YOU CAN'T FIX AN OLD LINEUP WITH MORE OLD PLAYERS

I admire Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and he writes a great column today where he basically suggests that he doesn't believe his source in the organization that they are done signing big contracts and they've decided to be more conservative by their spending.  Well, I'm with Joel, I don't believe them either.  His column today is If the Yankees must spend, then spend on Victor Martinez. You read that right...VICTOR MARTINEZ.  And that's where he loses me.

Joel writes: "Thus, if told I must double down, my recommendation would be to sign Victor Martinez, despite the recklessness of doing just that. He turns 36 in December. He is mainly a DH and it is possible that slot is going to be needed for two expensive pieces already gone wrong for the Yanks — Beltran and Alex Rodriguez.

Because he is a year-and-a-half younger than Beltran and is having a superior walk year, Martinez can expect more than the three years at $45 million Beltran received last offseason."

I know... you grimaced just like me. I see what Sherman's doing.  He's being provocative and sucking in the Yankee fan, like you, like me, who are looking for answers to our team that we built this offseason with superstars like Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka. 

Guys like Brian McCann and Beltran.  Guys that were supposed to help this club win.  Those three hitters right there alone look great on paper, don't they?  Offensively, mixing them in with guys like Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner... we have a new, hungry club.  But we aren't.

Here's the problem though.  Now, in the desperation of all of this, do we really want to continue to "go old"? Victor Martinez is 36 years old.  We've tried that. We've tried it many times.  Can't we attempt to get some young bats in there? Come on! Sprinkle in the youth with the old. What do you say?

Yes, it's true, Martinez is having the season of his life. 30 home runs, .333 average.  He's the exact player we want, no question about it.  Here's my worry... how do we know that will translate to the New York Yankees?  We've been burned before.  It goes back to the days of Jack Clark. 

Sure, we don't know until we try, but we have to somehow stop throwing money at everyone who has 1 good season.  We need to stay inside the family.  Last time we did that Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams happened.

The idea of Victor Martinez in pinstripes with 30+ home runs and a productive bat would be glorious, but let's face it, we've had high expectations for guys like Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran too.  It hasn't happened.

Look, I don't know what the Yankees will do.  I do know that if the Yankees don't make the playoffs this year, there will be hell to pay, and there should be.  But what happens next is anyone's guess... including Joel Sherman, including you and me.

Joel Sherman ladies and gentlemen... always provocative... but I'm just afraid the signing of Martinez could be reckless and desperate.

Stay tuned.

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