Yankee Hotstove

The Hot Stove Begins Early
That's what happens when they don't make the play-offs. Just checking around the blog-verse, there's a certain resigned air to most of the Yankee Empire of fans. 1) it was bound to happen some day; 2) there were a lot of injuries this year; and 3) that Hughes-Kennedy-Chamberlain troika didn't quite transpire the way it was hoped.

The past few years' post-season appearances have been pretty bad, so it's only a matter of degree of disappointment that's different. 2005, 2006, 2007 were all crappy entries in the annals of Yankee Play-off appearances. They had no pitching and no mongrel in them.

The Brian Cashman Watch Begins... Again
It doesn't seem like it, but it's already been 3 years since we did this merry-go-around when Brian Cashman seemingly won a battle of wills with George Steinbrenner to run the team his way, with his vision. Since then, the 'Steinbratz' Hank and Hal have taken over where George left off and it's been anybody's guess. So here we are again, waiting to see if Cashmoney is going to stay with the organisation in which he came to prominence.

As the Yankees enter another off-season, their first priority is to re-sign Cashman, who is well liked by the Steinbrenner brothers. Hal Steinbrenner has worked closely with Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi, and Cashman said, “I have a tremendous relationship with the Steinbrenner family.”

Hank Steinbrenner has publicly promised to be aggressive in pursuing free agents this winter, and the crop will be thick. The Yankees will explore Sabathia, although they are pessimistic about his desire to play for them.

Well that's nice. He might stay then. That would be very nice. In an organisational sense, he's an in-house product, much like Mo and Jeter and Jorgie, so you'd think he'd stay to see it out.

Things I'd Rather They Didn't Do...
More from the link above:

The Yankees could let Cabrera and Brett Gardner, two strong defenders, compete for the center-field job. But they must prove they can hit. The team could also see if the Dodgers would trade center fielder Matt Kemp for Canó, who has bothered many in the organization for producing so little after being rewarded with a long-term contract. Canó could be replaced at second base by a free agent like Orlando Hudson.

The O-dog is a funny guy - he once called JP Riccardi a guy who dresses like a pimp - but I'm not sure another older player is what the Yankees want. Cano after all, did have a sucky BABIP most of the way of the season. He was down 40 points from his career norm.

Had he hit to his career norm, his line of .286/.305/.410 would have translated to
.326/.345/.501, which is roughly his 2007 line with a touch more SLG. The guy's still an excellent 2B. Matt Kemp is a very nice player, but the upside of Cano is too good to trade away at the lowest point of his value.

Things To Watch Out For...
...apart from signing Cashman.

1) Will they sign Mark Teixiera?
2) Will they sign C.C.Sabathia?
3) Whither Moose and Andy?
4) Who will they sign as the other catcher?
5) What's the bench going to look like in 2009?

Thus the hotstove begins.

UPDATE: Overnight, Cashman confirmed he would return, so that part is done.

“I consider coming off a season where we didn’t reach the playoffs for the first time since 1993 as a personal challenge,” Cashman said in a statement. “I’ve never been one to run from a challenge, and I look forward to having the chance to go after this thing again.”

New York’s shortcomings this season led many to believe that Cashman would not be back with the Yankees in 2009.

However, Cashman received a vote of confidence from Yankees co-chairmen Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, who made the decision Tuesday in an effort to jump-start what likely will be a turbulent offseason in the Bronx.

Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, the sons of Yankees principle owner George Steinbrenner, praised Cashman in a joint statement released by the team.

“Holding the position of general manager for any major league team is a challenge,” the statement said. “But to do so in the great city of New York, where baseball is passionately followed 12 months a year, you must possess a number of unique attributes.

“Brian has shown throughout his Yankees career that he has the dedication, integrity and know-how needed to perform - and succeed - in this environment. Having him in place allows us to begin an offseason of hard work, and we are pleased he will be working hand-in-hand with us to bring the New York Yankees back to the postseason.”

So that's a good sign. If I were him I'd keep going until they took the desk away from me. :)