As I am preparing dinner for my family at my home, I hear my mother yell from the other room, “Who is Mark Texerra?” She obviously doesn’t follow baseball that well when she can’t pronounce his name correctly, and then proceeds to tell me he has signed an 8 year deal worth 180 million dollars! And the only clear thought I had come to mind was, “When is this going to end?”
I know the Yankees did not make the playoffs this past season and they were in desperate need of pitching help, so they signed the two biggest names on the market. They also acquired first base and outfielder Nick Swisher to help give some offense and defense at those positions.
The Yankees seem to be the only team not affected by the economic problems around the country right now and are loving the fact that no other team can even bid with them, hence outbidding themselves for C.C. Sabathia. There is a line that needs to be drawn though. There are teams like the San Diego Padres who have to cut their salaries almost in half and will sit there with their fingers crossed hoping to even be 10 games under .500 by seasons end. Who is the next player to be signed to the Yankees? And will it even matter? They have bought teams before which didn’t make it past the first round of playoffs and they still have to contend not only with the Red Sox, but the Rays now as well.
MLB Blog Writer: Brandon Walzer