Yankees No Better Than Last Year

In spite of spending millions of dollars to catapult themselves back into the playoffs, the 2014 edition of the New York Yankees are far from a playoff team.  It is still early, but injuries to the starting rotation and aging hitters struggling has to make one wonder if this team is really any better than the one that was fielded last season.

Last night's 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins was a typical performance particularly at home where the Yankees are 10-11.  10-11 at home!!! Really???  Playing in a hitter's park, the Yankees were unable to solve Ricky Nolasco.  The lineup is punchless.  Brian McCann is struggling big time.  So much so that the Twins walked Mark Teixiera 3 times because there was no fear to face McCann.  Other than those two, there is no legitimate power hitter in the lineup.

The Yankees lack of power along with the need for a legitimate first baseman to play when Teixiera can't, should mean that the Yanks should go after Kendry Morales.  The power hitting first baseman/DH would give a boost to a struggling lineup that doesn't know what they will ultimately get out of Teixiera and Carlos Beltran.

While the lack of power needs to be addressed, the starting rotation is probably a bigger problem.  The Yankees will not make the playoffs with Vidal Nuno, David Phelps and Chase Whitley making up 3/5ths of the rotation.  Add to this the fact that Hiroki Kuroda is not the Kuroda we saw the first half of last season and you can see that this rotation won't scare anybody in a playoff series.

The Yankees went all in to make the playoffs this year by acquiring McCann, Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka.  Tanaka has been worth every cent and the jury is still out on Ellsbury.  But Beltran and McCann have not lived up to expectations and with Beltran who knows whether he will contribute at all this season.  This is why they should get Morales, which will only cost them money after the amateur draft next week.  More importantly, they need to do whatever it takes to get a legitimate major league starting pitcher.  There are guys out there depending on what the Yankees are willing to give up.  But after spending $500 million dollars this past winter, there should be no untouchables.