Wrapping Up The Week That Was In The Yankees Universe

I think when I last left off the Yankees had just resigned Andy Pettitte. I can't believe that I haven't blogged since Wednesday. I think the horrible weather we had up here in Buffalo (24 inches of snow in about 36 hours--I spent 4 hours shoveling) and the weekend took me out of it. So please, allow me to catch up:

The rest of the Winter Meetings were pretty uneventful. The Yankees got to pick 1st in the Rule 5 draft (pick acquired from Washington in Bruney trade) and they selected Jamie Hoffman, an OF I've never heard of from the Dodgers. From what I've gathered, Hoffman is projected to someday be an everyday player but right now he's targeted for the bench. I wish I had more to say on him but something tells me he's not going to hang around the Yanks and I wouldn't be surprised if he's not with the team when they head north.

Chien-Ming Wang was officially non-tendered by the Yankees, while Melky Cabrera, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre were issued contracts. I understand why the Yankees didn't offer CMW a deal. The uncertainty over the health of his arm coupled with the salary CMW would get didn't make it a smart business move. I'm a little disappointed that CMW, for the time being, is no longer a Yankee. I'm not a fan of just letting him go. CMW has pitched exceptionally well in the past and there's no reason to think he can't replicate that success if he's truly healthy. His poor performance can directly be tied to his injuries. I hope there is a way that the two sides can come together. You can never have enough pitching and I'd prefer CMW to Gaudin, Mitre or any Yankee farmhand. The Yanks always seem to find these horrifically bad reclamation projects (Sidney Ponson comes to mind) that just don't work out. So why not Wang? It's all about the benjamins. I totally get not paying him close to what he earned last year. I hope they get creative (incentive-laden contract) and figure out a way to bring him back as I think he'd do really well, if he's healthy. I'd really hate to see him go.

Am I missing something? Not much comes to mind to discuss other than the run-of-the-mill rumors that surround every free agent. That's for a different entry. Overall though last week was pretty good for the Yankees. I think they definitely came out of the Winter Meetings as the biggest winner. I don't think that can be disputed. If you'd like to try, let me know.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie