High and Tight.: Transition Year

Transition Year

While the Yankees should be competitive in 2008, it really is a transition year in a lot of ways. Many of the long-term contracts that have been hanging around beyond their welcome will expire.

Let's take a look at who comes off the books after 2008 (Player, 2008 salary):
Giambi, $21M
Farnsworth, $5.5M
Pavano, $11M
Mussina, $11M
Abreu, $16M (2008 team option)
Pettitte, $16M (2008 player option)

Not counting major-league minimum players or arbitration eligible ones, these is your current 2009 contracts:
Jeter, $21M
Damon, $13M
Matsui, $13M

Cano and Wang will be in arbitration periods by then, but arbitration amounts won't break the club financially. Assuming Rivera and Posada resign for approximately $13M each per season, you're looking at a guaranteed contract situation after next season of approximately $73M, albeit between five players.

Brian Cashman's reluctance to sign long-term deals crippling with free agents (no thanks, Carlos Beltran) is about to pay off. This sort of payroll flexibility hasn't been seen in the Bronx in years.

2008 looks to be one last hurrah for the old guys, with the 2009 season being a mix of the kids and a few select missing pieces (Johan Santana, $22M/yr?) filling out the roster.

Flexibility. Cashman's talked about it for a couple of years now. Well, it's here, and there's nothing to stand in his way of making the right kind of acquisition right now and for the future (did I mention Johan Santana?).

Labels: johan santana, payroll, roster moves

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:24 AM 1 comments

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