Times are tough in the Bronx. The boom is over. The Yankees will have to go without.
Go without their $2 million fifth outfielder, their $3.4 million backup catcher, their imported $2.5 million No. 5 starter.
Yep, winter was the time to trim the fat [sorry, Hideki] from the Yankees’ roster. Owner George Steinbrenner does not want a ground-breaking contract for Derek Jeter, nor does he want the Yankees to be the first $100 million team. In fact, he does not want to lead the majors in payroll again.
They’ll be going for a third championship in a row without the luxury of a deep bench.
They’re crying for you in Kansas City, Minnesota and South Florida, Yankees fans. Really, they are.
Actually, as the Yankees begin reporting for spring training this week, their most pressing concern could be age. If David Cone, Roger Clemens, Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez all have big seasons in their mid-to-late-30s, so will the Yankees. Most of the Yankees’ problems are the type about 20 teams would love to have.
Can They All Get Along?
By the end of last season, three-fifths of the rotation — Cone, Clemens and Andy Pettitte — had to be paired with catcher Joe Girardi to be effective. Now Girardi is with the Cubs, severing the umbilical cord tethering Jorge Posada to the bench. Cone and Clemens, veterans who run their own show, should be able to shake off any frustration caused by a younger catcher. But the tightly wound Pettitte, who has been attached to personal catchers (Jim Leyritz and Girardi) like Linus to his blanket, may have trouble bonding. Posada does not react well to being unloved — often trying to win approval by swinging from the heels. The other catchers in camp include Leyritz, allergic to leather of all shapes, Tom Pagnozzi, 37, and rookies led by Tom Wilson. If Posada can’t handle the job and the personalities involved, catching could become a problem.
Left In The Lurch
The Yankees’ search for a solid everyday left fielder, it seems, goes back to Bob Meusel (who held the position for most of the Roaring ’20s). Ricky Ledee, a long-awaited prospect, has the job to lose, with Shane Spencer to get a shot. Chad Curtis was traded to Texas, but the Yankees have invited six veteran outfielders to camp, including Roberto Kelly and Tim Raines, so the position is far from settled. Would you be shocked if the well-traveled Kelly ended up playing a lot of left field this year?
Taking The Fifth
Having traded the troublesome Irabu to Montreal, the Yankees are committing themselves to rookie lefthander Ed Yarnall as the No. 5 starter. A classic Tampa-New York conflict is brewing. The Tampa-based minor league/scouting folks are big Yarnall boosters and would not mind paring more payroll and trading Yarnall’s remaining competition, Ramiro Mendoza, to Oakland for more prospects. Manager Joe Torre likes Yarnall but would like to have Mendoza around just in case, and to work out of the bullpen. If the Yankees hope to avoid a payroll explosion when Cone, Clemens and Orlando Hernandez become free agents, they will need Yarnall to hold down a spot at the minimum salary for a few years.
Don’t Throw Him Away Just Yet
Now that they own the Nets, the Yankees can easily solve second baseman Chuck Knoblauch’s throwing problems. Just make Gheorghe Muresan their first baseman. . . . Doesn’t work for you? Then Knoblauch will have to solve the problem himself. Jeter and Knoblauch, who has been dealing with a divorce and an ailing father, have become inseparable. Perhaps this has made Knoblauch more comfortable in New York and with himself. That could be apparent in March. If his head is clear, Knoblauch could have a huge year.
A Little Old For Tantrums?
Right fielder O’Neill, 36, struggled most of last year, but reached 110 RBI with a big September. Eventually, his numbers will drop. Will it be 2000? And if it is, who replaces him in right and at No. 3 in the order? At his age, any slippage — even in spring training — must be watched closely.
Exhibition Schedule
At Tampa, unless noted ss = split squad
March 2: Toronto at Dunedin, 1:05. 3: Toronto, 1:15. 4: Pittsburgh at Bradenton, 1:05. 5: Houston, 1:15. 6: Cleveland at Winter Haven, 1:05. 7: Minnesota, 7:15. 8: Boston at Fort Myers, 1:05. 9: Philadelphia at Clearwater, 1:05. 10: Philadelphia (ss), 1:15 p.m.; (ss) vs. Cincinnati at Sarasota, 7:05. 11: Atlanta (ss), 1:15. 12: Toronto at Dunedin, 1:05. 13: Tampa Bay at St. Petersburg, 1:05. 14: (SS) vs. Houston at Kissimmee, 1:05 p.m.; Kansas City (ss), 7:15. 15: Detroit at Lakeland, 1:05. 16: Philadelphia at Clearwater, 1:05. 17: Atlanta at Kissimmee, 1:05. 18: (SS) vs. Kansas City (ss) at Haines City, 1:05 p.m.; (ss) Cleveland, 1:15. 19: Cincinnati, 1:15. 20: Pittsburgh, 7:15. 21: Toronto, 7:15. 23: Boston, 1:15. 24: Florida at Viera, 1:05. 25: Florida, 1:15. 26: Minnesota at Fort Myers, 1:05. 27: Tampa Bay, 1:15. 28: Detroit, 1:15. 29: Philadelphia, 1:15. 30: At Houston, 8:05. 31: At Houston, 8:05. April 1: At San Francisco, 10:35.
REGULAR SEASON OPENER
April3: At Anaheim, 10:35
HOME OPENER
April 11: Texas, 1:05
