#22's Redux

"Make no mistake about it, I've come back to do what they only know how to do here with the Yankees, and that's win a championship. Anything else is a failure, and I know that." --Roger Clemens in his conference with the sports media on rejoining the Yankees

Clemens is back and not only talking like a Yankee but also getting paid like one--$28 million to be exact pro-rated over the course of 5 months. I was fortunate enough to be at the Yankee game when Clemens came on the outfield screen after the 7th inning stretch. Of course my immediate reaction was one of elation, but after the drive back home to Maryland where I live I gave the whole thing more thought.

Why did Clemens pick the Yankees?

1. Money.

As Peter Gammons pointed out the Yankees simply had the money to afford Clemens. Well, let me correct that--afford him as the highest bidder. The Red Sox put in a bid as did the Astros and both fell short as the Yanks upped their offer given their record 10 starters in the first 30 games and sub-.500 performance so far. But let's be honest here, it's in the Yankees nature to spend tons of cash--that's a given. I don't want to get into the whole buying a World Series discussion. What is most interesting here is how Clemens can consider retirement well into April the last three seasons, decide to come back and has seen his salary go up $10 million over the period ($18,000,022 to $28,000,022). The guy has his own market, a monopoly in fact, where you must bid X million dollars with a Jackson and two GWs.

2. BFF, Pettitte.

Andy certainly has leverage over Roger. I'm starting to wonder about this baseball relationship. No not like that, but I can't recall seeing two ball players, who didn't come up together and whose careers started at different times with different teams, become so inseparable. Obviously this didn't shock any Astros players.

Before the season started I thought, now that Pettitte's a Yankee again I wonder if he'd throw out the idea of telling Clemens to go to the Red Sox? Ya know, mix up the relationship a bit, try something new, exciting and even dangerous. But I guess they're trying to rekindle something--see point #4 below. I won't be suprised to these two to retire together and then travel the world and the seven seas.

3. Safe pick for playoff run and World Series run.

Eleven straight AL East titles is what some may call a trend. But alas, the Yankees dynasty days are long gone, however they're a safe bet to make the playoffs every year and cannot be discounted to make a run at the World Series. And on top of that they still have one of the top offenses in all of baseball again (aka run support), though one has to wonder about the bullpen so far (more on that later).

4. Past Glory

Tino Martinez, David Wells, Mike Stanton, El Duque, Andy Pettitte, Ruben Sierra, Luis Sojo, Jeff Nelson, Homer Bush. These are all guys that played on the dyntasy teams from 1996-2001, left and have come back in the post-dynasty era. There's a lot of notalgia there and for most of them it was just that when they returned. Add Clemens to the list now.

5. Retire as a Yankee again?

Another Hummer? The first one Clemens got in 2003 is already four years old.

Seriously though, I think Clemens wants to retire a Yankee. He won his rings with the team afterall and has been great with the fans. This may also have some connotations regarding the Hall of Fame and which hat he will enshrined with when he goes in.

How does this help the Yankees?

The starting pitching staff is in shambles. Other than using 10 starters already, the five man rotation they were going to start with--Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Pavano, Igawa--hasn't even pitched in that order once. Only Pettitte and Igawa have been healthy and don't get me started on Igawa, his shades he wears, or that he's one ugly dude. Assuming Clemens stays healthy (not a guarentee) and doesn't get sent packing to single A ball, he increases the value of the Yankee's rotation.

There's also the whole NY thang--you know, the one that makes players like A-Rod put up dismal .290/35/121 seasons and do nothing in the playoffs. Clemens knows how NY, the Yankees and it's fan base work and went through his period of strife back in '99. He'll be able to fit in, albeit a different club.

I can't forget to say he's not with the Red Sox this year. I know they don't need him, but again this is another of those Yankee strategies--get this player before he goes to the Red Sox--whatever the cost.

I'd also add that Clemens always appeared to be a club house leader on and off the field. I can't imagine what Philip Hughes must be thinking right now. Players look up to Clemens, respect him, and will learn from him. Afterall, he's arguably the best pitcher baseball's seen in the last 25 years.

What are the risks at play?

A typical Yankee fan is probably thinking, "Yeah, we got Roger, we're gonna win it all now. Hey do I hear Cotton Eye Joe?" Let's be realistic here. First, Clemens is a pitcher and will get the ball every five days if those days happen to be in the Bronx. So we're talking about 20 games or so between June 1st and September 30th that he'll have any sort of impact on the team's chances of winning. Combine that with what most analysts are saying, Clemens will be a 5 to 6 innings guy which means Torre will still have to rely on the pen. Lord knows how that hangover will be doing by June.

Also for the non-stat heads reading this--Clemens won't dominate as much as he did the last three seasons. The three years and Cy Young in Houston proved that Clemens was still one of the best, but we're talking about the NL Central which is weaker compared to the AL East. However, I think all baseball fans shut up last year when the Cardinals won the World Series.

Some have also argued, wrongly, that Clemens is great in the playoffs. Please view his playoff stats here and tell me if he's one of the best playoff pitchers ever.

Did I mention Clemens is 44 going on 45--yes he's still great at that age and constantly in touch with his body, but can his body deal with another few months of baseball? Clemens' pitching game depends on his legs and he's dealt with his share of tweaks even heading into the playoffs as was true during the Astros' '05 World Series run.

Final Thoughts

It is great to have Clemens back in NY with the Yankees. This could be his last season for all I know, so I'll have to appreciate it for what it's worth, all $28 million. Given the way the '07 season has started for the Yankees, Clemens adds pitching value, leadership value, and even sentimental value. But in no way having Clemens guarentees the Yankees a playoff spot (hey, they could be going for the wild card this year) or a trip to the World Series. And if there isn't a championship in New York City, another year of failure will be upon the Bronx Bombers.