Fire Gardy

So Mark Teixeira went to the Yankees. When I got home and flipped on Sportscenter, I was treated to recordings from Boston radio stations with callers calling Tex “the worst mercenary ever,” and other unfriendly names. This from the same fans who were drooling over him just hours earlier. I think it’s stupid and unfair to call someone a “mercenary” for taking a better offer. It just doesn’t make any sense. Also, he had no ties to Boston — why do these callers think he owes them something? (And another thing — why was ESPN playing clips from Boston radio shows, and why were all the analysts talking about what this means for the Red Sox, rather than what it means from the Yankees? Have the stopped pretending they’re not just a Red Sox Fan show?)

Well, now that Tex will be wearing pinstripes, everyone is now convinced that they’re the team to beat, not only in the AL East, but in the entire AL. I don’t know how much one guy can add … especially to an offense that was lackluster at best last season.

Prospective Yankees lineup (2008 OPS+):

Damon (118) Jeter (102) Teixeira (151) Rodriguez (150) Matsui (108) Posada (103) Nady (105) Swisher (92) Cano (86)

The order might be a little different, and is sure to change over the course of the season. They have quite a few good hitters on this team.  Except … take a look at those OPS+ numbers. Other than, obviously, the two best hitters in the AL in the heart of the order, nobody else on there is especially scary. I mean, it’s impressive that they have seven average starters, and Swisher could certainly lift his hitting ability back to its normal levels, but Damon, Matsui, Jeter and Posada aren’t getting any younger and will continue to decline.

Here’s the Twins prospective lineup (2008 OPS+):

Span (125) Casilla (94) Mauer (137) Morneau (137) Young (102) Kubel (118) Buscher/Harris (100/97) Punto (99) Gomez (79)

We have more below average players, but we’re very close to having fewer, given how close a few of our players are to 100. And considering the fact that Buscher and Harris could be used in a better platoon, both of them could turn in a better OPS, given the fact that they won’t be facing same-handed pitching very often. And while the heart of our order isn’t anywhere close to theirs, it’s still pretty good. (A lot of lineups would like to have a pair of 137 OPS+es in their lineup, especially from guys who are also good defensively.) And it’s a young team — it’s easily within the realm of possibility that we see improvements from Casilla, Young, and Gomez.

I don’t see the addition of Teixeira making the Yankees offense suddenly an unstoppable juggernaut. It’s barely better than the Twins’ and the gap is smaller than the gap between Mauer/Morneau and Rodriguez/Teixeira. Throughout the rest of the lineup, the Twins are actually better offensively, better defensively, younger, and cheaper.

(And before anyone calls me crazy for comparing the super-juggernaut Yankees to the lowly “You’re still in the league?” Twins, note that the Twins scored more runs than the Yankees last year. The mighty Yankees are trying to catch up to the little Twins. Weird.)

Good for the Yanks to pick up the best hitter on the market. Combined with the top two pitchers on the market, they pulled down the biggest haul in the history of free agency. Possibly in any sport.

It makes them better. But I don’t think it justifies the combined anger and awe from BostonESPN. They’re still just another team.