Yankees GM Brian Cashman is in a pickle. The Yankees got got swept by the Tigers for a World Series berth. It leaves New York in an ugly mood with an expensive and rapidly aging team.
"I don't care if it's old; I care if it is good," Cashman said after the series on the state of his team.
But age does matter. Performance tends to diminish the older a player gets; it is the natural slowing down of hand and eye coordination.
The weak post season performances by Alex Rodruiguez, Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson may be symptoms of growing problem. Derek Jeter's fragile body broke down during the playoffs. Ichiro Suzuki is at the end of his career when the Mariners let him go. And if fans are waiting on the edge of their seats for Andy Pettitte's decision whether he will return in 2013, there is a more serious problem at work in the Bronx.
The big spending, marquee free agent blueprint works for a team like the Yankees who have the financial resources to bury its mistakes. A $200 million plus payroll is not a problem when the Yankees cable network brings in $1 billion. But the team is stuck with massive contracts like A-Rod's which cannot be moved to another team. And the indications are that A-Rod won't waive his trade clause. That could mean that A-Rod may be the highest paid bench player in MLB history if he does not work his way out of the Girardi dog house.
The Yankees do not have a young corps of players on its roster. The youngest player was utility infielder Educardo Nunez, 25, who was born June 15, 1987. Sixteen players of their final 25 man roster were over age 30; that is 64 percent of the team.
It will be a major crossroads this off season for the Yankees. The major underperformance by its star players in the playoffs will lead the calls for drastic change.
