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12/04/2003 Archived Entry: "MLB News: Yanks on the Move"
MLB News by Eric Gartman
Yanks on the Move-Apparently the Boss has no desire to go into a long-term rebuilding period. He wants to win now, and when you have the kind of resources the Yankees do, why wait? Responding to a vigorous challenge from arch-rival Boston, who acquired Curt Schilling last week, the Yanks have countered with two bold moves. In order to replace the retired Roger Clemens, they traded first baseman Nick Johnson and outfielder Juan Rivera to Montreal for pitcher Javier Vazquez. Vazquez is only 27 years old and posted a meager 3.24 ERA last season, good enough for 21 win shares, fifth-best in the NL. The Yanks did give up a lot in Johnson, who is only 25 and already has a very good place discipline. He might develop power to go along with his discerning eye in the future. The Bombers, however, had an answer for that, however, signing outfielder Gary Sheffield to a three-year, $36 million deal. Sheffield seems to be improving with age. Last year, at age 35, he posted his best numbers yet, a .330 average with 39 homers, 132 RBI and 18 stolen bases, good enough for an impressive 35 win shares, third-best in baseball. A lot of that had to do with the excellent Atlanta offense, which provided him with protection as well as runners to drive in. It's unlikely to expect the same from Sheffield next year, but the Yanks won't need him to be as good. The only real hole they had in offense was in the outfield, and he now joins Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams in a potent combination. The Yanks aren't finished dealing, either. David Wells is injured, and free-agent Andy Pettitte remains unsigned. They have talked about acquiring Kevin Brown for the rotation, and they may try to make up for the loss of Nick Johnson as well. One may wonder how much all this will cost the Bombers. Last year, they had a payroll of nearly $190 million, far in excess of the $117 million salary cap, which no other team passed. Adding Vazquez will cost at least $6 million and Sheffield $12 million. Brown earns $15 million a year. It seems that the Yanks are not concerned about money. I guess losing in the World Series 4 games to 2 is just more than the Boss can tolerate.
