"It's not fair!" cried Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner in his latest rant. The son of George Steinbrenner has kept his family's tradition of lunacy alive and well this year with an array of quotes that leave many baseball enthusiasts laughing and others shaking their heads. In a column he authored that appeared in this week's Sporting News, Hank chastised Major League Baseball's divisional playoff system.
Steinbrenner wrote, "The biggest problem is the divisional setup in major league baseball. I didn't like it in the 1970s, and I hate it now. Baseball went to a multi-division setup to create more races, rivalries and excitement. But it isn't fair. You see it this season, with plenty of people in the media pointing out that Joe Torre and the Dodgers are going to the playoffs while we're not. This is by no means a knock on Torre - let me make that clear - but look at the division they're in. If L.A. were in the AL East, it wouldn't be in the playoff discussion. The AL East is never weak."
First, let me compose myself while I recover from a hearty laugh. The co-chairman of the New York Yankees claiming that something is not fair? The same Yankees organization that has more financial advantages than any other club in baseball? Now that is priceless entertainment!
Perhaps Steinbrenner would like to see baseball revert to the post-season format implemented through 1968, when the American League and National League was each composed of one division and the two pennant winners met in the World Series. In 1969, the eastern and western division were created in each league, and the league championship series debuted. Then, in 1994, each league added a division, a wild card berth and the divisional series, which represents the current format.
What Steinbrenner fails to realize is that the wild card might be his team's best hope for a playoff appearance. The American League is more competitive than ever, and - as Steinbrenner mentioned - the AL East is not weak. It is becoming increasingly difficult to win a division title, especially in a division where the only punching bag is Baltimore. The Yankees are no longer baseball royalty. Far from it. They are still formidable, but now the Red Sox and Angels are perennial contenders, the Rays are poised to join the AL's elite and organizations like Minnesota, Toronto, Chicago and Cleveland have bright futures. The Red Sox, Angels and now the Rays are on one level. The Twins, Blue Jays, Yankees, White Sox and Indians (who I believe will be solid in 2009) are on the second tier. Detroit, Oakland and Texas are among the third tier. And Seattle, Baltimore and Kansas City are the worst in the American League.
Yankees fans believe that, because the team will have millions upon millions to spend in the off-season, New York will rise again in 2009. Don't be so sure about that. Free agents are risky acquisitions. So are trades involving players with exorbitant contracts. In this era of baseball, you pay $15-$20 million a season for an impact player, and often that type of player requires a long-term deal. The Yankees have a $200-plus million payroll right now, and look at what that has bought via free agency and trade acquisitions.
It is also amusing that Yankees fans are already etching in stone the names of guys like CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. Again, let me reiterate, just like the Yankees are no longer the king of baseball, the Bronx is no longer the most appealing destination in the game for free agents. Sabathia will likely sign with a west coast team. The Angels are expected to let Francisco Rodriguez walk and sign Teixeira to a long-term deal. There is now talk that, since Toronto will be without Shaun Marcum next season (due to Tommy John surgery), A.J. Burnett will be signed to an extension. Looks like the Yankees will have to throw tens of millions at the injury-prone Ben Sheets, or execute a trade, which would likely require a package that includes Hughes, who will have more appeal this off-season than Kennedy.
Simply put, it's not 1998. It is no longer a given that the most prime free agents and trade targets with contracts their current team cannot afford will end up in pinstripes. And even if they are able to snag a big bat like Teixeira and/or a badly needed ace such as Sabathia, that does not guarantee a spot in the playoffs. Remember when the Yankees signed Jason Giambi, and everyone thought that more World Series titles would follow? How about Johnny Damon? When he signed with the Yankees, he envisioned a handful of World Series rings. That one he got in 2004 with the Red Sox still looks nice, though. A-Rod is still waiting for bling earned from winning it all.
Free agents and pricey trade acquisitions alone are not main ingredient to a World Series championship. The Red Sox have the right mix of free agents and trade acquisitions who fit nicely into roles and, most important, homegrown talent. Free agents should be used to fill in a few holes, but the Yankees have many. While the Red Sox have received significant contributions from Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen, Clay Buchholz (in last year's push to the post-season, not this year) and Jed Lowrie (who, though he is mired in a slump, stabilized the shortstop position and even helped out at third base in Mike Lowell's absence); the Yankees so-called flourishing farm system has produced Robinson Cano (who is rumored to be trade bait in the off-season), Melky Cabrera (who fooled us into believing that he was more than a fourth outfielder) and Ian Kennedy (who is more like a David Pauley than a Phil Hughes). I do think that Joba Chamberlain will be a successful reliever for the long term, and that Hughes will someday become a productive starter, but where is the rest of that vaunted Yankees farm system?
This leads me back to my original point - Hank Steinbrenner should embrace the wild card because there will be more seasons like this one for the Yankees. Right now, it appears that many of their prospects are over-hyped. And, as I mentioned, free agency is not the way to overhaul a team. Look at the Red Sox. Theo Epstein is regarded as one of the game's best general managers, and with good reason, but even he erred in judgment by signing J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo. Would the Sox be a perennial pennant contender if they had to construct their roster from several free agent signings. Not a chance.
Yankees fans like to think that their team's starting rotation is a strength. We have Chien-Ming Wang. He's a legitimate ace, they claim. The Moose will be back. So will Hughes. Alfredo Aceves looks pretty good. And we will sign two top free agents among Sabathia, Burnett and Sheets. I'm glad the Yankees have those pitching options and the Red Sox have theirs.
Make no mistake. I don't believe that the Yankees will fall into a Baltimore Orioles-esque funk. With the new stadium, they will have another in a multitude of financial advantages over every other ballclub. Though money can't buy championships, it can secure enough talent to guarantee a .500-plus season. Yet it is risky to heavily rely upon free agent signings and pricey trade acquisitions. And until it actually produces more than a successful pitcher here and a reliable position player there, the Yankees farm system will be overrated.
The Yankees should be thankful for the three division format and the wild card. The Red Sox are. Boston has won two World Series titles since 2004, one with the wild card. The Yankees have won a total of four post-season games since 2005. Funny how money doesn't accomplish what it once did in Major League Baseball.
Enjoy the post-season, Hank. Formulate your plans for overhauling your once-proud franchise and brainstorm for your next rant, which I imagine will surface during the World Series. And hope - yes, hope - that your off-season barrage of free agent signings produces better results than what your current roster has generated.
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