Managing the Yankees

Just look at this picture from above. It is very clear that Hideki Matsui is no longer part of the New York Yankees organization. But in every Yankee fan, Matsui will still be in their hearts. Matsui is an integral part of the Yankees most especially in the 2009 World Series against the LA Angels where Matsui outperformed everybody by bagging the World Series MVP.

In my opinion, I would still prefer that the Yankess should have instead picked Matsui over new acquisition Nick Johnson. Sure, Johnson is 4 years younger than Matsui but that doesn't much apply since Johnson is injury plaque. In terms of salary they are pretty much the same and both just have one year contracts.
So far this are their performance for 2010:

Hideki Matsui: (In 14 games)

.314 batting average; .397 OBP; .588 SLG; 3 HR and 8 RBI

Nick Johnson: (In 12 games)

.158 batting average; .407 OBP; .289 SLG; 1 HR and 5 RBI

It so obvious that Matsui is a much better player than Johnson. Matsui could produce more runs for the Yankees and is Mr. Clutch.
Until now I am still in awe of why didn't the Yankees got the services of Matsui. Their line-up could have been much better with Godzilla around.

But looking on to the future, I guess not signing Matsui is a good way to go. Why? Because other players in the Yankees line-up will step up. Guys like Robinson Cano and speedster Bret Gardner will be given a lot of time to show to the league that they can be stars if given the chance. So far the two of them are doing great.

This is also a good time for the Yankees to prepare their old guys like Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to be assigned as a designated hitter.
Particularly Jorge Posada, who seems to be on his last year for playing the catcher position. The Yankees are grooming Jesus Montero and Austin Romine to be the next everyday catcher.

If all goes well, we might see the Yankees bringing up slugger Jesus Montero in the middle of the season. If Nick Johnson gets injured or doesn't live to the our expectation, look for the Yankees calling the number of Montero very soon.
We all know Montero's power and hitting prowess. He's ready to play in the big leagues. What remains to be seen is his catching and defensive skills. He still needs to improve and develop those skills to be a catcher in the MLB.

Anyway, the Yankees have deep pockets and they can get someone from the trade route if Montero is still not MLB ready. There are a lot of guys out there that the Yankees can get somewhere in the middle of the season who can immediately make an impact and contribute to the team.

Again, I love Hideki Matsui. But it's time to move on. Giving the young guys a break, being economically sustainable and being more athletic will make the Yankees a much better team in the future. Maybe not this year but in the following years to come.

Life has a cycle and the Yankees are very much aware that the beloved Matsui is not anymore part of their organization. Just like in the book, Matsui's chapter is finished. We are now continuing to another chapter. A much better one!

You probably heard the bad news of Hideki Matsui agreeing to terms with the LA Angels (pending physical). The Angels offer to Matsui is a 1 year $ 6.5 million contract and he will most likely be the Angels designated hitter replacing the old Vladimir Guerrero.

Why did Matsui left the Yankees? Well, we can't blame him. The Yankees said they will first give priority in signing Johnny Damon since Damon can still play the outfield and has speed. If Damon is not a possibility, then the Yankees will negotiate with Matsui. Matsui once said that he is willing to take a pay cut just to return to his ball club.
The talks between the Yankees organization and Damon/Boras is taking to long. The uncertainty and the long period of time waiting force Matsui to look elsewhere.

The Angels now have a proven and powerful DH in Hideki Matsui. Both Matsui and Bobby Abreu (who was once a Yankee) will teach young sluggers like Kendry Morales and Erick Aybar to be more patient at the plate. Matsui will be a big addition to the Angels line-up. Matsui can still give the Angels a 20+ home runs and 80-90 RBI's. We just hope that the Yankees won't be seeing Matsui and the Angels in the post-season. We don't want Matsui cracking homers against his former team.

If I were the Yankees, I should have chosen Matsui over Damon. True Damon gives the Yankees more flexibility. Damon can be the Yankees DH, or play left field, can pinch run, etc. But Damon/Boras contract demands ask the impossible. There is no way the Yankees will agree with their absurd terms.
Matsui however is only asking for a 1 year contract and a pay cut from $ 13 million to $ 7 million. Matsui does not have the ability to play the outfield due to his knees but he can still be an offensive threat. Hideki might play in the 5 hole giving protection to A-Rod.
Now the Yankees are in danger of losing not only Matsui but Damon as well. If that happens the Yankees will be in a hole and it will be a big lost for them.

Curtis Granderson is an upgrade for the Yankees especially defensively but he can't do it alone. The Yankees still have a DH spot to fill. Yankees GM Brian Cashman once flirted with the idea of putting youngster Juan Miranda to the DH spot. Miranda may be good but we need someone better. One who can give fear to the opposing pitchers. One who is capable of producing 20+ homers and 100 RBI. One who is a clutch player and have patience on the plate. One who breaths fire out of his mouth...... Godzilla.

Not only did the Yankees lose Matsui's bat but they also lost revenues from the Japanese audience. The Yankees lost will be the Angels gain.... offensive and income wise.
This is the first "no-no" mistake from Cashman after making a trade for Granderson and signing Pettitte. The pressure is now with Cashman to do something to fill the DH spot.

Aside from those shaky knees, Yankee fans will surely miss Hideki Matsui. He compensates his silence of the field by making noise on the field. He lets his performance do the talking.
We will miss the saying "Upper Decki from Hideki" and "The Thrilla from Godzilla". # 55 is now gone and so is the Japanese spectators.
Godzilla has left the city of New York. Good luck to you Matsui and so long. Thanks for the memories. We will surely miss you!

The New York Yankees now have a premium center fielder in Curtis Granderson. Defensively the Yankees' outfield is above average with the strong arms of Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher and the speed and versatility of Granderson and bench player Brett Gardner.
Offensively the Yankees envisioned Granderson on the 2 hole against righties or will slide to the 5th, 6th, 7th hole against lefties. Granderson has home run power and speed. He once lead the majors in triples (23) in 2007. Granderson will spice things up in the coming 2010 season. But still the Yankees GM Brian Cashman is still not contented. Something is still missing. The Yankees need more power in their line-up.

Is Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui is the answer to that? Well if your looking for a power bat, this two sluggers are capable of doing so. In 2009 Damon hit 24 homers while World Series MVP Matsui had 28 home runs. They are premium type of players and are known to deliver in clutch situations which includes the post-season. They know their role in the Yankees organization. Damon fits perfectly in the 2 hole giving the Yankees a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the line-up with Jeter playing lead-off.
Matsui played DH all season long and is normally placed in the 5 hole to give protection to A-Rod who bats clean-up. The Yankees made no secret that they still want this two amazing players however will it be practical to sign both of them.

The Yankees, even with the biggest payroll, is cost-cutting. Their budget says they can afford only one player. Will it be Damon or Matsui? Let's analyze.

JOHNNY DAMON:

According to the Yankees, Damon is their 1st choice because of his ability to still play the outfield (particularly in left). Damon still have some thread left in his old tires of his. He still runs well along the base paths and is still capable of stealing bases (Remember his amazing play in the World Series where he stole two bases in just one play).
Even with Curtis Granderson on board the Yankees still externalize Damon batting 2nd behind Derek Jeter. Their 1-2 punch is still considered one of the best in baseball plus Granderson's home run power and weakness against lefties is much suited on 5th, 6th and 7th hole. Damon will play DH most of the time next season but his versatility to play the outfield can give other positonal players like Posada, Jeter, Tex and A-Rod a half a day off.
Damon really loved the short right field porch at the Yankee Stadium. Damon homered a career high of 24 in 2006 and 2009 (both of them was done with the Yankees).
It seems like the Yankee Stadium was designed to Damon's desires and skills. Damon perfectly fits well in the Yankee Stadium. Both Damon and Yankees have express their desires to stay together.

However Scott Boras (Damon's agent) think otherwise. Boras is demanding an absurd $13 M, 4 year contract from the Yankees. Everybody knows that is exaggerated. No team will give Damon that kind of contract even with his great talent. Damon is 36 years old and is showing signs of diminishing speed and defensive skills. Damon's ridiculous demand on his contract will be a stumbling block for the Yankees to sign him.

HIDEKI MATSUI:

The World Series MVP has everything going right for him. Winning his first World Series title outside of Japan and was rewarded the World Series MVP for his incredible performance. Matsui's face is almost everywhere. From TV guesting, newspaper and magazine, internet and radio interviews. Godzilla became an icon in New York.
The future however doesn't look good for Matsui. He is a free agent and might be gone if Damon signs with the Yankees. Matsui's shaky and unpredictable knees is the major factor why the Yankees choose Damon over him. Matsui can't play the outfield anymore and is more of a DH type of guy.

Matsui is still a force to reckon with offensive wise. When he is healthy, Matsui is capable of hitting .292, 25 homers, and 100+ RBI. Matsui is an RBI machine which could help the Yankees to be competitive all season long. He bats pretty well against right handed pitchers and has also showed some good signs against opposing left handed pitchers. Matsui is a patient hitter and use the field well. He is definitely a tough out.

The good thing about Matsui is he is willing to take a pay cut and take a 1 year deal with the Yankees. This is one factor the Yankees is strongly considering. The Yankees outfield is complete with the arrival of Granderson and Matsui fits well in their DH spot.


So who do you think the Yankees will pick? Will they go with the outfielder Johnny Damon or will they stick with their DH Hideki Matsui. If you're Brain Cashman who will you sign?

No, I am not saying this as a farewell phrase to our beloved slugger. We all know that Matsui is a free agent in the 2009 off-season and there are rumors that he might not come back. I am writing this blog to inform the Yankees (particularly Brian Cashman) to strongly consider Matsui before looking at other free agents. Matsui's age and weak knees indicated that the Yankees will let go of their DH after the season but that immediately change when Matsui played superbly in the World Series.

In the World Series, Matsui batted .615 AVE, 3 HR, and 8 RBI's. In Game 2 he hit a home run of Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez. In Game 4, with the DH role being waive of, Matsui pinch hit in the late inning to provide insurance run. In his only at bat he hit another homer. In Game 6, Matsui exploded hitting a home run and produce 6 RBI that put Philadelphia's nail in the coffin. Matsui's incredible performance gave MLB no choice but to award the Yankees' DH the World Series MVP. The Yankees roster is deep and talented but Matsui really provided the offense that the ball club needed.

Since Matsui's arrival in New York back in 2003, Matsui provided his ball club another weapon in their always feared line-up. In his 7 years stint with the Yankees, Matsui gave the Yankees 100+ RBI's (except to the seasons that he was injured in 2006 and 2008). He was often called the "RBI Machine", giving important runs to his team. Matsui was nicknamed Godzilla because of his powerful hitting especially in right field.

Matsui is also known as the Yankees "Iron Man", playing 163 games every season. He had only two injury season in 2006 and 2008, but other than that Matsui was there all season long. Matsui played left field but his recent injury (knees) kept him from doing that this season. The Yankees made Matsui their DH at the start of the season and Matsui answered back with an a above satisfactory statistics (.274 AVE, 28 HR, 90 RBI's in just 142 games played).

And now the Yankees are thinking of letting Matsui go. I say no.
I am aware that Matsui's age is a concern and his knees are a big risk but if Matsui somehow agree to take a pay cut and play for one more year then the Yankees should grab it immediately. There are not a lot of free agent out there that can not compare to the offense of Matsui. And the Yankees will make a dumb decision of going for another high prize free agents like Bay and Holliday.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is slowing down defensively and the Yankees are thinking of giving Posada the DH role next year. That seems to be a great idea but who will be their everyday starting catcher? Molina? Cervelli? The Yankees will be losing the offense that brought their ball club to their 27th World Series title. Let Posada catch for at least a year and relief him with Molina or Cervelli from time to time to save his strength for the post-season.
Give Matsui the DH role next season (Posada can DH once in a while). If the Yankees let Matsui go they will lost their No.5 or No.6 hitter and they will lose power from that spots.

Why are the Yankees even thinking of changing their roster that made wonders in 2009. If they want to change they should add talents not reduce. Matsui has 1-2 good offensive years left him. The Yankees should not waste it. Bring Godzilla for one more year and let his numbers do the talking.

Hideki Matsui, a popular baseball player in Japan, arrived in New York in 2003. Nicknamed Godzilla, this powerful left handed slugger gave the Yankees another potent weapon in their formidable line-up. Since then, the Yankees came to know Matsui as an RBI machine. Producing runs when the Yanks needs it the most. Matsui was a big part of the Yankees surge into the World Series against Florida.

That World Series was 6 years ago. Until now Matsui is still without a MLB championship ring. This year might be his last chance to win that elusive title in pinstripes since he will become a free agent after this season. I love Matsui. Especially when Matsui hits home runs, Yankee radio announcer John Sterling often says "And that's an upper-decki for Hideki!" or "It's a thrilla, from Godzilla!". But let's be realistic, with aging stars like Posada and Jeter, there is a strong possibility that the Yankees will let go of Matsui after this season and let Posada be their next Designated Hitter in the 2010 season.

So here is the deal. If the Yankees is not going to sign Matsui to a new deal, then Matsui has no choice but to cap his Yankee career going out a World Series champion.