WHY CASHMAN & BEANE SHOULD EXCHANGE GIFTS

Now that it appears the Yu Darvish ship has sailed, what's next? Well, we move on to pitchers we covet but may or may not be allowed to have, of course. Gio Gonzalez is a great pitcher, but for what Billy Beane is asking for him in return, no team would offer. Sure, there is no reason whatsoever that Beane would need to part with Gio Gonzalez, after all, the Athletics would probably hurt themselves in the “now” by unloading him and only be building for the future. Gio's with the A's until 2015...Beane will do everything he can to hold onto him or get the farm for him. It makes sense. I say, and of course I’m biased, it’s the holiday season, and Mr. Beane should give. Now, before everyone jumps down my throat on just how ridiculous this statement is, understand my sarcasm during this holiday season. The New York Yankees have made only 3 moves this off season. 1 was huge…resigning CC Sabathia to a long term deal to stay in the Bronx not only offers stability, but confidence in the top portion of the rotation. Again, and I’ve preached this several times, CC Monster needs a supporting cast. If you think about it, there are question marks throughout this rotation, starting with Nova and going right down the line to Freddy Garcia. More on that in a minute.(In Photo: Jayson Nix)
The next move was Jayson Nix, a utility guy who we signed to a minor league deal. No doubt he’ll be playing with the big team, but is this the bat you were hoping for? Yes I know utility is good to have but there is some talent out there that I would have chosen before Jayson Nix…no offense to Jayson Nix of course. Finally, the 3^rd move was signing Freddy Garcia. Don’t get me wrong, we love Freddy, but I don’t like going to the Island of Misfit Toys to find “possible” stability. What’s next, signing Victor Zambrano to a deal? Remember him?

(In Photo: Victor Zambrano, 2009)

The point is, I expected more from my New York Yankees. I mean, are they really hurting financially? How much are those tickets again? We pay how much to see the best team on the field? Yes, alot and we do it every year, no matter how much we bitch, we know, in the end, the best guys are out there representing the New York Yankees and all I need to say is, come on Cashman, go get them, it’s not like you’re going to be in the red if you sign some talent. Sometimes talent costs a few extra bucks!

Billy Beane is doing what he’s supposed to do as a GM for the A's, trying to get the best and most he can for one of his guys who’s been written about more than any other pitcher this off season, except of course, Yu Darvish. But Beane needs to be realistic. It doesn’t take a genius to know that Gonzalez walks a lot of guys...Fangraphs has that HERE. Not exactly a great trait you want in a starting “ace” and yes, that doesn't matter as much if you pitch a lot of innings, but the point is, that's important to know. The price needs to come down a bit Beane, seriously. Remember it’s the holiday season, you need to give.

Now back to CC Monster and his supporting cast. Question marks are many, you realize that right? I’m not panicking yet, but you need to realize that we really don’t know how these guys will perform going into 2012.

Ivan Nova came off a great season, but will "the Verducci effect" literally come into effect and how will Nova be in 2012? We need to think about that, I mean, could he be our #2? Question mark.

AJ Burnett has been inconsistent for 3 years, so what makes you think 2012 will be any different? Prediction... a strong start and he’ll shit the bed by August, that’s if of course he’s not traded at the deadline in July. The best thing that could happen is he has a strong start, other teams are interested and he’s traded for a pitching upgrade by the playoffs. Anyway… Question mark.

Phil Hughes is bound to bounce back after the most peculiar seasons I’ve ever seen. Let me take that back, I remember the 80’s with a guy named Steve Trout that the Yankees picked up from the Cubs that had a horrendous run in the Bronx... for like 5 minutes. (In Photo: Steve Trout)

That was peculiar too. That being said, no one could have predicted what happened to Phil Hughes in 2011 and will it happen again? Question mark.

Freddy Garcia, believe it or not, he may be our savior, yet, we just don’t know if last season will take a toll on this season because of his age and last year's work load. He’s a gritty veteran, he reinvented himself, but truth be told, we just don’t know what he can provide again, sad but true. Question mark.

Cashman needs to understand that having faith in his pitching is much different than anticipating pitching. You can have faith in your pitching staff but you need a backup plan, or at least an upgrade. Beane’s got to give this holiday season, but Cashman must do the same. It’s not so much about the future, it’s also about the now. The Yankee fans demand it. We pay a lot of money that goes to all these guy's salaries. We want to see the best guys on the field now, not in 2015. It’s time that Cashman and Beane have a gift exchange. Don’t be selfish…give. Feel good about it!

It’s Christmas and after it’s done, don’t look back, smile about what you've done and know that you did something good for the fans and for the team… after all, that’s what the Boss would do.

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