The Yankees simply did what they needed to do in order to better their franchise and their future.
Last week when the Yankees introduced C.C Sabathia and A.J Burnett they made it clear to everyone that their priority was pitching. They sured up their rotation and put together a 1-2-3 of C.C, Burnett and Wang that is arguably the best front of the rotation in the league.
Sabathia has been a target for the Yankees for over two years. When they decided to pass up on the opportunity to trade for Johan Santana they clearly were readying for C.C. So three trips cross country by Brian Cashman and 161 million dollars later and the Yankees had their guy.
The huge human being that is Carsten Charles Sabathia will be wearing #52 for the Bombers and more than likely will start on opening day at the new Yankee Stadium. Many have brought up the weight issue and wonder if that will hurt C.C in the long run. But like he said himself "I'm a big guy, I've always been big" so nothing will change his size and the way he has performed I dont think anything needs to change. He is a work horse and a dominating pitcher that will grind out games and rack up innings to help the ball club.
Then we look at A.J Burnett, the former Marlin and Blue Jay is now a Yankee as well and coming off his best year, fans are looking to see the dynamite Burnett display his talents in pinstripes now. Burnett had 18 wins last year and baffled the Yankees in every attempt. His stuff is electric, he can dial it up to 98 mph and has sick breaking "stuff", the only downside is he has a knack for the DL. Everyone projects him to be back there this year although he was finally healthy last year. Names like Jarrett Wright and Carl Pavano are being linked to his name, but for 82.5 million dollars he better produce like a champ. Burnett has always said he likes playing on the big stage and play under the bright lights, well he now gets his chance under the big apples bright spotlight every five days.
The big fish on the offensive side of the ball the Yankees reeled in was Mark Teixeira. The gold glove first basemen fills a much needed hole for the Yankees in more ways than one. The bat he holds is lethal and having batted .300 with 30 home runs and knocking in 100 RBI's for seven years in a row now, he is a much needed addition. He will likely hit in the three hole protecting Alex Rodriguez, thus improving both their numbers and posing a huge threat to every pitcher. Teixeira also is a fantastic fielder and will not leave the Yankees scrambling for players like Cody Ransom to fill the void. Eight years and 180 million dollars locked him up for the Yankees who now have the top four paid players in the league.
1. Alex Rodriguez - 275 Million
2. Derek Jeter - 189 Million
3. Mark Teixeira - 180 Million
4. C.C Sabathia - 161 Million
But what does this mean for the Yankees in total? They add 2 power pitchers and one big bat. This means, more revenue and if all goes to plan, more wins. They are the favorite in Vegas for the World Series and now are back to the big scary spending crazy Yankees. What was done was nessesary for the Yankees, everything was done out of need and to better of the team. The addition of Teixeira will give the Yankees the power they lacked last year in the middle and hopefully set up more runs along the order. If healthy Sabathia and Burnett should add about 35 wins a piece and add stability. Of course there are still questions regarding center field but as of right now Nick Swisher or Melky Cabrera will play there. They are still trying to work a deal to send Melky and Kei Igawa in exchange for Mike Cameron.
Who knows what else is in store but one this we do know is the presents this holiday season were big, plentiful and expensive. Lets hope the Yankees get what they paid for.
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