Jorge Posada Breaks His Nose

In a freak accident a few days ago in Yankees camp, back up catcher Kelly Stinnett through a ball while playing catch that smashed into Jorge Posada's face, breaking his nose.

Although the initial prognosis was that Jorge Posada would be fine to start the season, the latest word out of camp is that Jorge Posada is still suffering from intermittent headaches.

This could spell bad news for Jorge Posada and his family. As we reported about a month ago on our blog, Jorge has a clause in his contract that says that he is guaranteed to be paid 12 million dollars for the 2007 season if and only if he starts at least 81 games this season.

Even though Jorge Posada tried hard to establish a good relationship with Randy Johnson early on in spring training, it doesn't appear that Randy has been throwing regularly to Jorge Posada during his outings.

Let's say that Randy Johnson starts 30 to 35 games this season. This means that from the get go, Jorge Posada will only be able to start a maximimum of approximately 130 games.

If Jorge Posada's fractured nose continues to give him trouble, he may miss some games to start the season.

An injury here and there over the course of the 2006 season could actually cause Jorge to come close to missing his target of starting 81 games.

Although Joe Torre has maintained that Jorge Posada will catch the majority of Randy Johnson's games, Johnson has been sharpest this spring whenever he has thrown to Stinnett.

This is the second time in 2 years that Jorge Posada has suffered a broken nose. The last time was while he was running from first to second in a game in 2004.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Alfonso Soriano

If you followed the recent dispute between Alfonso Soriano and the Washington Nationals, you may think that he is another selfish and stubborn player.

The truth his, Alfonso Soriano's reluctance to switch from second base to the outfield was all about the dollars.

As a second baseman, Alfonso Soriano's offensive numbers are exceptional. As a second baseman, he could earn a contract worth 10-12 million dollars per season over the next 5-6 seasons once he hits the free agent market.

As an outfielder, Alfonso Soriano's offensive numbers are just slightly above average. Compare his offensive abilities to Ichiro, Manny. Sheffield, Griffey Jr., Vernon Wells, and Hideki Matsui, and you quickly realize that as an outfielder, he would likely command around 8 million per season over 3-4 seasons.

There's no question that Alfonso Soriano could become a good defensive left fielder. He originally started in left field when he first came up with the Yankees. He only switched to second base when the Yankees and Chuck Knoblauch decided that it was best for Knoblauch to go to the outfield due to his throwing problems.

Alfonso Soriano's reluctance to switch positions was all about his future potential to earn big dollars.

Let's hope for Alfonso Soriano and his family that he performs well over the 2006 season and earns a good long term contract.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Aaron Small - An Inside Look

In 2005, Aaron Small experienced a true Cinderella story.

His rise from a career journey man in the minor leagues to a $1.2 million contract for the 2006 season is the kind of experience that keeps hope alive for the hundreds of minor league players toiling away year after year in America's smaller ball parks.

To learn more about Aaron Small, view our most recent player profile here:

An Inside Look At Aaron Small

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Yankees Have a Lot To Learn From World Baseball Classic

I hope that Brian Cashman, George Steinbrennar, and the rest of Yankees management took careful note of the ousting of Team USA from the World Baseball Classic.

Analysts are calling this early exit by Team USA "shocking, given their fire power."

The Yankees need to wake up to the reality that baseball games are not won by having an all-star cast of good batters on your team.

Games are won with strong pitching, defense, good team chemistry, and a strong desire to win.

Especially in the playoffs.

The signing of Johnny Damon was a strong signal that Yankees management have not learned this lesson yet.

The Yankees don't need more offensive weapons. They need stronger defenders with good throwing arms and reliable pitching.

Johnny Damon doesn't fulfill any of these needs. In fact he only makes these weaknesses more glaring.

The Yankees would have been much better off saving the 52 million that they inked Damon to and going with Bubba Crosby in center field.

So what if Bubba Crosby is only going to hit around .260 or .270 and not give you much in power numbers?

Bubba has amazing range in center field and a strong throwing arm. He's a better defensive player than either Matsui or Sheffield. And he makes Damon look like a high school defender with clipped wing.

Here are a few suggestions for Yankees management:

1. If possible, trade A-Rod. I don't care about regular season numbers that don't matter. Ask anyone on the Yankees roster and give them a cloak of confidentiality and I guarantee you that they will say that A-Rod is not clutch. A-Rod is NOT a team player.

With the money that the Yankees received from Tom Hicks in Texas, they are only on the hook for about 16 milion per year of A-Rod's contract. I'm willing to bet that several teams would be willing to take on A-Rod in exchange for a handful of solid prospects and young players.

Result: The current payroll would go from about 197 million to about 181 million, and the farm system would get stronger immediately.

2. If possible, trade Damon. The Yankees would never do this, of course, because even if they realize that this signing was a horrendous mistake, they would never admit it right now. But just in case Brian Cashman wants to be bold and do the right thing, even if he has to cough up 20 million or so in compensation, he should get rid of Damon and his bad wing.

Result: A stronger defense with Bubba Crosby and about 8-10 million in additional savings, depending on how much cash the Yankees have to give away to trade Damon.

3. If possible, trade Pavano. No explanation needed.

Result: Another 10 million in savings.

4. Make sure that you don't come close to re-signing Mussina. He'll put in a decent year only because he wants "security" from one last contract. After making more than 100 million dollars over his career, it's funny that he's talking about wanting security. Thanks, Mike, for some decent years, but you're not worth more than a few million per year in my book.

Result: 19 million dollars off of this year's payroll.

If the Yankees can make these moves, they'll actually be a better team in my opinion, and their payroll will be somewhere in the 140 million dollar range for next year.

Brian Cashman: please get back to what worked in the 90s. Good pitching, good defense, and good attitudes.

We need to get back to the basics.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Johnny Damon Has a Bad Shoulder

There's no other way to say it.

Johnny Damon is a great athlete and an above average contact hitter, but he has a bad throwing arm.


Photo by the AP

You may have wondered how such a good all-around athlete developed such an awkward and weak throwing arm.

According to his book, Idiot : Beating "The Curse" and Enjoying the Game of Life, Damon had a very strong throwing arm when he was a solid prospect as a high school student.

In fact, Damon was once considered an excellent pitcher.

But then, he suffered a bad injury to his left shoulder. The healing process resulted in scar tissue and joint dysfunction that lead to his current throwing motion.

Can you imagine how good of a baseball player Johnny Damon would be if he could throw like Jeter or Ichiro?

Damon felt twinges of pain in his left shoulder as he was training for the World Baseball Classic. His participation in this tournament has been limited by his inability to throw without discomfort.

Not good news for Yankees fans.

Let's hope that he gets the rest he needs to recover in time for the season.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Chien Ming Wang Looking Sharp

After a rough first outing this spring, Chien Ming Wang bounced back with an excellent performance in his second spring training start.

He credited his improvement to some advice from Yankees pitching coach, Ron Guidry.



Photo by the AP

Guidry noticed that Wang's arm angle was dropping in his first outing, which was causing his sinker to stay up in the zone. He told Wang to keep his arm angle up, which would help his sinker stay down.

The results were impressive. Wang pitched four scoreless innings and struck out 3 batters.

It's quite possible that Chien Ming Wang could end up being the Yankees ace this season.

Jaret Wright got roughed up in his last start and has never really looked comfortable since joining the Yankees last off season.

Carl Pavano has a big contract and is thought to have tremendous potential, but other than a good performance against the Yankees in the 2003 World Series, I just haven't seen any signs of him being a dominant pitcher anytime soon.

Look for Chien Ming Wang and Shawn Chacon to be the leaders of the Yankees this year. And let's hope that Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina surprise all of us with good seasons.

Actually, Mussina is in the last year of his contract and is strongly motivated to earn one last contract before retiring.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Will Gary Sheffield Retire As A Yankee?

Gary Sheffield recently told reporters that he would like to retire as a Yankee. More specifically, he said that he would find it difficult to play for another team after having experienced the benefits of playing for the Bombers.



Photo by the AP

Personally, I hope that Gary Sheffield does indeed retire as a Yankee. I think that he is one of the best hitters in the game, and should remain productive over the next 2-3 seasons.

In a way, I feel sorry for Gary Sheffield. I feel sorry for him because he just doesn't have enough self control to command the money that he deserves.

Do you really believe that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are better hitters than Gary Sheffield? I actually believe that Gary Sheffield is a better hitter than both of them.

But A-Rod and Jeter will have made over 250 million and 200 million dollars, respectively, by the time that their careers are over. And there's no doubt that they will have earned tens of millions more from their endorsements.

The main reason why A-Rod and Jeter command much more money than Sheffield is that they don't make comments that create tension and headaches for their teammates and management.

Gary Sheffield would probably reply to this viewpoint by saying that he doesn't pretend for anyone. That he will always tell it like it is and the world should take it or leave it.

Here's the thing: Sheffield's mindset has likely cost him tens of millions of dollars.

So Gary, if you are reading this post, please consider pretending just a little bit. Respond to questions like Jeter would and keep working hard like you always have and I am confident that you will earn another 30 plus million over the next three years.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com