Yankee Offseason: What I'd Do If I Were Brian Cashman

What I love most about the baseball off-season, other than that I am a Yankees fan, is how ridiculous the hours and hours of fan conversation, debate, and conjecture is. People go on and on talking about where they think players want to sign, what teams are going to do, and how much players are going to end up getting paid, when at the end of the day the only people who have any idea what's going on is the players, management, and family and friends involved, and select members of the media.  With that thought out of the way, here are the moves I think the Yankees should make this off-season. 

Sign CC Sabathia

I know, I know, really creative.  But like a lot of Yankee fans (and I think the people making these decisions) I think that signing an ace like Sabathia is a must for the Yankees to establish some consistency in the rotation.  What I love most about the big lefty is how durable he is.  He has made at least 28 starts and pitched at least 180 innings every year since 2001, winning at least 11 games every one of those seasons.

Secondly, he's getting better, with his best two statistical seasons coming the last two years.  Finally, he's only 28 years old, and there is no reason to think his performance will drop off in the foreseeable future.  This guy is too good to miss out on, and I think New York will spend as much as is needed to ensure they get him.  

Sign Adam Dunn

One of the big surprises of this off-season so far is how little interest Dunn has drawn, despite the fact that Arizona has made it clear they wont be able to re-sign him.  I understand that most people want Mark Teixeira, but I think it would be impossible to get him and Sabathia, due to how much they both will draw.  Dunn, while not cheap, will not burn the Yankees pockets nearly as fast as Tex, and can provide nearly as much production.  

The problem most people have with him is similar to that they have with Nick Swisher: low average and too many strikeouts.  While this is true, you need to appreciate what Dunn can do.  He has a career OBP of .381 and OPS of .899, as well as having hit at least 40 homers five years running.  These numbers would likely rise in New York, with its short porch in right and the better protection up and down the lineup.  Sounds like a good fit to me.

Trade Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano and a fourth prospect for Jake Peavy

Can you imagine a rotation of Sabathia, Peavy, Wang, and Joba?  That's three of the best arms in the game, and a guy in Chien Ming whose proven he's a winner when healthy. Peavy has had an ERA under 3.00 in four of the past five years, and like Sabathia has been able to consistently make over 25 starts a year.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?