To say that 2011 has been a roller coaster for Jorge Posada would be an understatement and an overstatement a the same time. He started off hot, then cooled considerably, then got really hot again, then did poorly again. Sure, we’ve been through a good amount of up-and-down with Posada this season, but we’ve experienced more down than we have experienced up. There’s no getting around it: 2011 has been unsuccessful for Jorge Posada.
For the Yankee organization, this couldn’t be coming at a better time. While Jorge is still raking in a high salary, $13.1M, he is in the last year of his contract. Add that to the fact that Jorge is the opposite of young and the situation isn’t that terrible for the Yankees. If all went according to plan, Posada was going to rake this year as a DH and ride off into the sunset. Instead, Jorge’s limping towards the horizon that isn’t all that far off. Despite that, Posada said in a Mark Hale article in the New York Post that he’d consider playing elsewhere.
Jorge Posada wearing anything but Yankees pinstripes? That would have seemed impossible a few months ago.
Not anymore.
Posada, a career-long Yankee who is celebrating his 20th year with the organization, said he would consider playing for another team once his contract is up at the end of this season.
“It could [happen],” Posada told The Post yesterday. “I don’t know what’s going to happen after this year. But we’ll see.”
Snip
Nevertheless, Posada would consider playing for another team, though he admitted leaving The Bronx would be difficult.
So, if Posada does decide he wants to play again next year, should the Yankees consider bringing him back? In a word, no. He’ll be too expensive if they offer him arbitration and even if he does come back at a cheap cost, he’s so one dimensional at this point that he’d be hurting the team’s roster construction. Even as just a designated hitter, I wouldn’t want Posada back.
Going into 2012, the Yankees will have enough DH paths down which they can walk. The most obvious is the one that includes Jesus Montero. With Russell Martin still under team control, we could see a split C/DH situation occur next year. If the Yankees want to have both Montero’s bat and Martin’s glove in the lineup they can. The Yankees have also shown a willingness–especially this year–to use the DH as a half-resting spot for players. They can do that again next year.
In 2012, I think we’ll see the C/DH situation work out this way: Against right handed pitchers (most of the time), we’ll see Martin behind the plate with Montero getting the DH duties. Against lefties, I think we’ll see the Yankees rest Martin, have Montero do the catching, play Alex Rodriguez at DH, and let Eduardo Nunez see some time at third. This gives Martin a full day off, Rodriguez a half day off, and it helps get another right handed bat in the lineup against lefty pitchers.
Jorge Posada can say whatever he wants. And, frankly, I don’t blame him for saying he’d play somewhere else in 2012. If he thinks he can still play and some GM thinks the same thing, that’s fine with me. However, as much as I love Jorge, as much as I think he should be a Hall of Famer, he has no place with the Yankees after 2011.
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6 Responses to Posada and the DH in 2012
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TIQ IQ
Posada should not be talking about being somewhere else next year in the middle of August and a battle for not only the division but homefield advantage in at least one AL postseason round if not both AL postseason rounds. I would bury him on the bench for this uncalled for speaking out starting September 1st when rosters expand. And you know he said this crap (what it is) because of the big game he had Saturday, otherwise he’d keep quiet.
He quit on the team by taking himself or crying out of the lineup against Boston. He is the most self-centered player on the team. I can’t think of anyone who is more than him. That article drips “Me, me, me.”
Don’t talk about next year, talk about this year, Jorge.
He has alot to say for a guy who got two more years than he’s really worth and is making $13.1M this year for quite frankly jack for the money.
I mean what exactly did the Yankees do to him, give him 4 years at $13.1M per for ages 36 through 40 (after they gave him a five-year contract) and perhaps make him the highest paid catcher of all time unless Piazza or I-Rod made more? He couldn’t shine their shoes. He’s not a Hall Of Famer cuz he never won a Gold Glove and didn’t do anything that those two, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Gary Carter didn’t do. Posada was all-hit no-catch. He wasn’t terrible but he wasn’t Gold Glove contending either.
Montero at C and Nunez at 3B would be a disaster with Jeter at SS and Swisher in RF if he’s brought back. That’s four positions with weak defense (Swisher is the weakest defensive outfielder among the starters.) They need a veteran catcher to share duties with Martin, no more Cervelli.
Nick Swisher isn’t a bad fielder.
Yeah. What the bleep are you talking about?
Swisher is a great fielder. Sabermetrically, Granderson is the worst OFer we have.
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