Jumping off a Cliff

 

He’s not coming.

In a seemingly apocalyptic moment, the Yankees did not get what they wanted. The star free agent didn’t choose them, didn’t choose the bigger money, brighter lights. It sure isn’t the winter of ’08 when C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeria chose the Bronx and the Bombers’ bombastic contracts.

Instead, Cliff Lee, the guy the Yankees made well known was their #1 target, chose someone else. He’ll be home (well, kind of) for Christmas. Philly isn’t Lee’s first home of course. That’s the perennial pitching pit stop in Northeast Ohio. But it is where he got his first chance to build his so-far staggering postseason legacy. 

The Yankees are those ceaseless rich kids on the block. It’s nearly Christmas time and they weren’t just hoping, but expecting, to get the gift on top of their wish list. Texas is the kid who asked for a pony when it doesn’t have a barn. The Phillies were the already pitching-spoiled one that waited patiently, was good all year and got their guy. The Yankees are the rich kid who will spend Christmas smarting over why they end up with a Carlos Zambrano or some other pitcher from the Island of Misfit Toys.

Usually most fans of other teams are devoid of sympathy for the Yankees. And most fans probably still will be. It’s hard to feel bad for a team that spends the most and has won the most in the game’s history. 

However, this isn’t the case of the Yankees begging for another toy they don’t need. This time, this rich kid actually needed the fancy toy. 

In the Bronx it’s all about championships. To get those you need cream of the crop pitching. The Yankees’ was not that last season. 

In the year of the pitcher, only C.C. Sabathia was consistently good, finishing the year 21-7 with a 3.18 ERA. No other Yankee starter finished in baseball’s top 50 in ERA. As a staff, the Yankees were just middle of the pack, 15^th in ERA. 

When it came playoff time, the Yankees’ stumbling point in past postseasons again proved deadly. It wasn’t just Cliff Lee that beat the Yankees in the ALCS. It was all of Texas’ pitching that was better. Along with Lee, C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis proved better than a rusty Andy Pettitte, maligned A.J. Burnett and fledgling Phil Hughes. 

Did the Yankees need Lee as badly as one of baseball’s perennial bottom feeders may have? Certainly not. C.C. Sabathia is a Cy Young winner and bona fide ace. Many in baseball can not even trot out one of those every fifth day. 

But for the Yankees’ prerogative, yes, Lee was a need. They can win without him. It’s not all about big names and big money. The Giants proved that last season. The Rays did win they reached the World Series three seasons ago. 

The road has gotten steeper now though. Not only did the Yankees fail to add a bona fide pitcher to join Sabathia, they are now facing a powerhouse rotation, albeit in the other league, along with a bolstered bunch of bats in Beantown. 

There’s no need to jump off a cliff…yet. The Yankees still have a powerhouse lineup and maybe new pitching coach Larry Rothschild can figure out A.J. Burnett’s troubles. The potential retirement of Andy Pettitte and limited available options on the pitching market are a real concern though. 

For now it’s Christmas come early in Philadelphia…and this time they should be thanking, not booing, Santa.