With Most Yankees Returning, Team’s Problems Aren’t Going Away

Girardi's mystery decisions continue to pile up, and yet he seems untouchable despite his failures. Using Betances until his arm almost gave out, having two speedsters at the top of the lineup but almost never running, playing the cold bat in the Wild Card and leaving the hot bat on the bench to stew, panicky moves in July, August and of course September, failure to win a division that was there for the taking as late as August 15. How lucky was he that aging A-Rod was productive for four months and Texeira, how lucky that the division was awful for the first three fourths of the season, and how predictable that the aging players would run out of gas after the break. And Cashman has to be called to account for this dismal roster and the albatross contracts that will hold the team back for two more years. Should we really be celebrating his signing of Dustin Ackley? Look around baseball for a dozen examples of smart, nimble franchises. For that matter, look on the other end of the Triborough Bridge for one. Time for a change, from top to bottom.

This is contrarian, but Gardner, Ellsbury, Headley and McCann are not old by baseball standards. Their hitting just faded away. Perhaps the team is not emphasizing fitness and flexibility enough. I would replace the hitting coach with a younger, more aggressive person and replace the strength and fitness coach too. Also, I would have a rule that sharply limits the frequency of strength training during the season and would take care that the players are doing maintenance, not short sets of heavy weights/resistance (this is detrimental to flexibility as I have found out the hard way). Perhaps that will speed up the bats and reduce the minor muscular tweaks that saps. effectiveness and readiness.

It was painful but predictable to watch the Yankees collectively run out of gas the second half of the season, age and injury finally caught up to them. So, yeah, they need an infusion of youth and talent, Bird and Severino are a promising start. I for one would prefer to watch young players develop than old ones fade, even at the expense of winning, and it would probably cost less too. Girardi? He's OK, I guess, it was frustrating to see so many runners stranded at third with one out. Suicide squeeze, anyone?

We love our Yankees. Time to accept that we are stuck with this group for another two years so no big expectations -- they just won't win anything. Lets look forward to when the team gets out from under the "Anti - Yankees Tax" and hope that management makes the right talent choices in the farm system until then (yikes -- Cashman + the Steinbrenner boys? ugh).

The St. Louis Cardinals have the highest number of home grown players on their post-season roster.

Until the Yankees brass figures out this is the way to go, their future performance will only be as good as their latest free agent signing.

Is is a coincidence that the Yankees long run as World Series contenders during Jeter's time had at their core great draft picks? I don't think so.

Losing Cano created a power shortage at second base. Sign Zobrist!

Not exactly a message to season ticket holders that they should rush out and renew. Same roster, overworked relievers whose arms eventually will give out, and some really questionable decision making by a manager more robot than leader. And Yankee fans keep putting up with this?

Does anyone want to see a return of the mess that Cashman made? It's hard to imagine, now that most New Yorkers are heading to the Mets games.
Cashman should have been a Dolan.

I'd rather see young home-grown guys struggle if it means them finding their feet than watch old(er) imported guys struggle as they play out bloated contracts.

My problem with Girardi is not his game management, but with his lack of criticism towards Cashman. Perhaps he should have advocated for himself more often, i.e. "how do expect me to win old, broken down, has beens?", or "we need to get younger real soon". Instead he seems to get along so well with Cashman--no reported complaints--that maybe I'm thinking he is helping to pick this old folks home of a team. In which case he is part of the problem

Getting tired and getting injured are products of getting old. As long as the team relies on the AARP crew, they are not getting better.

As far as the Yankee prospects are concerned, until they are time tested, I will remain cynical. Except for Robinson Cano, which prospect has demonstrated proven ability over time? We all hear about how wonderful the farm system has become, but where are the players? I get the idea that Girardi's rosy view of the future, is nothing more than a ploy to keep the fans happy and the seats filled, since Jeter has already retired, and they've run out of numbers to retire. Stop playing your fans for suckers and rebuild the team instead patching it together with baling wire and chewing gum!

I think Girardi did a great job. Nobody predicted the Yanks to make the playoffs. After years of the Steinbrenner kids continuing their father's penchant for signing aging superstars to long contracts, Cashman is now being allowed to keep the gems of the farm system and they got a lot of production from them at the end of the year. If they knew that Tex was not coming back, I'm sure Cash would have gone out and gotten a right handed first baseman. Yeah, it's going to take time to get rid of the old guys, but they all produced more than was expected and will need to be given more rest in the future.

I would hope that they make some drastic changes, because there is a lot of dead wood on this team.

Why isn't there more conversation about whether or not Girardi will be retained? I am not impressed with his ability to get the most from the team's veteran players and if, as the article states, they are all returning, this becomes a huge issue.