Role reversal in the Big Apple
Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 8:14 PM
Live long enough and you hear it all. In a New York Times Magazine article last week, Yankees team president Randy Levine said “today the Yankees are an entertainment company with a baseball team at its core.”
Jarring though that statement is to a baseball fan; it is rooted in undeniable truth. And it reflects a subtle change in the baseball dynamics of New York.
The Yankees are still the kings, 13 consecutive years in postseason, charging towards four million in attendance during a single season, and owners of a wildly profitable television network.
And the Mets are still the chasers, unable to match the Yankees’ consistency and cachet although the Mets’ TV venture, a response to YES, has been a success.
Both teams see profit ahead with 2009 bringing new ballparks in the Bronx and Flushing.
But there are interesting changes in how the teams are approaching 2008, for immediacy is always foremost in the Big Apple.
WHO HAS THE KIDS?
In the mid-90’s, the Mets tried to rebound from a disastrous disintegration by selling a trio of young arms. Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen were dubbed “Generation K.” Five years of hope went into promoting the trip that never produced anything of substance (credit to Isringhausen for his resurrection as a closer.)
Now, it is the Yankees that have decided to end the litany of over-priced veteran pitchers. Rather than Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, Kei Igawa, the most recent examples of a long-practiced policy, the Yankees have placed much of their hope on the young arms of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.
This is Cashman’s victory, an obvious reversal to 30 years of the Steinbrenner ways. Scouts are nearly universal in their belief that Hughes is a major talent and Chamberlain has opened eyes this spring by showing off a fine curve to complement his already deadly fastball-slider mix.
Make no mistake, though: the Yankees may have changed, but New York hasn’t. The tabloids and talk radio blather has no patience. It’s easy to guess that customers paying New York prices may be short-tempered with on-the-job learning. That’s always been the justification for the long-term deals that have often blown up on the Yankees. Cashman is the first GM to have the courage to make a stand and there are many development types rooting for him to win.
WHO HAS THE PIPELINE?
Both teams have produced strong position players that have blossomed into stars (David Wright and Jose Reyes with the Mets, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera with the Yankees and don’t forget Alfonso Soriano, whom the Yanks traded for Alex Rodriguez.) But it’s the Yankees who have produced the fine arms while the Mets have dealt every young arm of the last three years except Mike Pelfrey.
What is the price of chasing the Yankees? To rebuild quickly, Mets GM Omar Minaya had to trade the young arms, sign free agents, and say goodbye to high draft picks.
What is the impact of one deal? Bypassing Johan Santana leaves the Yankees with their young pitching intact and removes any need to rush development in the lower minors.
Acquiring Santana cost the Mets most of their remaining top prospects. Every studied assessment places the Mets’ farm system near the bottom in MLB. And their touted OF prospect, Fernando Martinez, is on an accelerated track.
Being involved with the Mets from 2002-05, I understand what Minaya has tried to achieve. And he has produced winning teams that have energized a disillusioned fan base in the closing years of a horrid ballpark. For Mets fans, the approach has been a smash hit. But a question remains: Is there a price to pay when the aging parts of the big league team corrode beyond repair?
Operating from the foundation of the past dozen seasons, the Yankees used their tremendous advantage to build from within. They still have the game’s highest payroll, but look at how much of that payroll has been unproductive/injured/M.I.A. in the last few years. Perhaps that will provide some appreciation for their new direction; one that New York is buying now -- before the games count.
SONS RULE
A cloud, however, has cleared over the Yankees. The Boss is clearly in eclipse and Sons of Steinbrenner are at the head of the table. While Hank the Elder has demonstrated the headline-grabbing nature of his dad, there is still evidence that the Yankee way has changed: Levine’s freedom to utter the entertainment quote, Brian Cashman’s success in wresting the baseball operation away from Tampa and the refusal to trade for Johan Santana, despite’s Hank’s open wishes, point to a different organization.
Meanwhile, the Mets have quietly fallen under the growing influence of Jeff Wilpon since his dad bought out Nelson Doubleday in 2002. Initially, the younger Wilpon involved himself directly in baseball affairs. But the embarrassment of 2004, including the humiliating firing of Art Howe, prompted Fred Wilpon to hire Minaya and arm him with full baseball authority.
Once again, ownership has been reminded that hiring baseball people and granting them responsibility and accountability works. Minaya has restored respect to the Mets while operating with a healthy budget and huge expectations.
