The 2013 New York Yankee season was like a roller coaster that tried to reach its pinnacle but never quite made it. It was the little (err, big – it’s NY after all) engine that thought it could, but couldn’t. There were injuries to many key players from Jeter to A-Rod to Teixera, just to name a few, but the team was already old before the season began. So manager Joe Girardi tried his best to have a competitive team, and for a while he was succeeding. Unfortunately when the bats finally woke up with the help of A-Rod coming back and the signing of Alfonso Soriano, the Yankee pitching died. CC Sabathia had another bad year and Kuroda, who had a solid first half started to fade. In the end they did not make the playoffs, and any time that happens it can only be considered a failure.
The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. This team has potential all-stars at virtually every position except catcher. Finding a bonafide catcher who can handle a pitching staff and also hit with power like Jorge Posada must be a priority, especially given the pitching woes.
Speaking of pitching, it is the next area of need. Yankee legends Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera retired, and CC and Hiroki Kuroda faded last year. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain were supposed to be the future but I think they will become part of the Yankees past. The team should bring up some young kids like the killer Bs, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances. The future is now! I also have been reading about this Japanese stud named Masahiro Tanaka. I read that he was 24-0 last year with an era under 1.50! Are you kidding me? Sign this arm ASAP!
Then we have Señor Alex Rodriguez, The Yankee Soap Opera/drama king, for whom we need to give some attention. He wants to sue everyone from MLB to doctors to the Yankees. The biggest mistake the Yankees did was sign this guy to a 10-year contract for so much money – hindsight, I know. He still has some power left, don’t get me wrong, but in no way is he worth that kind of money. Imagine the pitching that money could have given the Yankees. If Gerorge Steinbrenner was alive today Señor Alex would be adios – I think.
Look, there is still hope for the Yankee ship to sail again gracefully. The team will have to spend some money to upgrade catching and pitching- such is the Yankee way. There will be players available in the free agent market. The Yankees front office should be aggressive, yet smart in their signings this year. A-Rod’s situation will be a mess, and I’m not sure of a “better” way out of it. I hope the team will soon know if he will or will not be with the team before the season starts, and if some miracle happens and A-Rod is proven innocent and allowed to stay with the team, he has to man the hell up in a hurry and apologize to his teammates as well as to the fans and the city of New York for all the drama and embarrassment he has brought.
I know what you are thinking, but I can dream can’t I? Go Yankees in 2014, and I hope they close the door on the A-Rod fiasco soon! Just a fan’s perspective.
Main Photo Credit: Groupe Canam, via Wiki Commons, CC
