A Lot of Changes Coming?

Brian Cashman keeps saying Arod will remain on the team, but that really doesn't mean much. He knows what he's doing. If he says that, it ups the ante to get Arod because teams will feel that they need to pry him from the Yanks, instead of the Yanks trying to dump him. Bob Klapisch story here.

A link to a scout's take on Matsuzaka.
At worst he should be a #3 starter.

Will Moose's option be picked up? No, considering it's for $17 million! But I'm sure the Yanks will try to work out a 2 year deal for about $20 million. I expect the Sawx to also be interested.

Will Sheff's $13 million option be picked up? Almost certainly not. He's going to be 38 next year, is perennially injured, and Bobby Abreu is a better (and younger) all-around player.

Will Jaret Wright be released for $4 million? I doubt it. He's a 6-and-out guy, but his era was 4.49 (good for the AL), and the logical reason: why give a player $4 mil to NOT be on the team when for just $3 mil more, he could be a very solid 5th starter/long reliever?

Will Carl Pavano join the rotation for an extended period? No one really knows. Hopefully, because he would probably fare better than Wright or Randy, and he would cease being a drain on the Boss' checking account.

Will Karstens or Rasner make the team out of Spring Training? I hope so. Between them, I prefer Karstens - his FB should he touching 91 in ST next year. I'd rather give them a shot at the 4/5 starter spot than RJ or Wright or Pavano (depending on what he shows in ST).

Will Ty Clippard or Phil Hughes make the team out of ST? Very doubtful. Neither has had any AAA experience. I expect they'll have to get 4+ starts before they're ever considered for the Show.

How will Giambi and RJ come back from surgeries? I don't know. Hopefully Giambi's healed wrist can bump his ba a bit. He hit just .253 this year. Remember when he was a spray hitter who hit .290+ 7 straight years?
And hopefully RJ will retire and the Yanks can save $16 million. If not, he should be moved to the pen where he can throw gas for an inning (and dominate lefties) without worrying about getting through a whole game. By the way, he dominates Big Papi, to a .494 OPS against (with 0 HR in 27 pa career).

Will Daisuke Matsuzaka join the team? Hopefully. A $25+ million posting fee, plus $10 mil a year for at least 3 years is a big investment. Oh, and Mephistopholes himself is his agent (Scott Boras).

And the big one: will Arod be traded? I have faith in Brian Cashman. If he can't get what he feels is adequate value in return, then don't trade him. I would love a deal to a NL team for good, young pitching, but if no one offers, it's not a huge deal. It would be nice to get rid of the distraction, strike-outs, errors, and GDPs that he brings, but he's still a feared hitter that may rebound next year.