The Empire Strikes Back (Stamos)

It was not all bad news in the Bronx this week. Following the horrific train accident of this past weekend, an early Christmas Present greeted New Yorkers on Tuesday. World Series Champion Jacoby Ellsbury agreed to leave the Boston Red Sox and join the dark side.

            In the past decade, the Red Sox own three World Series Rings and the Yankees only one ring. For anyone with the surname Steinbrenner this is not an acceptable outcome. For the past few years General Manager Brian Cashman has sworn the Yankees goal was to decrease payroll under $189-million—after the Red Sox won the World Series this notion was punted into the Harlem River.

            Its back to inflated blockbuster contracts this winter for Cashman and crew. Since giving Alex Rodriguez the largest contract in sports history in 2008, the Yankees financial options have been crippled. Other injuries to expensive players have kept the Yankees from winning a championship the last four years.

            The Yankees had no choice but to open up their pockets and load the wagon. Signing seven-time All Star Brian McCann gives the Yankees a power-hitting catcher that they haven’t had since the Jorge Posada days. McCann should also help keep the pitching staff under control and give them more consistency than the unreliable trio of Chris Stewart, Austin Romine and Francisco Cervelli.

            Going to back to the pitching staff, Girardi may be having headaches similar to Mike Scioscia in Anaheim last season if Cashman continues to ignore the holes in the rotation. Behind C.C. Sabathia and Ivan Nova, the Bronx Bombers are completely defunct of prove pitchers. It is not out of the realm of possibility that a prospect such as Michael Pineda, Adam Warren, or Vidal Nuno could develop into contributors, but management should consider some veteran pitching insurance.

            Returning to the Ellsbury contract, it is interesting the figures 7-years 153-million dollars for a 30-year-old centerfielder. By the final year of Ellsbury’s contract he will be 37 and collecting an upwards of 20-million dollars per year. Cashman continues to overpay for veterans. The McCann deal was warranted because of the vacancy at the position, but the Yankees already had outfielders. A-Rod, Jeter, and Teixeira’s injuries have clogged payroll, Ellsbury and McCann have both had injuries in their careers and could fall into the overpaid, damaged veterans category.

            Johnny Damon was the last Red Sox centerfielder to leave the Red Sox for the Yankees, and it worked out fairly successfully for both parties. If Ellsbury stays healthy, and gets on base he could be a game-changing spark for the Yankees. Should the Yankees implode like last season, Cashman needs to held accountable for passing out these monstrous contracts to old veterans. The only way to justify signing McCann and Ellsbury is giving New York a 28^th World Series Championship.

            Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington surely has a plan to defend his World Series Title, as the Sox prepare to face Ellsbury and the Yankees. Red Sox have added wily veteran A.J. Pierzynski to a low-risk high-reward contract, in a move, which mirrors some of their transactions of last offseason. It is only December, yet I can’t wait to see the clash of styles this year as the bottomless pocketed Yankees attempt to run down the gritty bearded Red Sox.