Yankees: Re-tooling for 2009 (For Fun)

Let's be real Yankee fans. Without Matsui, Posada, Wang and now Joba do you think the Yankees can make the playoffs? They have not played consistantly good baseball all year. Maybe they tease you for a week or two but that is it.

Lets start retooling this team for 2009 and the opening of the new stadium . Do you really think the Steinbrenners are going to put a crap team on the field? Tthey have over 70 million dollars coming off the books in the likes of Abreu, Mussina, Pavano, Pettitte and Giambi. Other free agents coming off are Ivan Rodriguez and Richie sexson.

Lets start with the bullpen because they have been the most consistant all year. Bring back Marte, Ramirez, Giese, Robertson and Rivera. Add Mark Melancon and another lefty....... say Jonathan Sanchez from the Giants. You say what about Veras and Bruney? I say trade bait.

Now to the starters. The Yankees have to make a hard decision on Pettitte and Mussina, who are 37 and 40 in age. The Yankees must get younger not older in pitching. I say let them both walk and collect draft picks. That leaves us with Wang and Joba to rebuild our staff. You go hard for CC Sabathia and give him a 5 year contract for 80 to 100 mil. This gives you a staff of Joba, Wang, and Sabathia.

A trade to the Giants for Matt Cain, Johathan Sanchez and Bengie Molina gives you the fifth starter plus your starting catcher. Give the Giants Cano, Melky and Austin Romine and i think the Giants will go for this trade. I know this leaves a hole at 2b and cf. We fill 2b by signing Orlando Hudson.

Now for the biggest trade. We look to Milwaukee for Prince Fielder and Bill Hall and offer Kennedy, Hughes, Marquez and Gardner. Milwaukee I believe will say yes. Fill Hughes' spot from within from the likes of Alfredo Aceves, Alan Horne, Zach McAllister, etc...How about this for a line up....

1. Bill Hall - CF
2. Derek Jeter - SS
3. Alex Rodriguez - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Xavier Nady - LF
6. Bobby Abreu - RF
7. Hideki Matsui - DH
8. Bengie Molina - C
9. Orlando Hudson - 2B

STARTING PITCHING
1. CC Sabathia
2. Joba Chamberlain
3. Chien-Ming Wang
4. Matt Cain
5. (From Within)

RELIEF PITCHING
6. Dan Giese
7. Jonathan Sanchez
8. Damaso Marte
9. Edwar Ramirez
10. David Robertson
11. Mark Melancon
12. Mariano Rivera

BENCH
C - Jose Molina
IF - David Eckstein
IF - Mark Loretta
OF - Randy Winn

Now, I'm not saying this is what the Yankees should do, but I like to think outside the box.

-Sandy