While Brian Cashman may well have lost the AL East title to the Red Sox by not pulling off a Johan Santana deal, and while he will be second-guessed to death about his undying loyalty to young pitchers Philip Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy, one thing is for sure: You must give the Yankees general manager credit for sticking to his convictions.
If he needs to take a step back to take two steps forward, he's apparently willing to do it. He's willing to take the chance that another year of the youngsters gaining experience, with a new manager (Joe Girardi) getting his feet wet on the job, will pay dividends for the Yankees in 2009 when they move into the new Yankee Stadium.
Until then, the Red Sox might be in line to repeat.
The absence of Santana in the AL East is also good news for the Blue Jays, who may be ready to compete for the division title.
"I think we always expect that Boston and New York will compete for the best players," said Blue Jays general manager J.P Ricciardi. "So, when there's a Santana out there, you watch it, and when he doesn't end up in the division, you breathe a sigh of relief, I guess.
"But you have to take care of your own team, anyway. I think it's a tribute to Cash that he's so committed to those kid pitchers. That's your future. You put so much into developing those guys, you realize how valuable they are and the dividends they can pay for you down the road and in the present."
The Red Sox' Theo Epstein essentially made the same decision as Cashman - and we must add that both GMs did make substantial offers for Santana, though short of what the Twins wanted, probably by design. But for Epstein, it was a far lesser risk, given that the Sox have won two championships in the last four years. Cashman has four rings, but he hasn't won one in seven years with the game's highest payroll.
Walking away from the one available pitcher who can match up with Josh Beckett had to be tough, but Cashman never relented on Kennedy and eventually pulled back Hughes. He had no angst about the Red Sox obtaining Santana or, for that matter, the Mets stealing the back pages of the New York tabloids. He's past all of that now, thinking about his own team and trying to re-create the Yankee dynasty from his early days as general manager.
"It's right for us," said Cashman recently. "This is what we want to do."
What Cashman has is uncertainty but also, perhaps, some of that Barack Obama hope. Hughes and Chamberlain could be No. 1 starters in the minds of Cashman and his scouting staff. Chamberlain, a very tough setup man for Mariano Rivera, has to show he can bring that dominance to the rotation and incorporate more than his fastball and slider. Hughes, who strained a hamstring May 1 last season and didn't return until August, was throwing 91-92 toward the end of the season, and the feeling is he might get his velocity back in the 93-94 range when completely healthy. Kennedy is a favorite of the Yankee brass, a budding Mike Mussina.
Hope, yes. But guarantees?
"He knows those pitchers better than any of us," said Ricciardi. "We all have our scouting reports and opinions and ideas on pitchers all around baseball, but nobody knows them more than Cash and his staff. I think Cash is a very underrated GM because everyone assumes he's got deep pockets and he's always going to dig deep and spend a lot of money, but he really believes in his development system."
While some baseball officials feel that two-time 19-game winner Chien Ming-Wang is not going to be an ace, a few scouts say not so fast. Aces are sometimes hatched from experience and maturity. Wang turns 28 in March.
"Way too premature to say that Wang won't be an ace," said a rival American League scout. "He's got the stuff. If he develops the mental toughness - and over time that can come - then you have an ace, because he has the stuff to be an ace."
The argument against what Cashman is attempting is that three young pitchers may not be able to give the Yankees 180-200 innings apiece. In Chamberlain's case, there's already discussion that he might stay in his setup role for part of the year.
The Yankees won't be lousy, so forget that notion. They will be transitioning to what Cashman believes will be a better team. And his veterans are buying it.
"Everyone has great faith in Cash's decisions," said outfielder Johnny Damon. "We're going to be fine. It's exciting watching those young kids pitch, and our lineup will support them."
The Great Debate
Selection committee
Patriots or Giants? We asked a few baseball folks for their football opinions.
Red Sox senior adviser Jeremy Kapstein: "The Patriots have the coaching and the experience as well as the ability to make the big play. They have a unique ability to close out opponents. The Giants almost need to be perfect to win the game."
Indians general manager Mark Shapiro: "I take the team with the best QB, head coach, and GM in modern football history. Best yet, they play only for the team accomplishments and championships, with no energy wasted on individual credit or blame. Patriots all the way."
White Sox GM Kenny Williams: "Giants. I don't want the Red Sox to feel as if they have to match the Patriots' recent run. It's purely selfish for me. Also, I'm a Raider fan and I still haven't gotten over the playoff game a few years back."
Former big league manager Jack McKeon: "The Patriots are such a precision outfit that I can't see them losing. I grew up a Giants fan and I'd love to see them do it, but I just think that the Patriots are sky-high right now. They're the best team in the league. In games like this, the kicker is important, and I think the Patriots have the better one."
Padres GM Kevin Towers: "If you've won 18 games without losing, you're going to win 19 games. They have the greatest coach ever, the experience of having been there so many times. They know their opponent very well. I think it's the Patriots."
Tony Clark, free agent first baseman: "You're giving [Bill ] Belichick two weeks to prepare for this game. Until someone, maybe the Giants, proves me wrong, I have no reason to believe they won't be prepared, healthy, and therefore successful in their 'pursuit of perfection.' "
Dave Dombrowski, Tigers president and GM: "The Patriots have the best team."
A status report on the Blue Jays, right from the top
A few questions for Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi:
What's the latest on B.J. Ryan (who had Tommy John surgery)?
JPR: "It's been nine months now since the surgery. He threw his second bullpen recently. Until I'm told different, he'll be with us in spring training and ready to start the season. If we have to hold him back a month based on what we see, we'll do that."
Is there anyone you're watching closely in camp who could surprise?
JPR: "Well, we'd love to move Casey Janssen into the rotation. We feel he'd be an excellent fourth starter for us. But we'll have to see how Ryan is and make our decision from there."
So much of your success seems to hinge on health. Do you cross your fingers every year?
JPR: "I know that teams like the Patriots don't talk about injuries, but there's no question injuries have impacted our team the past couple of years. I mean, if Tom Brady goes down and Matt Cassel goes in there, then you're talking about injuries. It's almost as if you go into the season feeling, 'OK, what's going to happen now?' If we can avoid that - and we have to - we have the roster to have a very good team."
Anything you can do to protect Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett?
JPR: Halladay would pitch in a three-man rotation if you let him. He's just cut from a different cloth than anyone else. I get along great with Roy but the one time we've been at odds or had a disagreement, I told him we needed to hold him back. He wanted to pitch the final game of the season on three days' rest and I said no. When A.J. is out there healthy, everyone knows how dominating he can be. We've got to get him 30 starts. I mean, we always try to get an extra day for them when we can."
What will Scott Rolen mean for your team?
JPR: "We hope he's going to bring all of the great intangible things, but we hope he's going to be the hitter he was before the injuries. We know he's a great third baseman. We just felt Troy Glaus was going to opt out of his contract, and with Scott, we have him for three years." (Note: Rolen can also demand a trade or opt out after the 2008 season, but the Jays are confident he will stay put.)
Etc.
Touching the bases
Apropos of nothing: 1. Loved this scene at the New York Baseball Writers Dinner: Boxing scribe and cigar aficionado Bert Sugar handing Luis Tiant a cigar; 2. White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko becomes a 10-5 guy on April 30. Might be a few trade rumors flying soon; 3. On the Human Being Meter, soon-to-be Red Sox first baseman Sean Casey is one of the best; 4. Pay attention, Jose Reyes: The Nationals' new catching duo of Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada threw out just 28 of 173 runners last season (16.2 percent); 5. Have we mentioned what an incredible bargain Josh Beckett is? The Sox owe him about $32 million and change over the next three seasons.
Major doings in minors
Reader Joseph Barrett points out the irony in Jim Rice and Joe Morgan being named to the International League Hall of Fame recently. Rice and Morgan sparred in 1988 when Morgan, as manager of the Sox, pinch hit for him with Spike Owen in a bunt situation. Rice, Morgan, and Pawtucket owner Ben Mondor were all elected as part of the 125th anniversary of the league. The Hall has been on a 44-year hiatus. Rice was the last IL player to win the Triple Crown (Pawtucket, 1974). Rice also was recently honored at a Brockton Rox dinner that drew the largest crowd in the six-year history of the event. Morgan managed the PawSox from 1974-82, while Mondor rescued the team from bankruptcy in 1977 and turned it into a model minor league franchise.
Sabathia on deck for Indians
The new Johan Santana contract gives Indians GM Mark Shapiro a reference point in dealing with pending free agent C.C. Sabathia, the AL Cy Young winner. While many presume the Indians will have to deal Sabathia or lose him to free agency, Shapiro isn't giving in to that just yet. Sabathia may fall somewhere between the three-year, $52 million extension Jake Peavy signed in December and the six-year, $137.5 million deal Santana just signed with the Mets. The Indians are one of those organizations, like the Red Sox, that don't mind losing players if they can turn them into two valuable draft picks.
A tale of two clients
The Hendricks brothers have worked hard to defend Roger Clemens, and all of the statistical data they compiled is fascinating and valid. But one thing that still doesn't make sense is why Brian McNamee would tell the truth about Andy Pettitte and lie about Clemens. And if Pettitte acknowledges in his deposition this week that he and Clemens at least discussed HGH, that doesn't do Clemens any favors, either. This has to be a difficult time for the Hendrickses, who represent both players and are trying to keep their stories separate. One player admits it, the other doesn't. "I think what drives Roger," said a close friend and former Astros teammate, "is that he doesn't want to disappoint his kids. Those kids are everything to him." It has to be a tough time for them, particularly Koby, a player in the Astros' system.
Arms buildup in Milwaukee
Here's another reason the Brewers are likely to win the NL Central: They have a surplus of starting pitching. So much so, GM Doug Melvin is likely to entertain trade offers during spring training, barring injuries, of course. The Brewers will give starting spots to Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan, and Yovani Gallardo, for sure. Then you have Claudio Vargas, Carlos Villanueva, Dave Bush, and Manny Parra, who will likely start the year in Triple A. That's pretty deep. And it's not as if the Brewers can shift a couple of starters to the bullpen, where Melvin loaded up with Eric Gagné, Derrick Turnbow, David Riske, Salomon Torres, Guillermo Mota, and Brian Shouse. "It's going to be challenging," Melvin said. "We're certainly open to possible trades."
Marked for departure?
When the Braves signed first baseman Mark Teixeira to a one-year, $12.5 million deal, it may have just put off the inevitable loss of him in free agency. Teixeira, a player the Red Sox tried to deal for when he was in Texas, will likely command a salary of $20 million per year. His agent is Scott Boras, who couldn't get the Braves to bite on a long-term deal for Andruw Jones. The Braves should contend in the NL East, but if they don't, there could be a trading-deadline deal involving the slugging first baseman.
Ins and outs of the deal
The Rockies did some creative wording with Troy Tulowitzki's six-year, $29 million deal. Instead of a no-trade clause, it includes a clause that allows him to opt out of an option year valued at $15 million (with a $2 million buyout) if he's traded.
Join the crowd
The Indians, like the Sox, love to overstock the bullpen. A rainy day fund, if you will. The signing of Jorge Julio, a former closer, was pretty good for depth. Julio was 0-3 with a 3.93 ERA in Colorado last year in 58 games, but he had a respectable 2.86 ERA in Coors Field. There are still some interesting bullpen names out there: Bob Wickman, Armando Benitez, Shawn Chacon, Trever Miller, Ray King, Rudy Seanez, Antonio Alfonseca, and Jose Mesa. I said interesting, not good.
Extra bases
A few quick things: J.P. Ricciardi on Tampa Bay: "They're going to be one of those teams that nobody wants to face." . . . Jonathan Papelbon was an equal-opportunity snubber: He was a no-show at both the Boston and New York baseball writers dinners, where he was scheduled to receive awards . . . Happy 56th birthday, Fred Lynn.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com
