Finally, some people get it

Some good articles today that are actually along the lines of things I’ve been writing in this space.  Buster Olney has a great article, explaining the Yankees’ plan:

So the Yankees, in the end, were patient and got Sabathia, and the pundits who are saying that the team has blown up its plan for player development are simply not paying attention. In fact, the signings of Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are absolutely in keeping with the refocus on the farm system.

Olney goes on to mention that the Yankees’ payroll is about to decrease for next year, which is a fact many news sources like to overlook. There have been a slew of articles essentially asking how it is the Yankees can spend during these rough economic times, but the truth of the matter is the Yankees are actually cutting spending. They have a plan in place and they are sticking to it. This is not the George Steinbrenner of old signing free agents by himself over lunch.

Pete Abe also weighs in on his blog, talking about the hypocrisy of the press:

Meanwhile it’s amusing to read so many columnists in New York and elsewhere criticizing the Yankees for spending so much money on Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. These are the same people who ripped Cashman for not getting Santana and would have called for his head had Sabathia signed with another team.

I can’t say I agree with every move Cashman has made. But he can’t win. If he spends money, he’s evil. If he doesn’t spend money, he’s foolish. Until baseball changes the rules, the Yankees are playing by the rules.

Pete understands what’s going on; no wonder I put his blog feed directly on my site.

If you want to get angry, go ahead and read Mike Lupica’s latest rant, a rambling piece that at no time makes a valid point (he claims we shouldn’t be convinced the Yankees are spending less just because their payroll is down – to which I say 1) why do I care either way? and 2) how else are we supposed to measure their spending?). Or go read this boston.com piece saying the Yankees should watch out of becoming last year’s Tigers (I don’t know how trading for Dontrelle Willis, who everyone (including me) knew was terrible is comparable to signing CC Sabathia, but that’s the logic).

But it is refreshing to know there are at least a few journalists out there who understand what’s going on.