Here We Go Again

Today the Yankees signed pitcher C.C. Sabathia to a contract worth roughly $161 million dollars over seven years. It's the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. In addition to this monumental signing, the new rumor is that the Yanks are trying to work out a deal with another high-profile pitcher, A.J. Burnett. Some things never change, do they? It doesn't come as a surprise to me that the Yanks are throwing around huge money this offseason. I just can't understand why.

It's become an offseason tradition of sorts for the guys in pinstripes. Over the last decade, America's most storied sports franchise has paid less attention to its farm system and more money to big-name free agents. I don't want to tell the Steinbrenners or GM Brian Cashman how to do things. These are successful businessmen who are highly regarded in their field. I'm just some amateur writer, barely old enough to purchase the Amstel I'm sipping on. I can't knock their hustle. This is a franchise that has won 26 World Championships in its history. Hell, I'm a Phils fan. My team has appeared in less World Series in my lifetime than the Yankees have won. But after years of failed free agent acquisitions and wasted money, when will the Yankees learn from their mistakes?

Personally, I'm a saver. Okay, maybe not a saver. But I budget well. If I were a GM, I would never chase after a free agent like Sabathia, Burnett, or Manny Ramirez. There's no denying their talent. I just feel like they're a waste of money. Of course, money is no object for the Yankees. Ol' George and his brash son Hank, the new Yankee frontman, are willing to do whatever it takes to win. That's great. I would love if my team's owners were willing to spend all the money in the world. But maybe "buying" championships isn't the best way to do things.

I'm sorry for using the "b" word. It sounds bad and I apologize. I'm making it sound like the Yankees are cheaters. What they're doing isn't cheating. It's more like slacking, or taking the easy way out. You often hear people in sports talk about "developing talent." The New York Yankees used to do it. Guys like Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter - both future Hall of Famer's - were drafted by New York, came up through their system, and have turned out to be lifers in Yankee Land. I'm not saying that every guy you come across is Rivera or Jeter, but the New York Yankees don't develop great players anymore - they get impatient and trade them for "proven" veterans. Players such as Nick Johnson, Jose Contreras, and Dioner Navarro were once huge prospects within the Yankees farm system. Since then, each of those players has found success elsewhere and the Yankees farm system has weakened.

There is no formula to fielding a championship-caliber baseball team. If there was, someone would have figured it out already. It takes good scouting, good coaching, a little luck, and lots of patience. I think it's hard to point the finger at any one problem, in any situation, and claim that it was the problem. But patience, however, seems to be something that the current Yankees regime is lacking. They say that patience is a virtue. They're right. It's difficult to be patient - especially when the stakes, as well as the expectations, are high. In the Bronx the expectations couldn't be higher. The Yankees are sort of like a gambler with deep pockets. The more the gambler loses on big bets, the more he wants to bet to make up for his losses. It's a vicious cycle.

A successful gambler is one who thinks ahead and remains patient. The Yanks have not done either in recent years. They continue to make moves that satisfy their present desires. They're always looking for a quick fix. The problem is, they aren't finding one. Put yourself in Brian Cashman's shoes. You're farm system isn't producing the way it used to, you continue to trade away the talent you do have for overpayed veterans that are aging, and your "stars" are fading fast. What would you do? If I ran the Yankees I would have taken extensive notes this October. I would have come to realize that the two clubs playing for the World Series are full of young, underpaid talent. I wonder when will the Yanks realize this.