This one actually is going to be short (I swear, I really do!) because I don't have much to say on the subject. Brian Cashman, of the New York Yankees, is mouthing off that the team doesn't need pitching ace Cliff Lee.
Really? Because the Yankee bullpen was absolutely awesome this year when they lost to the Rangers and Lee, weren't they?
Okay, let's get to the facts: the Yankees, with or without Lee, are a great team. If they have the good sense to resign Rivera and Jeter - and they'd better, because I may well stop watching if either of them leave - then they've got a solid base. Even with Posada as DH instead of catcher, they've still got Texeira, Cano, and A-Rod. Not much trumps that trio on the bases.
But where the Yankees faltered this year, and where they are set to continue faltering, is in their starting pitcher rotation. Sabathia's having surgery, A.J. Burnett is not living up to his reputation by a long shot, and Andy Pettitte isn't getting any younger. Even Phil Hughes didn't pass muster when faced with the Rangers' squad of tough young hitters. If the Yankees are to deal with them, with Tampa Bay, with the Red Sox (assuming that they don't fade back into the obscurity of the 84 years between championships), they're going to have to have some pitchers who can deal with those strong hitters.
Now, there are other free-agent pitchers, and Lee did fall apart on the mound against the Giants, but there's still one more compelling reason not to let another team get him: simply, you don't want one of the major Yankee rivals to have him. The Yankees have proven, two years in a row, that even their best hitters can not get the better of him. When it comes down to it, Lee is as good for self-defense as he is for offense.
Do us fans a favor, guys. Don't let a golden opportunity like this slip away.
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