Deconstructing The Yankees

It started during the strike shortened 1994 baseball season under the management of Buck Showalter and came to a close last night with Joe Torre at the helm. It featured the likes of Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs, Jimmy Key and John Wetteland in the early years and the names of Jeter, Soriano, Clemens and Posada last night. Through the entire journey there were few names that remained constant, O'Neill, Williams and a couple that left and came back in the form of Randy Velarde and Luis Sojo. This was a New York Yankee dynasty that captured four World Series championships while participating in five during that span.

Joe Torre took over as field manger of the Yankees in 1996 replacing Buck Showalter who ironically left to manage the Arizona Diamondbacks (and did so until this year). It was Joe Torre who was given the challenge of taking the Yankees the next step and to win the World Series. As everyone knows, if you do not pay fast dividends in the Bronx, Mr. Steinbrenner will run you out of town. It was that 1996 team that we saw the core of the Yankee dynasty fill into the framework Showalter had left. In 1996 the Yankees brought over Tino Martinez from Seattle to replace the retiring Don Mattingly at first base. They also introduced us to rookies such as shortstop Derek Jeter, swingman Ramero Mendoza, a third string catcher named Jorge Posada and a setup man in Mariano Rivera. It was also this year that second year pitcher Andy Pettitte stepped to the forefront.

Year after year from that point on, the Yankees made few but significant changes to the lineup; this was not done just by acquiring free agents or trading for player's teams could no longer afford but by promoting from within as well. Posada worked his way from third string to back up to one of the best catchers in the game today as Jim Leyritz, Mike Stanley and Joe Girardi departed the Bronx. Mariano Rivera became the closer when John Wetteland left.

Of course the Yankees did bring in external talent too. When Wade Boggs departed the Yankees brought Scott Brosius at third base.

Second base and leftfield were two positions that the Yankees always seemed to be searching for answers. The Yankees thought they solved their second base problem bringing in Chuck Knoblauch to replace Mariano Duncan and Luis Sojo but for some reason, Knoblauch's defense became offensive and he lost his job this year to Yankee groomed Alfonso Soriano who many believe will someday be an All-Star.

In leftfield, there has been nothing but a revolving door with no one standing up to claim that job in all these years. There was Tim Raines, Ruben Sierra, Gerald Williams, Chad Curtis, Shane Spencer, David Justice and the banished Chuck Knoblauch. If anything was the Achilles of this team, it was leftfield.

The starting pitching also went through a lot of changes over the years but unlike leftfield, it was to improve from one year to the next. Jimmy Key, Jim Abbott, Jack McDowell, David Cone, Kenny Rogers, David Wells, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina have all donned pinstripes in this era to go along with Pettitte and Cuban import Orlando Hernandez and the errant "Fat Toad" experiment featuring Hideki Irabu.

The Yankee hierarchy realizes that this team is becoming old and before the core starts to decay, it is time to bring in some new pieces. Paul O'Neill will be making one decision for management by retiring. Chuck Knoblauch played his way out of the starting line up and will now be looking for a new home. Most people are saying that free agent's Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius also don't fit into the Yankees plans but I think if Tino is willing to comeback with a reduced role the Yankees would bring him back.

The other five free agents in New York are Sterling Hitchcock, Luis Sojo, Randy Velarde, Allen Watson and Mark Wohlers of which probably only Randy Velarde comes back to be the Yankee starting third baseman. In addition, the Yankees would love for someone to step up and take Orlando Hernandez off their hands before he becomes Hideki Irabu part two. It is a shame that the Montreal Expos are probably going to be disbursed because there is no better place for banishment than Montreal where a player can fade into oblivion.

Are the Yankees committed to a line-up featuring Nick Johnson at first, Randy Velarde at third, and an outfield featuring David Justice and Shane Spencer? Who is the DH? Worry not Yankee fan the answer to this is no.

The Yankees are going to go hard after Oakland A's free agent first baseman Jason Giambi thus making prospect Nick Johnson expendable to acquire an additional outfielder making Justice and Spencer a platoon. Randy Velarde will be the third baseman to start the year but the way Drew Henson has been ripping through the Arizona Fall League, scouts are saying he will be ready for the big leagues by the All-Star break. Velarde is then free to become a back up infielder and a DH against left handed pitching. That leaves the DH spot against right handed pitching to be addressed and what easier way to fill that void than bring back Tino Martinez.

Yes, a Yankee dynasty ended Sunday night but, 2002 just maybe the start of a new one.