Week in Review: 12/21 - 12/27

I hadn't heard of the Teixeira signigng until now and am hurt by the rock comment. Thanks alot. Also, how could you not include the Twins signing RA Dickey?!

GO TWINS!

I agree the moves hardly make the yankees the team to beat but your reasoning is trivial at best.

Get Your Facts Straight Mr. Adams.

"Does this make them a clear favorite in the division, though? I personally don't feel like it does. Sabathia will essentially replace retired Mike Mussina's 2009 production (he'll be an upgrade, obviously, but Moose notched 20 wins in his final season), Burnett is a serious health liability, and adding Teixeira is a big improvement, but I don't think he puts this team over the top. The Yankees have gotten better, but if I'm spending $420MM on three players, I'm making sure it makes me the team to beat, and I'm not sure they've done that."

Funny how you don't mention what a full year of Joba in the rotation and a full year of a healthy 19 game winner in Wang will do. Funny you completely disregard Sabathia's FIP vs Mussina's, and funny how you completely disregard how much Sabathia will save the Yankee bullpen.

Funny how you don't give the other side and mention Burnett's explanation for his injuries, and funny how you don't throw out some of his pitch f/x stats proving what he says. That he basically isn't trying to throw the ball through a wall anymore, and he actually learned to pitch.

I know MLBTR isn't an opinion blog, but if you are going to try and share your point of view Mr. Adams, back it up with facts. I thought one of the requirements to apply to be a writer at MLBTR was to not show any open bias. Good job doing that.

For the record, I agree with GetYourFactsStraight. You also failed to mention Carl Pavano's explanations for his injuries.

that was a pathetically written article. take your bias else where. i'm not a yankee fan but that was just unprofessional. tim needs to stop hiring all of these writers.

GetYourFactsStraight and generator:

Relax. Writers on this site are supposed to state their own opinions and give reflective and constructive comments on the news reported. Just because he isn't fully agreeing with all other Yankee fans that the Yankees will dominate the AL East this year doesn't mean his opinions aren't valid. You are entitled to your own opinion just as he is. You don't have to agree with him.

Yes, you do give some valid points to how the Yankees will inevitably improve over last year, but your post is not without fault either. You can't say that Sabathia "will save the Yankee bullpen." Can you predict the future? You don't know how he'll fare in the AL east. You don't know that Burnett won't get hurt just because he apparently "learned how to pitch."

So many Yankee fans on this site complain about those "select few" that are shortsighted and give them a bad name. Good job not coming across as one of those.

Steve, the measures by which you don't see the Yankees as the clear favorite in the division don't hold up. Remember, the Yankees finished eight games out of first last year. Not 15 or 20.

Let's assume for a moment that Sabathia and Mussina are a wash. Fine. But to dismiss Burnett's potential contributions because you see him as a "serious health liability" is absurd. You should only speculate on what he will pitch like and going by what he did last year. Even if he merely repeats what he did last season, he gives the Yankees 18 wins over what Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes gave them.

The Yankees will also have Wang back and healthy. People forget the guy won 38 games in 2006 and 2007. He was 8-2 when he went down for the season and it cost the Yankees at least 6-7 wins alone.

The addition of Teixeira plugs a big hole in their lineup and is a huge upgrade defensively. No longer will Yankees fans have to wince at the start of an attempted 3-6-3 double play.

Sorry, to deny the Yankees are now favorites in the AL East is to deny reality.

Yanks fans need to calm the hell down. How are they not the favorite to win the AL East? Because they finished 3rd in the division last year, behind two World Series caliber teams.

Last time that I checked, the defending champ (or division champ) is considered the favorite.

The only people that believe the Yankees are the favorite in the AL East are Yankees fans. You guys act like CC + Burnett + Teixera = 120 wins. But if you want to live in a fantasy world where two teams that fought for the pennant and have only improved since last season apparenty stand no chance against the Yanks, go right ahead, but don't expect to be treated like baseball geniuses.

"Does this make them a clear favorite in the division, though? I personally don't feel like it does" - Who is Sean Adams, and who cares?

And again, "Great low-risk addition for the Rays, if you ask me." - No one did, Sean.

Ah where is Tim Dierkes? I miss his touch on the news because he doesn't subject me to his opinion.

I by no means think the Yankees are the clear cut favorite in the American League East, but this is not an opinion blog nor was it ever one.

Did I miss a memo?

Of course no team in the AL East is significantly better than the top 3, but his analysis was atrocious. I have no idea what team Tim follows, who his favorite player is, who he likes or dislikes and that is what makes a sports writer appealing to all. Steve Adams lacks the ability to be objective. Awful analysis and it isn't because I'm a Yankee fan. As a baseball fan as an MLBTR fan that was a pathetic post.

This isn't about who is better. This is about a writer who is stating his opinion without facts on a website that is historically objective.

It means the AL East race is still wide open, so Yankee fans need to relax and realize that the Rays and Red Sox aren't going to lay down and are going to improve still.

This site is perfectly fine. Stop being a New York homer b diddy.

Steve, your criticism of the Yankees deal makes no sense whatsoever. You say that if you were going to spend that kind of money you would make sure it put you over the top. Well, first of all, you can buy a million players and it won't guarantee anything. You can't buy a title, it's that simple. So what you're criticising the Yankees for not doing is someting that is impossible anyway. Plus, they did get the best 3 free agents they could have to address their needs based on who was available. They got the best pitcher, the next best starter in terms of pure stuff, a guy who misses bats tho he may be a health liability as you state. And they got the top position player (no, Manny isn't better - he is much older and can't play defense). I'm no Yankees fan, but your comments really show you don't know the game too well.

coming from a phils fan, if the rays get bradley to dh they are the favorites. bc they have talented young players who stay healthy. and you have to put the yanks up there as well. you have to choose favorites based on paper bc u dnt know who is going to be hurt. who will be closer to 100% in sept, oct, beckett or cc? arod or lowell? yikes. just remember, all of our teams are all 2 nagging injuries away from sucking. must say cc and tex seem pretty solid at this point..

Tim, I know you're defending your employee... as you should.

But the comment "but if I'm spending $420MM on three players, I'm making sure it makes me the team to beat" is an unsound ultimatum. It's true, it doesn't necessarily make the Yankees the team to beat because they still have to play the games. After all, weren't the Tigers considered favorites by many last year? And we all know what happened there.

BUT this makes it a 3-team race again in the AL East, whereas if the Yanks didn't get CC, AJ, and Tex, then it'd be a 2-team race between Tampa and Boston. Let's be real, we weren't going anywhere with Wang, Pettitte, Joba(innings limit) and whoever else we threw against the wall.

From his comments, just seems like the guy is taking shots at the Yankees when it's the wrong time. FINALLY the Yankees are spending their money wisely. CC and Tex... both young studs, no Pavano(1 good year in NL East), no Wright, no Igawa. While Burnett has durability concerns without question, at least he has the stuff to dominate and singing him meant no Derek Lowe for the Yankees, and you can't imagen how happy that made me.