Yankees' issues

The Yanks' 2008 season moves on and the issues just keep on coming. The latest, in a never ending list, is iron man Jorge Posada going on the DL for the first time in his career. Can't say we weren't warned, "it would be a mistake to assume that Posada can play forever."--BP. The good news is that Jose Molina is an excellent defensive catcher; the bad news is that he's a career backup and the organization will be back to grasping at straws to provide support. (Just had a Will Nieves flashback.) "It could be time for the Yankees to start moving catching prospects along a bit faster."--Baseball Musings

As problems surface, the organization's ability to cope and deploy a coherent plan is crucial. The scary part is that the track record is abysmal. "I'm not playing first base...We've got seven first baseman."--Posada. First base has been a perpetual revolving door, when all the auditions were complete, Carlos Pena shines in Tampa while nothing has been solved in the Bronx. The bullpen, which makes first base look stable, was rescued by a Double A kid last season. The inability to shore it up has led to Phenom Joba Chamberlain watching the beleaguered starting staff from the sidelines. The noteworthy young talent in the rotation are being asked to step up immediately because there was no sensible transition planned.

Here's a clip from Dugout Central, "Given the question marks and innings limits on several Yankee starters, Joe Girardi’s plan was to have a long man as part of that bullpen, but the events of the spring changed that plan. Jeff Karstens suffered yet another unfortunate injury, Kei Igawa was characteristically and disastrously ineffective, and Darrell Rasner, though fairly effective, was not on the 40 man roster and was victimized by a numbers crunch. As a result, the Yankees broke camp without a designated long man." The article suggests that promising prospect Ross Ohlendorf's progress is being impeded.

The Yankees roster is a mix of faded veterans and green kids. Issues aren't going away. Problems must be addressed and solved. The responsibility falls on team architect Brian Cashman, who insisted on complete control and got his wish. Despite Hank Steinbrenner's ominous outbursts Cashman has received complete support on his plan--whatever that is.