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Yahoo! Sports: Mussina and Yankees all but agree to contract
I've been pretty ardent about toeing the stathead line when it comes to financial matters. Baseball is in great shape and we don't need to mess with the current system. The Yankees are just going through an up cycle and that they will settle back to the pack in the near future, but the chinks are starting to show in my orthodoxy. I think something may need to be done on the competitive balance front. I know, I know, New York only had 87 wins last year, but, good grief, they seem to be playing with a far different set of rules. I think splitting TV and radio 50/50 would go a long way.
The Yanks now have the second and third best pitchers in the AL over the last four years. I think Manny Ramirez would have been a better move given their anemic offense last year, but they'll be hard to beat defensively. It is possible that Mussina won't pitch that well. Less than half of his ten most similar through age 31 pitched all that well after age 31.
But I wouldn't bet on that if I were an AL East team. Don't get me wrong, I'm not predicting a Yankees WS victory. I was merely hoping that they would fall on some mildly hard times.
The Yanks will likely be the oldest team in the league next year. The offense will go from 31.6 years of age to 32.6 years or higher as Joe Oliver was added, Ledee is gone, and Glenallen Hill will get more at bats. The pitching staff will be a tad younger as Mussina may get Cone's innings. Looking at their roster from last year, the bullpen could be a real problem. Jeff Nelson was their best reliever last year, but they'll pick somebody up. They always do.
It looks like Mike Mussina will be putting on the pinstripes next season.
I've been pretty ardent about toeing the stathead line when it comes to financial matters. Baseball is in great shape and we don't need to mess with the current system. The Yankees are just going through an up cycle and that they will settle back to the pack in the near future, but the chinks are starting to show in my orthodoxy. I think something may need to be done on the competitive balance front. I know, I know, New York only had 87 wins last year, but, good grief, they seem to be playing with a far different set of rules. I think splitting TV and radio 50/50 would go a long way.
The Yanks now have the second and third best pitchers in the AL over the last four years. I think Manny Ramirez would have been a better move given their anemic offense last year, but they'll be hard to beat defensively. It is possible that Mussina won't pitch that well. Less than half of his ten most similar through age 31 pitched all that well after age 31.
- Jack Morris (933)
- Dizzy Dean (931) *
- Bret Saberhagen (930)
- Freddie Fitzsimmons (918)
- Dennis Leonard (916)
- John Smoltz (913)
- Ramon Martinez (909)
- Jack McDowell (908)
- Tom Glavine (903)
- John Candelaria (902)
But I wouldn't bet on that if I were an AL East team. Don't get me wrong, I'm not predicting a Yankees WS victory. I was merely hoping that they would fall on some mildly hard times.
The Yanks will likely be the oldest team in the league next year. The offense will go from 31.6 years of age to 32.6 years or higher as Joe Oliver was added, Ledee is gone, and Glenallen Hill will get more at bats. The pitching staff will be a tad younger as Mussina may get Cone's innings. Looking at their roster from last year, the bullpen could be a real problem. Jeff Nelson was their best reliever last year, but they'll pick somebody up. They always do.
posted by Sean Foran # 8:17 AM 
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