More Money than Sense

Foxsports.com is reporting that the MFYs have re-signed Jorge Posada for 4 years at $52 million. Jorge Posada is a good guy. He handles a pitching staff well. He is also 36 years old. When was the last time you saw a 40 year old catcher making $13 million? Me, either. He had a great year last year, no doubt about it. He hit almost 70 points higher than his pre-2007 lifetime average. That's called a career year. Except for the fact that his RBI total merely matched his average of the last 6 seasons, and his homer total was 3 below the average of his last 7 seasons. Career year? Hardly. Posada has never been the offensive player that Mike Piazza was, and Piazza was basically done as an everyday catcher at age 37.
While there will surely be changes, the MFYs are now looking at fielding this team:
Jorge Posada, catcher, 37
Jason Giambi, first base, 37
Robinson Cano, second base, 25
Derek Jeter, shortstop, 33
Wilson Betemit, third base, 26
Hideki Matsui, left field, 34
Melky Cabrera, center field, 24
Bobby Abreu, right field, 34
Johnny Damon, dh, 34
I make that two guys, Cabrera and Cano, whose best days are in front of them, and Cano is said to be the one piece that the Twins will require in a deal for Johann Santana with others to be negotiated. Betemit is a suspect. And the rest of them have played their most productive years already. 31.5 is a very old average age for a successful Major League Baseball team, one that is expected to win the World Series every year. They are believed to be offering a gold mine for three years to their 38 year old closer, the great Rivera, who already has his biggest problems with that rival to the north east. Clemens, 45, has begun his personal services contract with the Astros. Pettitte, 36, has turned down his '08 option. Mussina will be 39. Cashman is right: it's time for the generational change. But George's boys apparently didn't get the memo. Signing the old guys to long contracts for big money doesn't just delay the inevitable; it makes the downturn longer and uglier.
Enjoy!