MLB Weekly

Brian Cashman: The Yankees gave GM Brian Cashman a 3 year extension. Cashman has been criticized by many Yankee fans for not making the right moves for the team over the past few seasons, especially with the starting rotation. Cashman is currently trying to rebuild the farm system and win at the same time, but it is yet to be seen if Cashman is the right man for the job. He has made some questionable moves, like signing Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, but at the same time there were not many other options available.

Cashman is going to have a lot of big decisions over the winter that are going to determine how good the Yankees are going to be for the next several years. The Yankees have a slew of free agents and must decide who to keep and who they need to bring in to fill some obvious holes on their team. There is a good chance that the Yankees will not bring back Bobby Abreu or Jason Giambi, which means they will need both a new 1B and another OF most likely. I do not believe they will be able to play Hideki Matsui in the OF and an outfield of Johnny Damon, Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera, Xavier Nady is just not good enough in my mind. I honestly would think about keeping Abreu for another year, but rumor is that he wants a 3-year contract and will probably turn down the 1-year option he has. Jason Giambi's fate is tied to Mark Teixeira, because if they Yankees do not bring him in then I don't really see any better option at 1B offensively than Giambi. The only other options to replace Abreu and Giambi would be by trade.

The other possible move to be made offensively would be a trade of Robinson Cano. One of the trade rumors that has been floating around involved a possible trade for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. The Yankees would then sign Arizona second basemen Orlando Hudson to replace Cano. More recently though it has been rumored that the Yankees would only trade Cano for a starting pitcher. Pitcher Jonathon Sanchez of the Giants has been one pitcher to be rumored in a possible Cano deal. There have also been rumors that the Yankees might trade Cano to Pittsburgh for Nate McLouth, but I can't imagine why the Pirates would make that trade.

The pitching staff is another area where Cashman is going to have to make a few moves. Chien-Ming Wang and most likely Joba Chamberlain will be part of the rotation next year, but after that things are up in the air right now. Mike Mussina is still deciding whether or not he wants to retire. Andy Pettitte could possibly retire as well, but I think he will decide to come back and play and I'm sure the Yankees would re-sign him if that is the case. So if Mussina retires and the Yankees bring back Pettitte, they will still probably need at minimum two more starting pitchers. Of course C.C. Sabathia will be in the mix as it is expected that the Yankees will gave after him hard. Another option that recently surfaced is a possible trade for San Diego ace Jake Peavy. Maybe the Yankees would include Robinson Cano and Phil Hughes in a trade for Peavy. They also have been rumored to have a strong interest in Dodgers starter Derek Lowe. Other possible options for the rotation will include Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves, and Darrell Rasner.

So as you can see, Brian Cashman is going to have a busy offseason and the future of the Yankees is going to be in his hands. If he makes the right moves then the team could be set up nicely for the next few years, but if he doesn't then the Yankees could be headed for a rough stretch throughout the next few seasons.

Jim Edmonds: Jim Edmonds is considering retirement despite having a surprisingly good season for the Cubs after struggling with the Padres. Edmonds finished the season with just a .235 average, but for the Cubs he hit .256/19 HR/49 RBI/138 OPS+. For his career, Edmonds has a line of .284 AVG/382 HR/1,176 RBI/.377 OBP/.528 SLG/132 OPS+. He also has made several incredible catches in center field throughout his career. Edmonds was certainly a solid player throughout his career, but he definitely falls a little short of being a Hall of Famer.

Other MLB News:

- Kyle Loshe signed a 4-year, $41 million extension with the St. Louis Cardinals. Definitely a strange move for the Cardinals to give Loshe $10 million a year when he is just about a league average pitcher. He did have his best season this year though finishing with a 15-6 record and 3.78 ERA.

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