This N.Y. Post
exclusive is saying George Steinbrenner will step down from the day-to-day chairman duties, and his sons, Hank and Hal will take over.
In a break from tradition, the Post actually has quotes from the parties involved in the story, so it looks like this one is legit. What this means for Joe Torre's future is anyone's guess, but there was one quote which may give us a glimpse into the little Steins' ownership style.
When asked if Joba Chamberlain would be a starter next season, Hank said, "That's something I'll insist on." Great.
I'm still fleshing out my feelings on what I think Joba's role should be next year, I'll have a full post on it in the next week. Hank may be dead on in insisting he start, my problem is that he's insisting on a baseball decision. They pay plenty of guys to evaluate players and decide roles. Not a good start for Hank, in my eyes.
heres the bottom line.. we need to bring back joe. mo basically was quoted as saying he wont come back without torre here. mo is the single most important player the yankees ever had since maybe the babe, and hes still untouchble. if we lose mo were going to be back to the late 80 early 90s of futility. i do think girrardi is the best fit but the players are behind joe t. we need to give a rod whatever he wants. with our young talent if we bring pettite a rod and mo back we will win another championship .. losing mo or arod will be a disaser we may never recover from
If the unthinkable happens and they lose Mo,
would they then consider Joba in a closing role?
Paxton,
I agree with you about Mo. How many teams struggle year after year to find a closer hey can rely on? And how many could stand up to the workload Mo has had year after year? I'm not really sure he's gone if Joe leaves, I think that was just his way of throwing support Torre's way. If they lose Mo, A-Rod, Pettitte and Posada next year is going to be a real crap shoot. It'll be fun to watch, but a return to the playoffs is going to be tough.
JJ,
I don't know. I have some thoughts on Joba's future, and I've actually changed my mind. If Mo doesn't return, I have a feeling they go after Francisco Cordero, pretty much the only viable free agent closer.
I'm not sure what to think of Joba. His stuff is almost too good to use for only one or two innings, but how long can a guy throw 99 mph for 7 innings before breaking down? No doubt he'd be an awesome starter... he dominated in AAA ball, but can he throw 100 hard pitches + a game?
Brian,
you said one thing about Joba that I think most people overlook. He has the personality to close. Very few pitchers have that, no matter how talented. Joba didn't crumble under pressure and actually seemed to thrive on it. Top rate closers are even harder to find than ace starters.
joe nathan is a free agent, i beleive...just throwing that out t here lol
Prez,
this is the list of free agent closers I found (at www.mlbtraderumors.com)
Closers
Armando Benitez (35)
Joe Borowski (37) - $4MM club option for '08
Francisco Cordero (33)
Octavio Dotel (32) - $5.5MM mutual option for '08
Eric Gagne (32)
Todd Jones (40)
Al Reyes (37) - $1MM club option for '08
Mariano Rivera (38)
Bob Wickman (39)
The Twins have a team option on Nathan for this year, $6M. I assume they'll keep him.