The Yankees acquired 12-year veteran Richie Sexson today. Sexson was released by the Seattle Mariners last week.
With the addition of Sexson, the Yankees have rolled the dice a bit. He could work out for the Yankees, or he could be a waste of time and money.
Normally, I would cringe at this type of decision for the Yankees. The man is 33-years-old, batting .218, and is one of baseball's most overpaid athletes. That being said, he is going to make for a classic Yankee.
On a more serious note, I kind of like this move. When one gambles, the question must be asked: does the benefit outweigh the risk?
In this situation, what is the possible benefit?
- B/R Ticket Guide
The Yankees could get a halfway decent bat and who knows, he might even show us a little of that old Richie Sexson power. In all likelihood, he will just be a bat that can DH for the Yankees once every couple of days. This isn't a huge acquisition, but it has a chance to have good upside for the Yankees.
He is batting .344 against left-handed batters. He doesn't have 180 at bats against lefties, but 70 at bats are enough to tell the Yankees that he can still hit for them.
Okay, so what is the risk?
The Yankees will pay Sexson a pro-rated $390,000. Seattle has to pay Richie the rest of his $14 million salary. So if Richie has an awful time with the Yankees, they release him at the end of August, without losing much. The only real risk here is if, well wait a minute, there is no risk.
The Yankees steal a pretty expensive piece of merchandise and got away with it. If they're caught, they will pay a minimal fee and return the item after they have used it a little. Either that or the Yankees keep it.
Not a bad deal, is it? A decent player to come off the bench, practically for free. We will see if it works out soon. Richie is expected to be in the Yankee lineup on Saturday against the A's.
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4 months ago
Not a bad point from the risk assessment side, all we have to lose is $390,000 (chump change for the yankees). However on the point that Sexson is an "expensive piece of equipment I disagree, to keep with the equipment metaphor hes like a 2000 ford explorer, used to be valuable and powerful but nobody really wants one now. What I do think we have to lose is production verse lefties, Sexson this year has very impressive numbers (against lefties) but historically he does not. Here are some other players with more home runs this year than sexson would you be happy if the Yankees got any of them?
mike napoli
kevin kouzmanoff
pedro feliz
mark derosa
Sexson is a big man with a big name, but he can't hack it anymore
from 4 months ago
I think that the expensive piece of equipment part was stated wrong on my part. I meant to say that they were paying nothing for something that is costing the Mariners another six milllion dollars this season.
My point on Sexson is that there was really not much downside to the Yankees bringing him in. If the Yankees brought him in expecting a .280 batter with 34 homeruns and 105 rib, the should be extremely disappointed. Calling him an expensive piece of equipment was incorrect, and your Ford Explorer comparison is much more acurate.
As for some of the guys you have listed, I will tell you what I think of each of them.
Napoli-Not really interested. If we could get him for free like we are getting Sexson I might be. He isn't a great hitter as far a batting average is concerned. He can hit a homerun once in a while, but he is only batting a bismal .229 for his career. Plus the Yankees already have three catchers in the big leagues. If Posada is struggling to keep the job, Napoli wouldn't stand a chance. I would be upset if the Yankees went after him.
Kouzmanoff-Also not really interested. He plays third, a position already occupied by Arod. He's a good hitter, but not a great hitter. He struggles to work walks and strikes out to often. He is a decent player, but not worth trading to get.
Feliz-The Yankees might be able to use a bat like Feliz's. He could DH and give Arod a break at third once a week. He could easily bad .270 and knock in 20-25 homeruns a year. Batting sixth in a yankee lineup with a homerun total in the twenties usually results with more than 100 rbi for the season. I don't know if the Phillies are shopping him or what his price tag would be.
DeRosa-He is easily the best player you have listed. He can basically play any position, not including catcher. He can bat .290 and drive in 80 runs for the Yankees, as well as draw a solid number of walks. Unfortunately, he has the same scenario as Feliz. I'm not sure that the Cubs are going to try to fix anything that isn't broken, seeing as they have a comfortable lead in the division and are probably the team to beat in the National League. If the Yankees threw enough on the table they could get him, but they have a better chance looking elsewhere.
It would be nice to see them aim for a Holiday or a Nady, but who knows what the Yankees are willing to give up? I don't see them trading Kennedy or Hughes, seeing as they could have done that and received Johan Santana.
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