Speculation is Fun!

The start of Game 1 is delayed due to rain (doubleheader tomorrow?), so welcome to the useless filler portion of the evening.

I touched on this last night, but I'd like to continue with the theme of the Yankees 1B/DH problem. Giambi is on the DL, and Doug Mientkiwicz is putting up numbers that can only be described as Mientkiwiczesque.

I already lambasted the Sexson proposal, but here are a few other options the Yankees could explore:

1. Fred McGriff
Sure, he hasn't played since '04, but he was a Yankees' farmhand two and a half decades ago, is achingly close to 500 HRs (shades of Sammy Sosa) and as I recall the Yankees actually signed him to a minor league contract a couple years back. I'm sure the Crime Dog would welcome a chance to make it back one more time over his current occupation - obsessively watching "Deal or No Deal" and downloading YouTube clips of horrific skateboard accidents.

2. Bernie Williams
I'm fuzzy on the details - I know Berniewhocky signed a minor league deal with the Yankees this offseason, didn't make the team, and gave the commencement address at Iona a few weeks ago. That must have been a thrill for those Iona kids - I mean, not Kelsey Grammer thrilling, but still. That said, did he actually announce his retirement? Teddy would know, but that's a mystery to me. Considering injuries and ineffectiveness, I imagine the Yankees are beginning to worry they were a little hasty in cutting him loose this winter.

3. Tino Martinez
...and playing 3rd base, Tim McCarver's man-crush, Scott Brosius. I haven't actually seen Tino on "Baseball Tonight" (not sure if he's even still there) but I've heard that he doesn't exactly make for compelling television. The Yankees' attempt to bring sexy back with Martinez and Brosius would set off a chain reaction - A-Rod would move to short and Jeter would move to second. The Yankees would then trade Robinson Cano to the Twins (in a perverse reversal of the Knoblauch trade) for Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau. Morneau would DH, and once Mauer came off the DL, Posada would be traded to the Devil Rays for Carl Crawford and Scott Kazmir. This would cause Matsui to be moved to right field, at which point Bobby Abreu would be traded to Milwaukee for the entire Brewers roster.

4. Kevin Millar
With both Millar and Johnny Damon facing down free agency in '05, Millar reportedly phoned his fellow Idiot and told them they should sign on the same team together and "turn another clubhouse upside down". This would be the equivalent of Ben Affleck calling Matt Damon up about collaborating on another project so that they could "totally rock Hollywood together". Millar loves being the center of attention (he was losing playing time to Jeff Conine in Baltimore last year) and it would add another cast member to the reality show, "Useful players on the '04 Red Sox who the Yankees felt the need to acquire", currently starring the aforementioned Mientkiwicz, Mike Myers, Mark Bellhorn, and Alan Embree.

5. Jose Canseco
Hey, the last time Yankees won the World Series, Canseco was on the roster - even though they only claimed him off waivers as a reflex, and were left holding the bag when the Devil Rays said, "Sure, take him and his contract - he's yours!" The fact that no one has even pondered bringing Canseco back to the bigs points to a lack of creativity and imagination that makes me yearn for a Veeck owning a big league team. I mean, think about it - Canseco hasn't actually been banned from baseball - what would Selig do if someone actually signed him? The implications are hysterical. Plus, he can add some depth as a knuckle-balling relief pitcher.


Boston Speculation

The game appears to have started - Mikey Lowell left 'em loaded to end the first, which does not bode well...

As the voice of the Red Sox fan here, I seem to be killing a lot of digital trees talking about the Yankees, so I would be remiss if I didn't address Boston's short-comings.

Teams can always use bullpen help, but with Kaji and Pap, the Sox are pretty strong at the end of games - and Snyder, Donelly, Lopez, and Romero certainly haven't embarassed themselves. If Tavarez's surprisingly effective start as a starter translates to the bullpen, and Mike Timlin can be modestly effective, I don't see the Sox needing to make a move. Historically, grabbing a set-up man for the stretch run (Bagwell for Anderson) has not worked out well for the Sox. Piniero is a lost cause, and Delcarmen and Hansen don't exactly resemble the cavalry right now, but I don't think that Theo needs to muck with the bullpen too much.

The issue at hand for the Red Sox is that their primary needs are locked up in big contracts. The team is set at the following positions: 1B (Youkilis), 2B (Pedroia/Cora), 3B (Lowell), LF (Man-Ram), and DH (Big Papi).

I don't know where the Sox will go for catching help with the steady decay of Jason Varitek, but it's not like there are options out there on the trade market, so I'll take a pass on that one.

SS Julio Lugo was signed to a 4-year contract this offseason, at a salary that makes him essentially untradable. Last year, when he went to the Dodgers (amidst tampering charges by the Devil Rays against the Red Sox, who were apparently gauging his long-term signability), Lugo was the best shortstop available. This year? Well, I imagine Jack Wilson will be available, but I don't see what that would accomplish. Since Hanley Ramirez went away (thankfully Lowell and Beckett have made that palatable) and Pedroia became a second baseman, the Sox don't have any prospects at short (insert Freddy Sanchez and David Eckstein joke here), so for the foreseeable future, Lugo will keep his job.

I've gone on and on about J.D. Drew in this space before (I think I'll be repeating myself in regards to both him and the next player I'm focusing on) - but the Red Sox are in the same boat with Drew as they are with Lugo. 5 years and $70 million is a big commitment, which leaves the Red Sox in a situation where they can neither trade nor bench the guy. I know there's a lot of Byzantine contract language whereby the Red Sox can void the contract if he injures his left index finger on the third day after a full moon in an away game played on turf in a month that begins with a vowel, but like Lugo, the Sox are pretty well stuck with J.D.

Which brings us, of course, to Covelli Loyce Crisp - a centerfielder desperately trying to have hit glove carry his bat, and without much success. Coco's locked up for a couple of years, anyway, and neither Torii Hunter nor Andruw Jones (a.k.a the Human K) are realistic options. Both have their issues (injury-prone, overrated) and both are free agents at the end of the year, which would make them summer rentals. There's also the fact that both Terry Ryan and John Schuerholz are more than capable of fleecing the Red Sox.

On top of that, there's Jacoby Ellsbury. Every 15 years or so, the Red Sox seem to develop a very-good-to-great center fielder - Dom Dimaggio, Tony Conigliaro/Reggie Smith, Fred Lynn, Ellis Burks - Ellsbury stands to be the latest in the line. That or the next Bob Zupcic. Either way, he currently represents the future in Center Field, so going out and picking up a contract someone else is looking to unload (again, do you think Gary Matthews, Jr. is available?), I'd rather see the Sox stick it out with Coco and let Ellsbury develop.

Last I checked it was 9-3 Yankees. Maybe a rainout wouldn't have been so bad after all...