According to Buster Olney, the Yankees have no interest in free-agent outfielder Matt Holliday.
Question is, do we believe that? Or, as they have done in the past, might the Yankees just be laying in the weeds pretending to have no interest and waiting for a chance to swoop in at the last minute?
I think the Yankees would prefer to keep Johnny Damon on a short-term deal. And I know GM Brian Cashman plans to take his time looking at the free-agent market. If the Yanks are, for whatever reason, not able to work something out with Damon I can't believe they would completely shut the door on a player the caliber of Holliday.
Here are a few other stories on interest concerning the Yankees.
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New York Baseball Digest wonders if the Yankees can afford to lose Hideki Matsui
Brian Cashman is a smart GM. He knows better than to let sentimentality sway him when it comes to on-field decisions. Just look at how Bernie Williams’ situation was handled. Resigning Matsui goes beyond sentiment however. There are members of the Yankees organization who feel that the team will take a PR hit in the Japanese / Asian markets if they allow Matsui to walk. Finding and maintaining alternative revenue streams is part of the life blood of every pro sports franchise, even for a colossus like the Yankees.
From a purely baseball stand point, letting Matsui go is a no brainer, as it makes no sense to bring back a 35 year old DH with bad knees. From a financial and business standpoint, the Yankees will be taking a bit of a risk if they don’t bring "Matty" back. Only time will tell if It’s a risk that both Brian Cashman and Yankees management are willing to take. My guess is, in the end, they will.
- An emotional fan/blogger wonders if it would be wrong for the Yankees to lose Chien-Ming Wang.
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River Avenue Blues says the new Yankee Stadium has actually hurt the local businesses that border the stadium.
"Many people who thought that their business would be greatly increased have not experienced that," Ramón J. Jimenez, a South Bronx lawyer and community activist, said to The Times. "I think a lot of people are disappointed."
The reasons for this downturn in sales are numerous. First, the bad economy has led consumers to curtail spending. Second, the Yankees averaged nearly 8000 fewer fans per game this year than last. Even with eight additional home games in the playoffs, attendance totals for 2009 were still lower than they were for 2008.
More important though are the amenities in the new stadium. The old Yankee Stadium was not a shopper’s paradise. It featured a few cramped souvenir stands, few dining options and concourses that made heading straight to the seats an attractive option for all fans. The new stadium features 125 concession stands, 56 souvenir shops and multiple dining options. It was designed, as all new stadiums are, to be a self-contained economy. Get your hat, get your t-shirt, get your beer and your fries and even your Porterhouse steak all right here.
- Buster Olney has an intriguing list of inexpensive free agents teams should consider.