Opie and Anthony fans will certainly enjoy the headline and Jorge Posada will certainly enjoy his new deal. What would have cost the New York Yankees $39 million over 3-years back in February, will now cost them $52.4 million over 4-years. Thus Jorge Posada becomes a Yankee for life and the highest paid backstop in the game.
Posada who came up in the Yankees farm system as an infielder, will likely finish out this his final contract as such, if not a DH. With no suitable replacement yet ready in the minor leagues and no comprable catchers on the free agent market, the signing seems like a no-brainer.
The former Albany-Colonie Yankee is a five time All-Star with five silver slugger awards and four World Series rings. Posada, who in the process of tying Yogi Berra's single season Yankee record for HR's by a catcher with 30, finished 3rd in the MVP race in 2003 behind A-Rod, and history may prove to repeat itself once again in 2007 after Posada batted .338.
The Yankees now turn their attention to the beleaguered bullpen with Mariano Rivera and beg Andy Pettitte to return to their starting rotation. As far as the 3rd base situation goes, GM Brian Cashman may have been given a reprieve, seeing how negotiations have fallen through between the Boston Red Sox and Mike Lowell.
Here's a question to ponder for the Yankees, with Mike Lowell's availability does one use that as leverage to pry Miguel Cabrera away from the Florida Marlins at a lesser price? Or do the Yankees sign a Type-A free agent in Lowell, giving Boston draft picks instead of one of their major league ready pitching studs to the Marlins?
This much is for sure on the "Yankee-Lowell watch" if they were just so willing to sign a catcher who came up through their system and won championships also coming off of a virtual career year, a four-year pact that reaches into his 40's, then what would preclude them from offering a fourth-year to a player in Lowell who fits the same mold, a fourth-year as well? We shall see.
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