I’m unimpressed with Cashman’s performance. His signings this year mortgaged the future in a desperate attempt to win in 2009.
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How did this winter’s signings mortgage the future? Which players were cut loose to make room for the three new players? Which better players will now be relegated to the bench or the minors to make room for their more expensive teammates?

I don’t see how the future was mortgaged. If anything, the future was bolstered because it gives the Yanks two players in their primes (Teixeira/Sabathia).

Well, it depends.

If Joba and Burnett go down with big injuries AND the in-house replacements also fail, AND he fails to correct in time AND the Yanks don’t make the postseason, then yes, Cashman could be done.

If they go down with injuries and the Yanks make the playoffs anyway, especially if they advance at all, then, no, he won’t be gone.

If they go down with injuries and the replacements work out decently, then he probably survives, whether they make it or not.

If they go down with injuries and he can get decent help from outside for minimal cost, and they make it anyway, then he survives.

That about covers it. Yup.

I don’t understand how adding a 27/28 year old pitcher, who’s also one of the best pitchers in the game, and a 28/29 year old first baseman, who is one of the best first basemen in the game, is “mortgaging the future”. It sounds like the Yankees have a *fantastic* core for the next 4 years, at least. If you don’t sign players because you’re concerned they’ll be less effective on the last year of their contract, you’re either a small-market team or a dumb large-market team. It’s nice that Boston is saving money, but who are their players going to be in 4 to 5 years? Wouldn’t their team be undoubtedly *better* if they had signed Sabathia, Teixeira, etc.? Don’t confuse financial efficiency for intelligence.

And, bad signings do hamper the team. E.g., the signing of Matsui prevented the Yanks from signing Adam Dunn, a better hitter, who will sign for less money.
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If the Yanks wanted Dunn, they would’ve signed him. They traded for Nick Swisher to play 1b, that didn’t stop them from signing Teix. They had a Cy Young Award winning closer, it didn’t stop them from signing Goose Gossage. They had a rotation of Cone-Wells-Pettitte-Duque-Irabu, that didn’t stop them from adding Roger Clemens.

So on and so forth…

I’m unimpressed with Cashman’s performance. His signings this year mortgaged the future in a desperate attempt to win in 2009. One can pretty safely predict that Burnett will miss substanital time during the next 5 years. He may not even last 5 more years. And, note that in his “turnaround year” 2008, his ERA+ was 1.05 — only a bit above average.

CC and Teix are top players, but there’s a good chance that one or other other will become ineffective before his contract runs out. Think of Donny’s back problems and innumerable pitchers with arm problems. ARod could also become ineffective with years left in his contract.

And, bad signings do hamper the team. E.g., the signing of Matsui prevented the Yanks from signing Adam Dunn, a better hitter, who will sign for less money.

Do I know what? There was a lot of stuff covered…
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Assuming we’re talking of player movement, and being active in the market (trade or FA), teams have done it every year, why wouldn’t they do it in the 2008-09 offseason?

Further Raf, show me the teams this offseason throwing money around – besides the Yankees, of course.
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Dodgers, Cubs, Angels, Nats, Phillies, off the top of my head…

Raf – do you know that as fact?
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Do I know what? There was a lot of stuff covered…

Further Raf, show me the teams this offseason throwing money around – besides the Yankees, of course.