Others Must Step Up in A-Rod's Absence

Everything that could have gone last year for the Yankees did go wrong. And this resulted in them missing out on the postseason. This season, the Yankees will have to overcome the loss of Alex Rodriguez if they wish to stay in the AL East race and everything will have to go right in order for them do so. The lineup will have to step up in a big way to cover for the loss of A-Rod. Love him, or hate him; Alex Rodriguez has been an offensive force for the Yankees since his arrival. His production will surely be missed. But they can win without him; if, and only if the many question marks up and down their lineup are answered.

Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui both need to stay in the lineup and produce at their career levels. Whether this will happen or not is not a given by any stretch of the imagination. Posada is coming off of shoulder surgery which cost him most of the 2008 season. He has hit well thus far in the spring, although he has yet to catch this spring and has been a last minute scratch due to his shoulder once already. Hideki Matsui is trying to come back and play on two bad knees which will relegate him to playing exclusively as a DH this year. He also missed most of last year and will be counted on to come back healthy and productive this year.

Also, whoever emerges from the battle in CF between Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera will have to step up their production significantly. Cabrera has been regressing the past two seasons while Gardner is still an unknown commodity at the Major League level. Robinson Cano also needs bounce back from a disappointing year last year. If his production after being benched late last year is any indication, expect him to bounce back close to his 2007 form.

The Yankees should get average to above average production from the remaining positions on the field (Teixeira at 1B, Jeter at SS, Swisher/Nady in RF, and Damon in LF). But this will not be enough; they need solid production from Posada (at the catcher position), Matsui, and Cano at the least. Anything they get out of the center field position would be a plus.

Things certainly did go terribly awry last year. Lightning may just strike twice again this year. Its up to everyone in the lineup to pick up the slack while A-Rod is gone. The one difference between this year and last is a vastly improved starting rotation. This should help the lineup cope with the loss of A-Rod, and keep them competetive until his return.

-Favad Ali

Bro-Rod: "Alex Rodriguez to Miss Ten Weeks"

Just when you thought it could not get any worse for Alex Rodriguez this spring. A-Rod's brother told ESPN Deportes earlier today, that the slugger will have surgery to remove a cyst that has formed on his right hip. Sources also say that surgery is schedule for Monday in Colorado.

There has been no official word from the Yankees on this matter as of yet. If this story proves to be true, this could be a devastating blow to the Yankees, as Rodriguez would miss the entire month of April and probably most of May as well.

Since 2004, the Yankees are 20-23 in games that Rodriguez has missed. Trade rumors have already hit the airwaves on possible replacements for Rodriguez at third base until his return. Names such as Garrett Atkins of the Colorado Rockies, Chad Tracy of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Bill Hall of the Milwaukee Brewers have been thrown about. If the Yankees stand pat and do not make a trade, Cody Ransom will likely get the bulk of playing time at third base.

Either way, A-Rod's absence will leave a huge void in the middle of the Yankees lineup. However, with the vast improvement in pitching, particularly starting pitching, the Yankees should be able to tread water until Alex return's. Also, the signing of Mark Teixeira looms even larger now more than ever. Imagine A-Rod going down and not having the force that is Mark Teixeira there to soften the blow.

Right now, the word is 10 weeks. However, ESPN's Stephania Bell reports that depending on the severity of the injured hip, A-Rod could be looking at more than the reported 10 weeks of recovery time. Yankees fans, it's time to hold our collective breaths.

-Favad Ali

Odd Man Out

Today on Rob Neyer’s blog at ESPN.com he has a link for a very interesting article about a book recently written by former Angels minor league pitcher, Matt McCarthy.

Check out the article, written by Benjamin Hill and Allan Schwarz, here.

Basically, the book recounts all the juicy details of his summer with the team, the truth however doesn’t seem to have a place in his novel. He alleges everything in his tale from steroid use, racism, and all around inappropriate behavior from his teammates and manager. McCarthy accusing current White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks of advising him to fake an injury to avoid lifting weights and of showing up to the park hung over on several occasions. Jenks, who has never tried to hide his troubled past stated that McCarthy’s accusations are false and that he “..couldn’t point him out in a room. I didn’t know who he was then. I don’t know who he is now.”

He also describes an incident accusing current Angel Joe Saunders of making disparaging remarks on the team bus when in fact Saunders had been promoted from the club days before the supposed incident took place. These are just two of a great deal of claims in his book that have been proven false by statistical and transaction information or that have been called flat out lies by former teammates.

McCarthy who is a graduate of Yale and the Harvard Medical School is currently an intern in the residency program at New York Presbyterian/ Columbia hospital. Judging by his collegiate resume I’d say he’s a pretty bright guy and he looks to be doing pretty well for himself. My question then would be ‘Why write this book?’.

It seems pretty obvious to me this guy is blatantly trying to cash in with his sensationalized stories. If his tall tales were true maybe he could drum up some sympathy for being a good boy on a team of misfits, but with all the embellishments and inaccuracies he winds up looking the worst of all. The fact remains this book never needed to be written. Baseball players are just that, they’re not saints we all know that so we certainly don’t need to read about it in this nobody’s book. Shame on publisher Viking Press as well for putting out this book that has proven to be greatly inaccurate. They really need to stop production on this book and pull it from store shelves in my opinion. If this were to happen I doubt McCarthy will care, he’s got his paycheck and I’m sure that’s all he’s worried about.

-Robb Lennahan

A-Rod to see Hip Specialist in Colorado.

Surprise! Alex Rodriguez, is in the news again. Rodriguez was sent to see a hip specialist in Colorado after complaining of stiffness in the right hip (story here). Well, at least this time, Alex is in the news and it has nothing to do with his admitted use of steroids. Or, does it? Look, as a Yankee fan, you would like to give A-Rod the benefit of the doubt.

However, the cyst (which can form due to repeated injections in the same area) that has formed on his hip is definitely a head scratcher. Now, if you go along with Alex's story, then the cyst cannot be related to his usage of steroids in 2001-2003. That was 6 years ago; his current hip ailment certainly cannot be attributed to something that happened 6 years ago.

However, if you are like me, a cynic, who just cant take Rodriguez for his word, you might not be surprised if the cyst has formed because A-Rod has still been injecting something (HGH, maybe) in that same area of his body. I am in no way trying to make any type of allegations against Rodriguez, but due to his own sketchy stories, you can't help but wonder.

-Favad Ali

Manny and Dodgers Finally Agree...

The Dodgers have reached a 2-year $45 million contract with Manny Ramirez. The deal includes an opt-out for Ramirez after the first year along with a full no trade clause. Manny finally knows where he will play this year. All is well with the world! Now, we can finally get on with our lives!

Santana's Elbow, Cause for Concern

Mets fans, it is time to start worrying. Johan Santana, the most irreplaceable player on the Mets roster is likely to miss his opening day start. In fact, his elbow issues may keep him from making first start until the second series of the season. The Mets’ ace has been battling a tender elbow this spring training and has yet to make a spring training start.

My only question in all of this, if there is such a concern about Santana’s elbow, why has he continued to throw bullpen sessions? He was scheduled to fly back to New York for an MRI, which was cancelled because in part, because the Mets didn’t want Santana to fly back in the midst of a snow storm, and Santana claimed he felt “OK”.

If you are the Mets why are you taking any chances with this guy? He is your franchise player. He’s the player that you shelled out $137 million for. To risk anything with Santana is flat out ridiculous. If he goes on the shelf for any extended period of time because of this how silly will that make the Mets look? They would look flat out amateur.

If I’m Omar Minaya, I am shutting down Santana until he has passed his MRI and is showing no further signs of pain, tightness, irritation, inflammation, or any other ailment that he may have in that elbow of his. How can you not shut him down? Considering, that if Santana does end up going down for any extended time period, so will the Mets chances in 2009.

-Favad Ali

Jeter Has Big Day Against Yanks

The Captain had a strong showing today, against The Yankees. He led team USA to a 6-5 victory over the Bombers, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Let's hope this is the first and last time The Captain suits up against the Yankees. Also, Brett Gardner had another solid day at the plate (3 for3). He has taken an early lead over Melky Cabrera for the starting job in center, showing patience and power (2 HR) at the plate so far this spring.

USA Looking to Rebound From 2006 Showing

Jason Stark writes that Team USA is ready for the World Baseball Classic this time around. I am not ready to make the same statement. While manager, Davey Johnson has already proclaimed Team USA as the team to beat in this year's classic, it is far from a forgone conclusion that team will be able to make up for their embarrassing exit from the last classic at the hands of Mexico.

While, USA baseball has learned from their mistake from the last go-round of playing just one exhibition game leading up to the tournament, Team USA is still far behind in form when compared to the Japanese and Cuban teams, who have been in training for months. All in all, I believe it will be up to the players and how seriously they take this tournament, as the deciding factor on how the team fares in this competition.

Some glaring omissions from the roster could prove costly to Team USA's chances. Among those who will not be participating include Ryan Howard, Tim Lincecum, Joe Nathan, Lance Berkman, Chase Utley, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Joe Mauer, Josh Hamiltion, etc. This is surely a who's who of players. If they push themselves and treat this tournament as they would a playoff series, this roster, even with the omissions, is capable of beating anyone. It will be up to Davey Johnson and the coaching staff to make that happen.

-Favad Ali

Cruz and Cabrera sign for '09

After Manny Ramirez the two biggest names left on the free agent market have finally agreed to contracts. Over the weekend the Kansas City Royals agreed to a deal with relief pitcher Juan Cruz on a 2 year- 6 million dollar contract. Also reportedly today the Oakland A’s have landed shortstop Orlando Cabrera with a 1 year - 4 million dollar deal. It was also reported that the A’s were close to a deal with free agent Nomar Garciaparra as well.

These are excellent moves for both teams. In Juan Cruz the Royals get a proven power arm out of the pen. Cruz, who has a 2.88 ERA and 12.6 K/9 the last two seasons should prove to be an exceptional 8th inning setup man to closer Joakim Soria. His signing also allows the Royals to use newly acquired Kyle Farnsworth in less stressful roles earlier in the ballgame, which should improve his overall performance.For Oakland, Orlando Cabrera provides a massive upgrade offensively and defensively over Bobby Crosby.

Though Cabrera doesn’t have the strongest arm, he has good range at the shortstop position as well as a very solid glove. In the lineup Cabrera is capable of leading off or hitting in the two hole, in either spot he’ll be a nice table setter for Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi. If Oakland can also complete a deal with Garciaparra, they suddenly have some impressive offensive depth. That is until Eric Chavez makes his annual trip to the disabled list.

Ultimately both these signings will help to improve their respected clubs but both Kansas City and Oakland lack the starting pitching to make them playoff competitors. Of course they still have to play the games and that means anything’s possible.

-Robb Lennahan