Depressed Fan

A year punctuated by injuries just got a little worse. Jorge Posada will presumably head back to the DL tonight when Johnny Damon comes off the DL. Posada will have an MRI and may have season-ending surgery on his shoulder. He's finally admitted that he can't make the throw to second, and surgery now may mean he's available for the beginning of the '09 season.

I don't think it's a stretch to say this is a critical blow to the Yanks. Matsui may be done for the year, and a lineup which was already having a ton of problems scoring runs will now be short another middle-of-the-lineup mainstay. This will also serve as a test for Brian Cashman. This team clearly needs another bat, if not two. To make the playoffs with this lineup would be arduous, to say the least. Can Cashman stand pat as we approach the trade deadline? Will he be able to stand the pressure, or will he trade away some of the chips he's worked so hard to protect in order to shore up the lineup and give the Yanks an extra boost for the playoff run?

I have no idea what the next 11 days will hold, but I do know this. The Richie Sexsons of the baseball world aren't going to get the job done. The Yanks need an impact bat. Whether it's Barry Bonds, or a trade for a guy like Teixeira or Holliday, they need a real threat in the lineup. It wouldn't hurt if Derek Jeter stopped hitting like Miguel Cairo either. Funny how everyone's all over Cano for his slow start, while Jeter's OPS is down over 100 points from last year and he seems to hit into a DP every time he bats with a man on first.