YANKEES: Bernie Rumors and Todd Helton Talks (Red Sox)

There has been lots of talk about Bernie Williams recently. Will he play this year? Will he play for another team? Will he come back to the Yankees? If he comes back to the Yankees, will he come back as a first baseman, designated hitter, backup outfielder (only with a Melky trade), coach, minor leaguer, or make a mid-season move to the team in the event of an injury? Will he continue with baseball or retire and go another path (music?)? Lots of questions and the answer should be coming soon but I feel as if I have heard it all by now.


Also, there are talks going on with Todd Helton believed to be interested in moving to the Red Sox from the Rockies. This would demand a large amount of money or decent prospects (if Colorado was to pay some of his remaining $90+ salary for the remaining six seasons he has left on his contract) from the part of the Red Sox. What do people think about this? Helton is clearly out of his prime, entering his mid-30's, and has a very lengthy contract that will guarantee him money until 2011. There is a $4+ million buyout option for 2012. At that time, he will be Bernie's age and will most likely be an average player at best. Plus, there will be a noticeable decline in performance as he moves from the NL to AL (though I have been told that he might benefit from Fenway's low right porch). On the up side, he provides immediate impact, is an OBP machine, and provides protection for Ortiz and Manny, who haven't had protection for a while now. The acquisition of JD Drew will also help the Red Sox, though he is prone to injury.

Overall, I hope the Yankees don't fall into the trap of bidding on Helton, for the sake that they may actually win the bidding war. The last thing the Yankees need is another aging player, especially with his lengthy contract. Peter Abraham's mentioned in a previous post that the Yankees could be waiting on someone like Teixeira and the clear indication is them only signing a one-year fill-in this 2007 season with Meintkeiwicz. We'll see what they do and it all will depend on if they can hold out with an average 1B throughout the season. I think they can. Meintkeiwicz and Phillips are an upgrade on the field and the other Yankees offense is certainly strong enough to score runs and win games.

Helton may put the Red Sox over the top for the moment but as the Yankees have learned (with their all-star lineup over the past few years), you aren't going very far in the postseason with overpaid, past-their-prime, players. What made the Tigers so good last season was youth, one thing that the Yankees now have once again. A lot of young pitchers are ready to try out for the big league team this spring training and it is very likely that there will be some key pieces in their recent pool.