Why releasing Jorge Posada is a bad idea, briefly

14 Responses to Why releasing Jorge Posada is a bad idea, briefly

1. edward p. nadel says:

   May 23, 2011 at 6:04 pm

   Hip Hip Jorge

   What does one do when
   One has a contractual
   Obligation for $11million
   To an old iconic catcher
   Take away his
   Identity as a catcher
   Reduce him to a pinch hitter
   Who bats 4 or 5 times a night
   Whiling away his time
   On a stationary bike
   And brooding over his
   Below the Mendoza line average
   What a soap opera
   For a sports psychologist

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   SherriPizza Reply:
   May 24th, 2011 at 10:27 am

   Heh, love the poem!

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2. Eric Schultz says:

   May 23, 2011 at 6:26 pm

   The money should be no barrier to release. What is the real barrier is that there’s no viable replacement who’s ready to fill in, and is guaranteed to do better. I agree that Vasquez will likely get exposed at the big league level, and I don’t think Montero is ready just yet. I’d rather see Montero promoted when he goes on one of his typical summer hot streaks. Plus, I agree that Jorge may be turning things around.

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   bornwithpinstripes Reply:
   May 23rd, 2011 at 9:50 pm

   not that i agree that the AAA guys are not ready ,but lets put that aside.. nunez plays third alex DH nunez plays SS jeter DH. same for cano ..chavez comes back he fills in the same way..rest for tex also.. and that helps the yanks hugh..just by jorge saying good bye

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   Steve S. Reply:
   May 24th, 2011 at 6:43 am

   Right. It’s what known in economic terms as a ‘sunk cost’. You’re paying it whether he performs or not, and given his age and the contract being so close to its end there’s no point in hanging on to him. That’s the wrong argument.

   I like Matt’s second point much better, his R/L splits look much better when he’s batting as a Lefty. You can keep him around as a DH facing righties, there’s enough ABs there to justify the roster spot. But the problem with that is the Yanks want to give Alex and Derek a day at DH here and there, and Chavez will be coming off the DL soon. So there is a ready replacement, which then relegates Jorge to right handed PH/emergency catcher, and that simply isn’t worth a roster spot.

   When the Yanks say they were ready to cut him, I believe them. I still think it can happen, especially if they make a move for a bench bat in July.

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3. kevin davis says:

   May 23, 2011 at 6:30 pm

   Do you really think if the Yanks release Jorge that another team would actually pick him up?

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   Professor Longnose Reply:
   May 23rd, 2011 at 6:40 pm

   1 is not much of a reason; a sunk cost is a sunk cost, and there’s no point in wasting the roster spot on someone who wouldn’t be as good as someone else available.

   But 2 is legitimate. I think Posada will eventually do better than the potential replacements.

   On the third hand, he has value as a name to the3 franchise, and it’s worth a few bucks extra to keep him around to retire as a Yankee. That isn’t really a good reason, but as long as your 2 is in play, let’s toss it in.

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   bornwithpinstripes Reply:
   May 23rd, 2011 at 9:51 pm

   i hope it would be the sox..

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4. HappyFeet says:

   May 23, 2011 at 6:39 pm

   We can survive without a full time DH. With Posada gone & when Chavy returns, we’ll have 2IF BU Chavy.Nunez & 2 OF BU Jones/Dickerson. We can then rotate the DH spot to give guys a day off in the field A-Rod, Cano etc.

   Aside from not hitting well, one area where Posada is a liability is in the bases. Many of his walks are when leading off an inning, and although walks are a good sign, it really hinders the running game when the fast guys follow Posada.

   None of this matters anyhow, I don’t see Posada retiring mid season or yanks releasing him.

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   Professor Longnose Reply:
   May 23rd, 2011 at 7:00 pm

   I’m not a big fan of the rotating DH. The Yankees did that for years and always had crummy DH production. I’d like to see the Yankees develop or acquire a legitimate DH.

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   T.O. Chris Reply:
   May 23rd, 2011 at 7:57 pm

   Yeah Marcus Thames did an awful job last year as a rotational DH.

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   bornwithpinstripes Reply:
   May 23rd, 2011 at 9:52 pm

   how about twinkle toes trying for a double, and looking shocked running back to the dugout..he couldn’t believe it. but we did

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5. Phil C says:

   May 23, 2011 at 9:57 pm

   Right now is NOT the time to release Posada. His hitting is on the upswing. But if by mid-July he has regressed and is not hitting, then this issue should be re-visited. Montero is the obvious internal replacement unless Chavez is healthy and hitting. But remember about Montero, he is traditionally a slow starter when promoted to the next level and if the Yankees are still in the race that could hurt. If they are out of contention, then Montero should be promoted even if Posada is hitting better. Montero has a potential future, unfortunately Posada doesn’t.

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6. GregC says:

   May 24, 2011 at 6:23 pm

   Let’s see: “Now is not the time to release Posada”. I am a Posada fan and his whole situation bothers me, but this is what it’s come to.

   1. Whether is “on the upswing in hitting” is debatable. Overall average is still far south of a .200 -not good. And let’s not forget that he has always been somewhat of a streaky hitter so even if gets hot for 2-3 weeks I feel he would probably go cold again just as quickly. Problem with this versus past years is that the Yankees won’t use him in the field at all -so now value there…

   2. Proven NOT to be a good pinch hitter, and even if he was – when he gets on base his lack of speed is either a liability, or at the very least leaves the team with less hitting flexibility to get him home to score a run.

   3. So many other teams simply get one of their good minor league prospects and give them a chance (win, lose or draw) – WHY can’t the Yankees…

   4. Most important: “April is not the time” to think about pulling Posada. “May is not the time…”. And if we roll into July there will be question then too… Wait, let’s wait until September when the Yanks are struggling for a playoff spot, look at the season gone by and wonder – “Where did our hitting go” this year…

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