their side. Chances at getting even short term deals for them will be slim to none. Given that they won't give a damn about nothing except the two paydays a month that they are not earning. I'm all for seeing these buttheads go out the door and be replaced by talented hungry ballplayers who will be proud to be New York Yankees. It would be much easier to watch and up and coming team as we did in the late 90's and early oughts than the current over the hill gang. There are some bright spots but in order to bring up fresh fish the old whales must be beached.
