Everyone who wants a new 1b: that will just create more problems. So Giambi moves to fulltime DH. Where does Matsui play? LF. So what about Melky? 1b is a position that we’re ok with. Giambi is below average defensively, but has everyone forgotten what he does with the bat? And for D, Phillips is great anyway there. The offense will be fine. And the D wasn’t great, but was fine. (If you take out Arod’s 24 Es, it’s downright good.) The problem was starting pitching. We had just 2 quality starters. Looking back, maybe Karstens should’ve bene given a playoff start. He couldn’t have done worse than RJ or Wright.

As for Matsuzaka, the posting fee is only collected if the player signs. So if the Yanks paid $100 mil posting, and never wanted to negotiate, they’d get that $ back. The fact that Boras is his agent is unfortunate. That might be the death knell to his Yankee career.

I don’t know much about Peter Abraham, but his suggestions sound about right to me. The only issue I have is that I do not know much about the Japanese pitcher. Is an unproven player really worth Barry Zito money? Not sure.

This team definitely needs an everyday 1B, preferably a guy with a good glove, a solid bat and a lot of heart. Sean Casey is that type of guy. He is totally a 1996-style Yankee.

The only other controversial issue in my mind is whether to keep Mussina. (I think A-Rod and Torre are easy ones.) It’s a close call, but if Moose were willing to go one year at a time at a reasonable price, I would have him back.

I don’t mean to offend any Peter Abraham fans, but he doesn’t know much about baseball. He’s great for behind-the-scenes stuff with the team, but when it actually comes to the game, he’s one step above a fan-boy. Reading the stuff on his blog is often hilarious.

The other day he suggested moving Johnny Damon to first base. Now it’s Sean Casey?

Media guys have issues with Mussina. His teammates don’t. Don’t believe what press guys say about players. Moose doesn’t like the media and they don’t like him. Abraham is just pushing his personal agenda here.

I followed Abraham’s blog after the ALDS loss to see some player reaction, and it was hilarious to see Abraham flip-flop on so many issues — originally he was in favor of bringing Sheff back in and benching Melky, then he said the loss wasn’t Torre’s fault because he was saddled with “one-dimensional players,” and then he suggested putting Melky in centerfield next year. This is his first year with the Yanks and he’s blinded by the “Torre aura.” He can’t say something nice about Torre fast enough. There is no objectivity there.

As for trading A-Rod: he seems miserable to be here, his teammates seem miserable to play with him, I don’t think the manager likes him, he’s not producing in the playoffs, the fans boo him — um, why WOULDN’T you trade him? Why does he want to stay? Because of his image? He needs to forget image for once and leave New York as soon as possible. I know Alex puts up great numbers, but I just don’t see the guy winning games for them the way I saw Jeter and Giambi winning games. If they can dump his salary and get a young pitcher back, they should do it. When Sheff and Matsui went down, Giambi and Jeter (and to a lesser extend Damon and Cano) carried the team offensively. Which just proves that if you have Damon, Jeter, Cano, Bobby and Giambi, you don’t “need” A-Rod. They’ll get along fine without him. And they’ll be free of that distraction AND the payroll will reduce AND we’ll get a young pitcher in return.

The Padres need a third baseman. Anyone want to start “Peavy for A-Rod” rumors…?

1. What could they have done better? What could they have done different? They didn’t hit, they didn’t pitch. There’s nothing the manager or his coaches could do about it.

2. I wouldn’t sweat it too much. I’d move him if the right deal came along (which goes for any player on the roster), but Rodiguez is always going to hear that he can’t handle NY, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

3. I’d keep Mussina, there aren’t many options out there. As for getting worse;

Apr: 2.31
May: 2.53
Jun: 4.93
Jul: 4.22
Aug: 5.14
Sep: 2.89

The reason people love Moose is because he has done a good job in his time in NY. I’d say goodbye to Sheffield, unless he’s willing to convert to a 1b. I don’t think he’d be willing to do that.

4. Phillip’s glove is decent, but his bat isn’t

5. Reports are he’s worth it. When it comes to the Yanks, $$ really isn’t an option. Go for it. If things don’t work out, they can always trade him.

Let’s put up there two BIG words why the Yankees shouldn’t go crazy trying to get Matsuzaka:

Scott Boras… Matsuzaka’s agent…

You put up almost 30 million just to talk to him, and THEN you have to deal with Scott Boras, who’s gonna up the ante all ways possible… yea… no…

1> KEEP TORRE – Can’t agree. He said on WFAN yesterday that after game 4 he sat with his coaches and asked them what they could have done better, or different and they ALL had NO IDEA. That says to me that they don’t know what happened, or why. Should have got rid of him.

2>TRADE AROD – Unless Sweet Lou gets a manager’s job I can’t see A-Rod going to play for anyone else. Otherwise he will be labeled, forever, as not being able to play in N.Y.

3>CUT’EM LOOSE – Agreed. Why do people love Mussina? This guy should have easily gotten to 20 wins this year but he got worse and worse as the year went on. And blew a 3-1 lead to the Tigers.

4>SIGN A 1st BASEMAN – What’s wrong with Andy Phillips? His glove was better than decent.

5>SIGN DAISUKE MATSUZAKA – There are reports of up to $30 million to win the right to TALK to this guy…WTF is that? Stay away for this guy!

Andy Petite – This guy has elbow problems, that ship has sailed, forget about him. Zito will sign with the Mets.

I know that this Alex for Ervin Santana and a prospect thing is the result of frustration over the Tigers series.

I implore you to think clearly. Alex Rodriguez for Ervin Santana? Johan Santana, sure. Maybe even Carlos Santana….but Ervin? come on.

He won the MVP last year. I don’t need to rehash his amazing run-creating stats, except to say that he lead NYY in RBI’s in 06.

There are about 5 players in the majors that create value for the Yankees in an Alex trade…and maybe even less if you believe that Alex will leave the Yankees and go off the charts offensively…which makes it an even worse deal if you dump him and make another team massively better while making yours only marginally better.

Torre and Jeter need to welcome Alex into the fold for the best interests of the team.

Actually, I’d keep Mussina. He has a 1.5 M buyout, so he’s in the Jaret Wright “Am I worth the difference between the buyout and the potential salary” territory. I’d rather have Mussina than Wright, and given the pitching available this offseason, I think the Yanks will need to keep one of them. You *could* take the buyout and try to negotiate a reduced salary, but the amount you could expect to save may not be worth the risk of ending up a pitcher short.

As for Giambi, *anyone* is tradable, depending on what else is included. I’m not sure that it’d be wise to do so, given that he (1) is overpaid, so Cashman would likely need to include a not-trivial amount of cash in a deal, and (2) led the team in OPS+.

If you really just wanted to be rid of him, though, I imagine the Rockies would love to move Todd Helton’s albatross contract (90M remaining, vs. 47M-ish for Giambi), and his production has been declining since ’04). That’d be a huge gamble, since Helton’s 31 and has the aforementioned contract and two-year history of declining production, but he put up some historically great years (’00-’04).

IIRC, some teammates on the O’s were pissed at Moose in the past when he refused to help form a 4-man rotation, FWIW.

As far as Pettitte – I would take him on a 2-year deal, with a team option for a 3rd, in a heartbeat.

The stuff I hear from Mussina’s critics is that he’s snobby and smarter-than-thou. Rob Dibble, for one, really can’t stand him. Of course, that might be (at least partly) because Mussina is the Anti-Dibble – educated, cerebral, never got into a fistfight with his manager… you know.

I’ve never heard anything negative from any of his former teammates, though.