After hearing the news that Jorge Posada is likely headed to the DL and that Derek Jeter will miss a minimum of three days i couldn’t help but think of a team without those two manning their positions. Offensively, they will be a huge loss but their replacements(Molina, Gonzalez) bring something to the table that Jeter and Posada no longer have in their arsenal. I do not wish to badmouth DJ and JP but the injury developments over the last few days surely must have Girardi and Cashman thinking about life beyond our long term shortstop and catcher.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that JP and DJ can no longer handle the defensive duties that come with their position(some would say they almost never could) and the last few days will hopefully stir the front office into thinking of solutions for that problem. My opinion is that after the 2008 season the Yankees should move DJ to 1st base and make JP the primary DH. With Giambi off the books and no apparent suitable replacement inhouse, it seems that a move to 1st for DJ would be a wise move for the whole organisation. A lot of people believe the Yankees will make a run at Mark Teixeira but i think signing or trading for a more defensively minded SS would make the Yankees a stronger team. DJ should handle the position move fairly easily, the major problem for Girardi will probably come in breaking the news to a man who has led the team on and off the field for over a decade.
I have posted before that JP should not have been re-signed for the amount of years/millions we gave him and this injury, while maybe a one off fluke, only goes to further back up my point. Whether Molina is the answer is debatable (he certainly isn’t long term) but i honestly am excited about the day when the Yankees are truely strong up the middle of the diamond. Offense is only part of the game and with the current emphasis on young pitching it would be stupid not to put the strongest defense possible behind the whole pitching staff.
It is an unpredictable time to be a Yankee fan – gone is the comfort of Joe Torre, replaced by a man who seems more likely to make the tough, and likely unpopular, decisions. It is a time to really think about re-building the core of the team, and it is a time for on field fundamentals to replace the larger slugging percentages. We have tried powering our way to the World Series for years and it is not working. Positive steps have been taken to change the way the Yankees do business but the job is not even half done. While it will be sad to finally call it the end of an era when JP and DJ are replaced, it will be a sign of intention by the front office to do just that. Lets not forget though, the Yankees are the Yankees and history shows us that there is always someone ready to step up to continue the great work done before them.
Posted by ph34 