Yankees Stadium

So, the last game has been played at the house that Ruth built, and the Bronx Bombers do not make the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years. Not a good year for the New York Yankees. The incompetence of Cashman and the front office turned the legendary franchise from the powerhouse of the nineties to the home of overpaid, overrated hitters and pitchers such as Randy Johnson, Johnny Damon, the former greatest closer alive, Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, and Hideki Matsui. All of these players are shadows of their former glory, performing inconsistently and poorly. The Yankee management has failed to maintain anything other than a lineup.

The young pitchers that they did not trade for Santana, whom they needed desperately,
were a fantastic disappointment. Hughes and Kennedy were unable to perform as is expected in New York, and when Chamberlain went down because his innings were poorly managed, the season was over. When the pressure was on to make the playoffs,
Alex Rodriguez collapsed, becoming "Double-Play-Rod" instead of the most feared hitter in baseball.

Cashman and the Yankees have their work cut out for them this offseason. They, like the Red Sox, need to add better middle relief, to replace the likes of Bruney and Britton, who have no place on a team with such a payroll. They need to add an outfielder who can produce more consistently than Matsui or Damon, such as, unfortunately, Manny Ramirez, who has expressed interest in wearing the pinstripes.

Free agent pitchers such as Burnett or Sabathia could turn the team around, and perhaps put the Yankees back on top, as much as I would hate to see that happen, they certainly have the means, the only question is, does Cashman have the initiative to make such big pitching acquisitions?

Photosource 1:wallyg's photostream
Photosource 2:Random Factor's photostream