What does the Crawford Sigining mean for the Yanks?

So now that Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox, and with Adrian Gonzalez also on his way to bean town, what does this mean for the Yankees?

I'm actually less worried about A-Gon than I am about Crawford, despite what the numbers may say. A-Gon hasn't seen American League pitching, where as Crawford has dominated the AL, and brings with him significant speed.

What really scares me though is that Fenway's dimensions are shrinking. The place is already a band box, and now they're bringing in the fences in right field. And they call Yankee Stadium small. Just look at this overlay of the current dimensions: (NYS = New Yankee Stadium)

 Once they bring in the fences, the only place Fenway will be bigger than Yankee Stadium is dead center. This will play perfectly to A-Gon and Crawford's strengths, not to mention Ortiz. Now that's scary.

Boston is still lacking in the Pitching department, which will be emphasized by the smaller dimensions, but as of now so are the Yankees. If the Yankees don't sign Lee, they're in even more trouble in 2011. They could conceivably miss the playoffs all together.

How heavy does Pettite's decision weigh?

So last year I felt like Pettite should have retired after the '09 season, going out on top as the winner of the World Series clinching game. Boy was I wrong. Prior to his injury, Pettite had a killer year. Now he is holding Yankee Universe hostage. Until we know his position on retirement, we don't know just how much we need Lee, or how much we're going to have to look internally for rotation positions.

Now we hear that he's leaning towards retirement. That means that in the event that we do not get Lee, we're looking at Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova as our 4 and 5 pitchers. That could be the killer for the Yankees in the stacked east, and we may be looking at a second or third place finish and miss the playoffs all together.

Waiting on Cliff

The Yankees lost out on Crawford and Werth, and aren't willing to let go of any big name prospects for Zack Greinke. That means that Cliff Lee is no longer just their primary off season  target. He's their only one.

Pavano is still out there, but I wouldn't wish that on The Red Sox The Mets my worst enemy.

 The Yankees have allegedly offered three deals: 5 years $123 MM, 6 years, $144 MM, or a whopping 7 years $161 MM. The Rangers, the only other team believed to still be involved in the negotiations, have been rumored to offer a 5-year deal with a sixth year option. If Nolan Ryan is right, we're looking at at least one more day of waiting before any decision is made. Who will he wind up with? Yankee officials have expressed some sceptacism,  but I believe the smart money is still on the Yankees. Expect to see Lee in pinstripes by mid-week.

The Yankees need to do whatever they can to stay competitive in the AL east, especially with the moves Boston has made over the last few days. Cliff Lee is much more important right now to the Yankees than he will be too Texas. The Yankees already missed out on Lee once, don't expect the Steinbrenners to miss out on him twice.

Don't make daddy's ghost mad.

Tampa Sinking

So how good will Tampa be this year? Crawford signed with Boston (more on that later), Pena signed with the Cubs, Matt Garza is being shopped, Bartlet is a Padre, and Choate is close to a deal with the Marlins. So where does this leave the Rays in 2011? Metaphorically speaking...

They're sunk. While they do have one of the best farm systems in baseball (a few years ago their AAA team may have been able to beat the Pirates major league team), their rookies are just that, rookies. They're untested, and being tossed right into the fire that is the AL east will undoubtedly be too much for them to handle right away. The Yankees missed the playoffs in '08, the Rays in '09, and the Red Sox in '10, it's the Rays' turn again. I predict them to be in the position often held by the Blue Jays of "If they were only in a different division they would have made the playoffs...", and win 89 games, finishing behind the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Rising Sun: Washington Nationals

Are the Nationals the next Tampa Bay Rays? With the news this week that they signed Jayson Werth to a 7-year $126 million contract, a record for outfielders, combined with recent draft picks Bryce Harper and the now-injured Stephen Strasburg, the team is setting themselves up to be one of the better teams in baseball within the next 5 years or so. Gone are the days when Owen Wilson might actualy be able to pitch for the Nationals.

Nationals 2009 Opening Day Starter

So what do I make of all these moves? Well taking into account that Strasburg will probably miss most of 2011 with Tommy John surgery, and now that they've lost Adam Dunn to the White Sox, I don't project too much of a difference this year (however they may still show marked improvement, perhaps finishing ahead of the Mets) however two or three years from now, the Nationals could be a force to be reckoned with in the NL east. The addition of a guy like Werth, who, while not the best outfielder brings postseason experience and knows how to play on a competitive team in the east and how to supercharge a locker room, could conceivably give a big boost too a Washington club that's needed just that for some time now. Here's my 2011 NL east prediction:

Philadelphia 95-63
Atlanta 89-73
Florida 75-87
Washington 74-86
Mets 69-93

So there you have it, for only the second time in their history in Washington, the Nationals will finish out of last in the East. As for the Mets...well...

I Told You I'd Be Back....

So it's been a while since my last post, and I apologize for that. Things have been a little hectic around here lately, but with the winter meetings now behind us, I can promise that we will have much more content shortly!

John Miller and Joe Morgan Fired!

I'm a little late to the show, but John Miller and Joe Morgan have both been fired! Not sure who will fill in for them, but anyone will be better. Hopefully this will put an end to the Anti-New York bias on Sunday Night Baseball. Perhaps Michael Kay will be the replace meant? He already has an ESPN show. One can only hope.