Tom: Which was longer, that All-Star Game or the Yankees' first half? Yankee Stadium had another moment in the sun Tuesday, but will the pregame ceremony involving all those Hall of Famers be the pinnacle of the season? With Hideki Matsui thinking about season-ending knee surgery and Yankees looking up at the Red Sox and the Rays, the road to the postseason is going to be tougher than any other year. Should Yankees fans expect another second-half surge? Do they need to bring in a mercenary like Barry Bonds?
This team doesn't look like the team that reeled off that monster post-break run last season. Bobby Abreu is old, Jorge Posada is old, Derek Jeter is "older," as he likes to say, and the pitching isn't the same. Bonds isn't quite a nonstarter, but I don't think general manager Brian Cashman is going that route. Yankees fans have proved accepting over the years, but they could draw the line at Bonds. Don't buy for a second, though, the thought that he wouldn't help a baseball team. He may not be easy to root for, but he will put more runs on the board and wins in the standings. The most important thing the Yankees need to consider, however, is the future, and I don't see Cashman dumping that in a desperation move this year.
Steve: I'm one of the probable dozen or so fans who stayed up to watch the whole game. So, I do have some cobwebs in my head today. But the Yankees first half is still very clear in my mind. Let's face it: Outside of pounding the Mariners and Astros, the Yankees bats, as a team, have not been what most people had expected this season. Scoring close to four runs a game is just not going to cut it when you have a shallow starting rotation like the Yankees' has turned into. Take Matsui out of the mix and the road to the postseason is getting more and more uphill for New York.
Bonds? Too old and too rusty. And way too much baggage. It would be great to see Cashman pull a rabbit out of his hat -- like the David Justice trade in 2000 -- where he picks up a bat that carries the Yankees team for half a season. But I don't think it's going happen. In fact, I would not be shocked to see the Yankees continue to play close to .500 ball over the next two months and then just get killed in September when they only get to play 10 games at home.
Tom: I'm with you; .500 ball would not surprise me at all. I'm also interested to see how Joe Girardi gets treated if the team struggles down the stretch. I think he got off to a rough start with the media -- not being forthright about injuries and more -- but other than that, he has done a decent job with the hand he has been dealt. He has not worn out any relievers despite a Yankees rotation that has been almost as dreadful as last season's. His bench has stunk, and I have no idea how insistent he is on carrying Chad Moeller, but I don't see his leadership as costing the Yankees games. Every manager makes head-scratching moves, and he has too, but nothing Dusty Baker-esque.
Don't forget the Bobby Abreu deal as another feather in Cashman's cap. He doesn't seem high on Adam Dunn for whatever reason, but with Matsui possibly done and the way the market undervalues Dunn, why not bring Dunn in as the designated hitter? Can the Yankees turn down guys with .380 on-base percentages and .538 slugging percentages? I think not. I don't care that he's hitting .228. Cashman shouldn't either if he evaluates offense as he has in the past.
Steve: I'm not sold that a "low batting average and bad contact-rate but with high OPS" guy is the Yankees answer. One of the things that Matsui brings to the table is his ability to make contact in situations where it counts. I think that's what you need to replace if Godzilla is down for the count.
Back to Girardi, I think that Joe has done a decent job as well. And it seems like the Brothers Stein are happy with his effort and intensity. I'm hoping that Girardi does something in the second half to jumpstart the Yankees offense. I know that he's given guys like Brett Gardner the green light. Maybe that's what the Yankees need to do in the second half? Perhaps Gardner, Jeter, A-Rod, Abreu, Melky, and, if he comes back, Damon, should just start running like crazy? I know that sabermetrics tells us that steals are over-rated and perhaps not worth the risk. But, at this point, it might, at the least, start building some excitement around the Yankees offense?
Tom: I know that will scare a lot of people off about Dunn, but it could end up being a choice between him and Gardner or him and Jose Molina. To me, that's no-brainer if the price isn't too high.
As for running wild on the bases, hey, what they're doing right now isn't working. The steal is OK if it's used right, and the Yankees certainly have the horses to try it. Jeter's not as fast as he used to be, but all those other guys you mentioned have the speed to do it. They just need to be smart. Abreu needs to worry about getting on base more than than stealing; his OBP has really taken a dive these past two seasons. That's not a good sign. I think the Yankees' offense will be better in the second half no matter what happens -- provided no one else gets hurt.
Steve: True, having a cluster of guys in the lineup at times like Jose Molina, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano (when he was struggling) has killed the Yankees this season. When you consider that most games are eight-inning affairs because of strong closers, the Yankees' weak bats have been giving away too many outs each game. Basically, it's as if the Yankees only have four or five innings per game to do some damage. And, with guys like Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez not driving the ball in big spots, the Yankees' offensive game plan this season has caved in like a house of cards.
If this whole thing continues, it's going to make for a very interesting offseason. Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina will be free agents this winter. Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes have gone backward. That leaves Wang and Chamberlain in the rotation, for sure, next year. Can the Yankees fill out their starting rotation for next season and rebuild their offense at the same time? Is that something that Brian Cashman is capable of handling? Will Hank insert himself into the problem-solving process? This upcoming hot-stove season could end up being more exciting than this Yankees season.
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