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July 2, 2007 -- THE Yankees need Alex Rodriguez to be their Herschel Walker.
They need to convince their most alluring product to accept a trade and then turn Rodriguez into the kind of haul that transformed the Cowboys from also-rans to champions after dumping Walker on the Vikings.
Let’s erase the silly notion of the Yankees as buyers. Buying is for contenders. These Yankees are not contenders. They lost another game and series yesterday, falling 11-5 to Oakland and dropping four games under .500. Stop talking about who the Yankees should be. Deal with who they are: a team that midway through the season is not excelling at any phase.
Their professionalism is under attack from core lieutenants Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. To even begin to fix this roster, you must obtain a first baseman, backup catcher, two set-up men, one starter and a better overall attitude. To add more veterans at the cost of top prospects now when the playoffs are a pipe dream would be the height of executive negligence.
So should the Yanks be sellers and, if so, should they sell A-Rod amid his best year?
“That is something I would not speak to,” GM Brian Cashman said. “I’m not thinking in those terms.”
He should be. A scout who has watched the Yankees said one reason so many veteran position players lack urgency is that “there is no one in the minors threatening to take their job.” The Yanks have stockpiled pitching prospects, but their positional supply is deficient. Their offense has flat-lined and all they can summon is Andy Phillips, Kevin Thompson and Chris Basak.
They must deepen the pool of high-end, major league-ready positional talent. Without adding that the Yanks could be facing many October-less seasons.
Wouldn’t it behoove the Yanks to make Rodriguez available in a trade market craving power to see if someone makes that Herschel Walker-type overwhelming offer that can’t be refused? The Angels and Dodgers, for example, both need power, both are blessed with young talent and both would imagine themselves as champions if Rodriguez were batting cleanup.
They need to convince their most alluring product to accept a trade and then turn Rodriguez into the kind of haul that transformed the Cowboys from also-rans to champions after dumping Walker on the Vikings.
Let’s erase the silly notion of the Yankees as buyers. Buying is for contenders. These Yankees are not contenders. They lost another game and series yesterday, falling 11-5 to Oakland and dropping four games under .500. Stop talking about who the Yankees should be. Deal with who they are: a team that midway through the season is not excelling at any phase.
Their professionalism is under attack from core lieutenants Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. To even begin to fix this roster, you must obtain a first baseman, backup catcher, two set-up men, one starter and a better overall attitude. To add more veterans at the cost of top prospects now when the playoffs are a pipe dream would be the height of executive negligence.
So should the Yanks be sellers and, if so, should they sell A-Rod amid his best year?
“That is something I would not speak to,” GM Brian Cashman said. “I’m not thinking in those terms.”
He should be. A scout who has watched the Yankees said one reason so many veteran position players lack urgency is that “there is no one in the minors threatening to take their job.” The Yanks have stockpiled pitching prospects, but their positional supply is deficient. Their offense has flat-lined and all they can summon is Andy Phillips, Kevin Thompson and Chris Basak.
They must deepen the pool of high-end, major league-ready positional talent. Without adding that the Yanks could be facing many October-less seasons.
Wouldn’t it behoove the Yanks to make Rodriguez available in a trade market craving power to see if someone makes that Herschel Walker-type overwhelming offer that can’t be refused? The Angels and Dodgers, for example, both need power, both are blessed with young talent and both would imagine themselves as champions if Rodriguez were batting cleanup.
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