Who is ready for another Yankees championship season?

[Maxman]

Me.

Anyone else?

[CrazyCarl40]

Yankees and Red Sox will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. Neither team improved that much in the offseason.

[Maxman]

Yankees and Red Sox will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. Neither team improved that much in the offseason.

The Yankees play so well at home (lead MLB in home wins last year) if they play decent on the road, it will be hard for them to not make the playoffs. That said I am betting on them making it, they have concerns, Jeter's recovery scares me but I think the starting rotation keeps them in it even if they don't have a catcher.

[CrazyCarl40]

The Yankees play so well at home (lead MLB in home wins last year) if they play decent on the road, it will be hard for them to not make the playoffs. That said I am betting on them making it, they have concerns, Jeter's recovery scares me but I think the starting rotation keeps them in it even if they don't have a catcher.

All the Yankees did was get older and added no real improvements. The Rays, O's and Toronto all got significantly better. I wouldn't be shocked if neither Sox nor Yanks makes the playoffs. How the Yankees have done at home in the past means nothing for this next season.

[Maxman]

All the Yankees did was get older and added no real improvements. The Rays, O's and Toronto all got significantly better. I wouldn't be shocked if neither Sox nor Yanks makes the playoffs. How the Yankees have done at home in the past means nothing for this next season.

The Yankees have done well at home for recent history. They are bringing back the same starting rotation. It absolutely means something for this season.

[#27TheDominator]

Since when have the Yankees stood pat with the team they had in February? They haven't improved? Yet.

[CrazyCarl40]

The Yankees have done well at home for recent history. They are bringing back the same starting rotation. It absolutely means something for this season.

That's not a good thing. Pettitte and Kuroda are both 40 or near it. Nova and Hughes are very average if not below. How much longer can CC hold up? They are replacing A-Rod with Kevin Youkilis and Swisher with what? A full season of Ichiro who looked pretty old last season? If Jeter doesn't come back right on time that line-up becomes much less complete. All I am saying is don't be surprised if the Yankees finish 3rd or 4th. The AL East is as tough as it comes.

And yes #27, they could improve, if Steinbrenner gives Cashman some money to work with. Don't expect that though.

[Bugg]

The Yankees are the oldest team in MLB. At some point logic and MLB history dictates that's not going to be a good thing. Best case scenario is some young guys step up-Romine, perhaps Betances. And even better; somehow they get rid of Rodriguez an his contract once and for all. And win 85-90 games, which is probably the ceiling,

[Maxman]

That's not a good thing. Pettitte and Kuroda are both 40 or near it. Nova and Hughes are very average if not below. How much longer can CC hold up? They are replacing A-Rod with Kevin Youkilis and Swisher with what? A full season of Ichiro who looked pretty old last season? If Jeter doesn't come back right on time that line-up becomes much less complete. All I am saying is don't be surprised if the Yankees finish 3rd or 4th. The AL East is as tough as it comes.

And yes #27, they could improve, if Steinbrenner gives Cashman some money to work with. Don't expect that though.

I just looked it up, out of the last 114 seasons the Yankees only missed the playoffs 2.3 times. I am going with history on this one,

Replacing ARod who produced nothing and seems done with Youk is a good thing though. Nova is trying to win the 5th starter spot, so that isn't a huge deal. Andy is rested and was excellent last year. CC is the one guy that if he breaks down can hurt their chances big time.

I am so glad Swisher is gone as well. He puts up decent regular season numbers but is invisible in the postseason. Seems to me like he is a good hitter against bad pitching.

At any rate...baseball is back!

[Maxman]

The Yankees are the oldest team in MLB. At some point logic and MLB history dictates that's not going to be a good thing. Best case scenario is some young guys step up-Romine, perhaps Betances. And even better; somehow they get rid of Rodriguez an his contract once and for all. And win 85-90 games, which is probably the ceiling,

Romine stepping up would be nice, I fear it is too soon for him though.

[T0mShane]

A: Not the Yankees

[faba]

2021?

[PFSIKH]

I just looked it up, out of the last 114 seasons the Yankees only missed the playoffs 2.3 times. I am going with history on this one,

Replacing ARod who produced nothing and seems done with Youk is a good thing though. Nova is trying to win the 5th starter spot, so that isn't a huge deal. Andy is rested and was excellent last year. CC is the one guy that if he breaks down can hurt their chances big time.

I am so glad Swisher is gone as well. He puts up decent regular season numbers but is invisible in the postseason. Seems to me like he is a good hitter against bad pitching.

At any rate...baseball is back!

What? At best, it is a push. A-Rod's 'nothing' looks eerily similar to Youk's season...minus the almost 40 points in BA.

At best, for the Yankees and any team in the East, only a Division championship can be won this year. I would not be surprised if every team finished over .500, but with less than 88 wins.

[Maxman]

Rumors of the Yankees demise have been greatly exaggerated.

[GimmeShelter]

What? At best, it is a push. A-Rod's 'nothing' looks eerily similar to Youk's season...minus the almost 40 points in BA.

At best, for the Yankees and any team in the East, only a Division championship can be won this year. I would not be surprised if every team finished over .500, but with less than 88 wins.

That's a little crazy to say if you mean no AL East team can win a play-off series.  Everyone in the division except the Bird's and the Sox IMO has a good enough roster to have a team that could be 10-15 games over at the trade deadline.  The Sox are not far off of that possiility as well.

 

The moves made at the trade deadline could easily change the entire outlook as to who is the favorite in the AL come post season.

 

I think Youk and Ichiro have big seasons but Swisher's power will be missed. Expect the Yanks to add a big at in July and send either Gardner or whomever is DHing to the bench.

 

February prediction:  Nats and Angels.

[Blackout]

Yankees improved by A-rod missing 3+ months

[Blackout]

The Yankees are the oldest team in MLB. At some point logic and MLB history dictates that's not going to be a good thing. Best case scenario is some young guys step up-Romine, perhaps Betances. And even better; somehow they get rid of Rodriguez an his contract once and for all. And win 85-90 games, which is probably the ceiling,

oldest?

 

the oldest team is the Reds or "Red Legs"

[Blackout]

Since when have the Yankees stood pat with the team they had in February? They haven't improved? Yet.

Cano is in his prime son...watch him carry us

[PFSIKH]

That's a little crazy to say if you mean no AL East team can win a play-off series.  Everyone in the division except the Bird's and the Sox IMO has a good enough roster to have a team that could be 10-15 games over at the trade deadline.  The Sox are not far off of that possiility as well.

 

The moves made at the trade deadline could easily change the entire outlook as to who is the favorite in the AL come post season.

 

I think Youk and Ichiro have big seasons but Swisher's power will be missed. Expect the Yanks to add a big at in July and send either Gardner or whomever is DHing to the bench.

 

February prediction:  Nats and Angels.

 

They can if they face each other like they did last year. 

 

I think the AL East is going to be a dog fight. 

 

I think the Yankees and Rays will continue their current string of play. 

 

I think the Orioles will still be good, but not as good as they were last year.  The law of averages will catch up to them in one run games. 

 

I think the Jays are better, but i am not entirely sold on their new 'all star' team.  It did not work for the Phiilles, Marlins or Sox.  They will be better though with better talent and a return to health.

 

As far as the Sox go, I think their pitching will be a lot better, but the offense remains to be seen. 

 

While 88 games might be low, with 76 division games on every teams schedule, I do not see a high 90 win total for anyone.  Again, just my humble opinion.

[Bugg]

Cano is in his prime son...watch him carry us

Cano's 2 best pals-Melky Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez. I don't much care, but jump to your own conclusions.  Further the guy pulled a Claude Rains in the playoffs. Think his contract situation (he's repped by Boras)  will get ugly. In short if you had to pick a guy  not to pin your hopes to it's Cano. 

[PFSIKH]

Cano's 2 best pals-Melky Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez. I don't much care, but jump to your own conclusions.  Further the guy pulled a Claude Rains in the playoffs. Think his contract situation (he's repped by Boras)  will get ugly. In short if you had to pick a guy  not to pin your hopes to it's Cano. 

What choice do the Yankees have? 

 

It is not like they have an abundance of talent on the farm that can step in tomorrow...or 2014 that can hit .300 with 20+ HRs.  He is really the only one on the current roster that can do it.

 

At the very least the Yankees know what they have in Cano.

[JetPotato]

Yankees and Red Sox will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. Neither team improved that much in the offseason.

 

LOL.

 

The Yankees finished 26 games ahead of the last place Red Sox in 2012.  To imply that they're in similar boats is beyond absurd.

 

The Sox have since regressed, while the rest of the division improved.

[PFSIKH]

LOL.

 

The Yankees finished 26 games ahead of the last place Red Sox in 2012.  To imply that they're in similar boats is beyond absurd.

 

The Sox have since regressed, while the rest of the division improved.

The Yankees are older.  The Sox got rid of Bobby.

 

The boats are closer than you think.

[unbanmadmike1]

LOL.

 

The Yankees finished 26 games ahead of the last place Red Sox in 2012.  To imply that they're in similar boats is beyond absurd.

 

The Sox have since regressed, while the rest of the division improved.

The Yankees haven't improved.

[JetPotato]

The Yankees are older.  The Sox got rid of Bobby.

 

The boats are closer than you think.

 

 

Sorry, but you're way off the mark again.

 

26 games is an enormous gap.  

 

Bobby V was not the primary reason the Sox sucked last year.  It was the players.  They've replaced Adrian Gonzalez with Mike Napoli, Mike Aviles with Stephen Drew, and Cody Ross with Shane Victorino.  Meanwhile, in the rotation, you've replaced Beckett and Cook with Lackey and Dempster.  LOL at "improvement".  If you believe that's going to close a 26 game gap, you don't pay attention much to this game.

[JetPotato]

The Yankees haven't improved.

 

Mariano Rivera and Brett Gardner missed the entire season in2 012.  They're back.  Pettitte missed most of the year.  He's back.  That alone makes them better.  

 

And again, their starting point was 95 wins.  Not much to improve on, nor should anyone expect major regression.

 

The AL East will be a hard fought battle among the Yankees, Rays, Jays and O's.  The Sox will be holding up the rear.  

[unbanmadmike1]

Mariano Rivera and Brett Gardner missed the entire season in2 012.  They're back.  Pettitte missed most of the year.  He's back.  That alone makes them better.  

 

And again, their starting point was 95 wins.  Not much to improve on, nor should anyone expect major regression.

 

The AL East will be a hard fought battle among the Yankees, Rays, Jays and O's.  The Sox will be holding up the rear.  

Everyone's a year older, no swisher or arod for probably the whole season, they have no catcher, there is no reason to think that Jeter can repeat his 2012. Mo is 43, Pettitte is 40 and they lost Soriano. They need huge bounceback years from Tex and Granderson that are both spotty at best and they are relying on guys like Hafner and Youkilis who they have no idea how they are going to preform. This looks to me like the worst yankee team since 2008 easily but probably since 1990. 

[Maxman]

Everyone's a year older, no swisher or arod for probably the whole season, they have no catcher, there is no reason to think that Jeter can repeat his 2012. Mo is 43, Pettitte is 40 and they lost Soriano. They need huge bounceback years from Tex and Granderson that are both spotty at best and they are relying on guys like Hafner and Youkilis who they have no idea how they are going to preform. This looks to me like the worst yankee team since 2008 easily but probably since 1990. 

Bookmarked for future use.

[unbanmadmike1]

Bookmarked for future use.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Bugg]

I hope I'm wrong.

I hope youa re too. But I don't see any dominant starter, along with all that age. CC will battle and do his best, he simply isn't the pticher he was.

[PFSIKH]

Sorry, but you're way off the mark again.

 

26 games is an enormous gap.  

 

Bobby V was not the primary reason the Sox sucked last year.  It was the players.  They've replaced Adrian Gonzalez with Mike Napoli, Mike Aviles with Stephen Drew, and Cody Ross with Shane Victorino.  Meanwhile, in the rotation, you've replaced Beckett and Cook with Lackey and Dempster.  LOL at "improvement".  If you believe that's going to close a 26 game gap, you don't pay attention much to this game.

 

Any credibility you made with A-Gon is gone with the rest of your post. 

 

Replacing Aaron Cook ()...seriously that is a point?  Wow!  How are the Sox going to replace his 4-11 record?  Or Beckett's 5-11 record?

 

While we do not know what we will get with Lackey due to his surgery, he is healthy by all reports, no longer dealing with a divorce and in decent shape.  Dempster is also an improvement.  Aaron Cook a point....

 

Aviles and Ross are nice players.  However, you make it seem like they are perennial allstars.  Drew and Victorino are like Aviles and Ross.. nice players.  Lets see how Ross' power looks when the left field stands are 25 feet further back.

 

While getting Rivera back is obviously a plus, Gardner is JAG with no power.  A team that has longed lived off their power feasting on mediocre pitching, the Yankees are in short supply in the power department. 

 

A return to health will cut into that 26 game gap.  The Sox lost well over a 1000 games to injury last year.  The Sox were not a good team, but they were not that bad either.

[JetPotato]

Any credibility you made with A-Gon is gone with the rest of your post. 

 

Replacing Aaron Cook ( )...seriously that is a point?  Wow!  How are the Sox going to replace his 4-11 record?  Or Beckett's 5-11 record?

 

While we do not know what we will get with Lackey due to his surgery, he is healthy by all reports, no longer dealing with a divorce and in decent shape.  Dempster is also an improvement.  Aaron Cook a point....

 

Aviles and Ross are nice players.  However, you make it seem like they are perennial allstars.  Drew and Victorino are like Aviles and Ross.. nice players.  Lets see how Ross' power looks when the left field stands are 25 feet further back.

 

While getting Rivera back is obviously a plus, Gardner is JAG with no power.  A team that has longed lived off their power feasting on mediocre pitching, the Yankees are in short supply in the power department. 

 

A return to health will cut into that 26 game gap.  The Sox lost well over a 1000 games to injury last year.  The Sox were not a good team, but they were not that bad either.

It's fun to create straw men to try to enhance a feeble argument, isn't it?

 

At no point did I claim or even imply that guys like Aviles, Cook, Ross, etc were All-Stars.  I simply pointed out that those are the players you had last season, and the ones you replaced them with this year aren't major upgrades that are going to make up a 26 game difference.  And the Napoli for AGon exchange is a severe downgrade.  Not to mention the fact that your most productive hitter, Big Poopi, is yet again another year removed from birth and the needles.  If you're banking on a big year from him again, well then, just LOL.

 

Keep telling yourself that injuries are all that derailed the Sox last season.  I suggest though that you accept the fact that Boston is in fact a bad team, because it will be easier on your mental state.  They finished in last place.  That's what bad teams do.  They are again the heavy favorite to finish last in 2013.  Like I told you and your counterpart here last year when you were insisting they were contenders.   We all know how that worked out.  

[PFSIKH]

It's fun to create straw men to try to enhance a feeble argument, isn't it?

 

At no point did I claim or even imply that guys like Aviles, Cook, Ross, etc were All-Stars.  I simply pointed out that those are the players you had last season, and the ones you replaced them with this year aren't major upgrades that are going to make up a 26 game difference.  And the Napoli for AGon exchange is a severe downgrade.  Not to mention the fact that your most productive hitter, Big Poopi, is yet again another year removed from birth and the needles.  If you're banking on a big year from him again, well then, just LOL.

 

Keep telling yourself that injuries are all that derailed the Sox last season.  I suggest though that you accept the fact that Boston is in fact a bad team, because it will be easier on your mental state.  They finished in last place.  That's what bad teams do.  They are again the heavy favorite to finish last in 2013.  Like I told you and your counterpart here last year when you were insisting they were contenders.   We all know how that worked out.  

Big Papi missed 70 games.  Els missed 90 games and was not healthy when he did play.  Middlebrooks, realizing he is a youngster, was far out producing Youk and he missed 70 games.  Crawford missed until the all-star break.  The bullpen was a disaster when Bailey went down and the Aceves closed and contributed 10 loses and 8 blow saves.  Does Mariano even have that for his career?  Plus, starting pitchers that were a combined 10-29 (Cook, Beckett, Dice-K) are not playing on the team.

 

The Sox were 60-66 and 13.5 games out the day of the trade.  I am not spinning they were contenders, but they were not the disaster that crash and burned and lost another 12.5 games to the Yankees over the final 36 games.

[CrazyCarl40]

Big Papi missed 70 games.  Els missed 90 games and was not healthy when he did play.  Middlebrooks, realizing he is a youngster, was far out producing Youk and he missed 70 games.  Crawford missed until the all-star break.  The bullpen was a disaster when Bailey went down and the Aceves closed and contributed 10 loses and 8 blow saves.  Does Mariano even have that for his career?  Plus, starting pitchers that were a combined 10-29 (Cook, Beckett, Dice-K) are not playing on the team.

 

The Sox were 60-66 and 13.5 games out the day of the trade.  I am not spinning they were contenders, but they were not the disaster that crash and burned and lost another 12.5 games to the Yankees over the final 36 games.

 

The Sox basically quit after that trade, if they hadn't already on Bobby.  The gap between the Yankees and Red Sox isn't great.  The gap between those two teams and the other three is widening and not in the right direction for our fandoms.

[#27TheDominator]

The Sox basically quit after that trade, if they hadn't already on Bobby.  The gap between the Yankees and Red Sox isn't great.  The gap between those two teams and the other three is widening and not in the right direction for our fandoms.

What gap?  The Yankees won the division and beat the Orioles in the playoffs. They finished 20+ games ahead of the Blue Jays.  The Yankees and Red Sox were on opposite sides of that gap in 2012 and it remains to be seen if the others have caught the Yanks, let alone passed them.