TAMPA — The Yankees are considering attacking a new weakness by upgrading an old strength.
Darryl Strawberry’s inevitable suspension has created a lefty power outage for the Yankees. Yet, they are as likely to respond by improving their already terrific starting pitching by going after Brad Radke as they are in obtaining a big bat such as Jim Edmonds. The theory is you do not have to score as many runs if you do not give many up.
In fact, Yankee officials indicate getting an established run producer might run no better than fourth in their current plans behind: 1) stand pat, 2) boost the pitching and 3) get a more complementary lefty swinger such as Andy Fox or Dave Martinez.
Yankee executives have had a series of meetings since the revelation of Strawberry’s latest positive drug test. Bud Selig is scheduled to rule on the matter this week, but there is now a feeling the commissioner might not act until after an arbitrator announces his John Rocker decision, which is expected Tuesday.
Regardless, the Yanks believe Strawberry will be suspended for the year. Even the Players Association apparently has private reservations about how much it can defend Strawberry. Union advocacy helped push Selig to a 120-day suspension for Strawberry rather than the whole season last year, and it will be hard for the Players Association to get such mercy once more. The union likely will argue for a less stringent penalty based on a singular positive drug test being atypical rather than habitual.
A small hope exists that Strawberry could be allowed back late in the season. But the Yanks are planning as if Straw is an ex-Yankee, and those plans are not to improve the DH spot by undermining pitching or by going over the $100-million threshold.
For example, the Yankees know teams such as Houston (Moises Alou), Los Angeles (Todd Hundley) and perhaps Anaheim (Mo Vaughn) could look to move a big bat/big salary this spring and not ask for a substantial package in return. However, this kind of player would soar the Yankees perilously close to or over $100 million. The Yanks have 20 players, including Strawberry, signed for $92.3 million.
That is why the Yanks are more interested in an affordable lefty power bat. The Diamondbacks are moving Travis Lee to the outfield so Erubiel Durazo can play first. Jose Cruz Jr. might be beat out in Toronto’s center field by Vernon Wells. Lee and Cruz, because of reasonable salaries and lefty bats, intrigue the Yanks more than the very available but more expensive and righty-swinging Rondell White.
The salaries of Edmonds ($4.5 million this season) and Florida’s Cliff Floyd (three years, $16.5 million left) are also dubious. But the Yanks like these players. It remains possible the Yanks could deal with either the Angels directly or through a third team such as Colorado to obtain Edmonds.
What the Yankees are mulling internally through all of this is whether to include Mendoza. The organization is split because some think Mendoza’s salary is climbing and his value could slip if he exposes he is not a full-time starter. Others think he is a too much of a security blanket for the rotation and pen to trade.
In Ryan Bradley, Craig Dingman, Jake Westbrook (the most impressive youngster so far in camp) or Jeremy Powell, the Yanks want to see this spring if they have a cheap replacement for Mendoza.
They also want to investigate if Mendoza can be bait to bolster the rotation rather than their offense. They have looked into Sterling Hitchcock, Kirk Rueter and Jason Schmidt. They like Hitchcock, a proven double-digit winner with big-game panache, but remember he did not handle New York well the first time. They are not certain Rueter or Schmidt would be a significant improvement from Ed Yarnall, especially with the money factor included.
But there is interest in Radke, who is drawing league-wide attention, specifically from the Mets, Rockies and Reds. Radke wants a three-year, $24 million contract. Minnesota has offered three at $21 million. Going into the weekend, Twins GM Terry Ryan was still telling suitors he would call them if he put his ace on the market.
Minnesota got a starting shortstop (Cristian Guzman) and its No. 2 starter (Eric Milton) as part of a Yankee package for Chuck Knoblauch. So the teams have worked a big deal recently. Radke is due $3.5 million this season, which could be mostly offset from the Yankee payroll by the removal of Mendoza ($1.4 million), Strawberry ($750,000) and Jeff Juden ($500,000).
Mendoza would have to be central to a Radke deal. In that scenario, Yarnall either goes to the pen or Columbus to protect the rotation as a sixth starter. Also, the Yanks would be looking down the line. The $24 million for three years is not too expensive for them. They envision Radke as part of a post-David Cone rotation with Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez, Andy Pettitte and Yarnall.
And it also remains very possible the Yankees will not make any major move. They will see if the answers are in their system. If a need for offense does arise, many within the organization believe top prospects Nick Johnson or Alfonso Soriano could come from Columbus to bring it. If not, the Yanks think there will be plenty of June-July slugging offerings from non-contenders of the Fred McGriff/Rico Brogna/Harold Baines variety.
The Yankee promise remains not to overreact to empty Strawberry fields.
