Keith Law picking on someone else for a change... the Yankees

[isestrex]

*note* insider article *note*

The Yankees' cloudy future

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/law_keith/id/8373003/the-new-york-yankees-small-margin-error-offseason-mlb

Some choice quotes for those that can't read it to give you a feel for the article.

But the Yankees' primary problem isn't specifically the team's cost, or even the major league roster's age, but the fact that the farm system is not ready to provide players who are going to help the team in regular roles, either as everyday position players or as rotation members, in 2013 -- or even 2014.

Sanchez, Williams, Slade Heathcott and their other prospects at and below single-A are all a good two years away from the majors, which also means their trade value is limited.

As a result, the Yankees will have to fill any significant holes on the major-league roster with players from outside the organization, either through free agency or by trading a large chunk of the prospect depth they do have.

As a result, even a full, effective year from Sabathia wouldn't make that a championship-caliber rotation on paper, and, hypothetically, it could be the fourth-best in the division if the Yankees stand pat this offseason.

They have the deepest pockets in baseball (although the Dodgers are entering that gated community), and can likely afford to add pitching from outside even as they have to pony up to re-sign Robinson Cano, who is eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.

But if those pockets aren't bottomless, and if the age of the roster turns out to be a bigger issue in 2013, they don't have the internal depth to patch those holes, and the large contracts they do currently have are extremely tough to move, making their margin for error this winter a lot smaller than it normally is.

What Law fails to mention about the money is that the Yankees have a mandate from Hal Steinbrenner to get under the luxury tax at all costs. Their pockets aren't really all that deep with them getting handcuffed from above. Keith is right though in that the margin for error is really small right now. They're going to have to make exactly the right moves in order to take a step forward next year.

[Skeletor]

Serious run-on sentence alert. The Keith Law of grammar and sentence construction is going to hate Keith Law. He will also direct condescending tweets at Keith Law's fanbase.

[byrdz]

This is insider information? The Yankees need to spend more money to plug their holes?

[DrungoHazewood]

I'll believe the Yanks' future is cloudy when I see it. In 2000 they staggered to the finish line, going 13-18 from September 1 on, winning a mere 87 games. They won the World Series. Then over the next four years they won 400 games. In 2008 they failed to win 90 or go to the playoffs. The next year they won 103 games and the Series. And for all of Hank's wailing and gnashing of teeth over the luxury tax, they're over $200M once again. They'll be fine. I'm still going with the assumption that an abysmal year for them is 87 wins.