Davidoff On The Yankees' Next Move



Newsday's Ken Davidoff on the fun choices facing the Yankees this offseason :

Word out of Tampa is that George Steinbrenner wants Pedro Martinez and his baseball people don't. Our take is that neither side is 100 percent wrong, but The Boss is closer to being right.

In the wake of The Great Collapse, the Yankees must not repeat their mistakes of the past. That means Carl Pavano should not be recruited for a high-paying stint in pinstripes. Neither should Matt Clement, Matt Morris, Russ Ortiz, Odalis Perez or anyone else who lacks significant credentials in the "Been there, done that" department.

Here are the two types of players who should fill out the Yankees' roster:

1. Accomplished veterans with experience in extremely pressurized environments.

2. Homegrown Yankees.

It's natural to want to make the Yankees' pitching staff younger, especially when you recently witnessed Kevin Brown's breakdown. But in recent years, that desire has imported such busts as Jose Contreras, Javier Vazquez and Jeff Weaver. The Yankees poured money and years into essentially unproven commodities, and they all flopped.

Pavano excelled for the Marlins in the 2003 World Series, you say? Sorry, not good enough. He could cartwheel naked through South Beach and not get asked for an autograph. And the Yankees are wary of National Leaguers, given the 2004 failures of Brown and Vazquez.

If they don't want to deal with Martinez's prima donna ways, the Yankees should give up Vazquez for Randy Johnson. Or bring back David Wells; maybe that possibility would make anti-Wells team officials more open to a Martinez signing.

Among position players, the Yankees are paying dearly for their investment in Jason Giambi, who, it's painfully clear, was not cut out to be a Yankee. Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield, both of whom played terribly in the Yankees' final four games, deserve another chance.

Carlos Beltran's monstrous postseason, in a market dying to make its first World Series, is an encouraging indication that he can handle New York. But if he dilly-dallies during negotiations the way Giambi did three years ago, then wish him well and consider a trade for Atlanta's Andruw Jones.

There still are roughly 20 Yankees employees who haven't received their 2000 World Series rings, and many of the snubbed insist the team won't win another title until they get properly rewarded.

Perhaps the Red Sox's long-awaited triumph this season will convince George Steinbrenner to end "The Curse of the Rings."

Posted: Sun - October 31, 2004 at 06:16 PM      

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