I am not getting this...........

Okay, Hank Steinbrenner spoke up this weekend, bringing the number of useless, idiotic interviews to approximately 6,000 in less than a year of being "in charge" of the New York Yankees.

Fredo, according to Peter Abraham's blog (the best on the net) said that the Yanks would be interested in Manny Ramirez. Hank the Tank described Manny as a "free spirit" and praised the slugger for being one of the best hitters in history. On that, Little Stein is certainly correct, but it still doesn't answer the question as to why the Yanks would truly be interested in the ageing, moody left fielder. Haven't we been down this road before? Hasn't signing the likes of Manny been the problem in the past?

Now, anything Hank says should be treated like, well, Hank Steinbrenner said it, meaning it should be laughed at and then pretty much discarded as worthless. But Ken Davidoff had a similar report today in Newsday, citing Yankee insiders suggesting that the team was more likely to sign Manny than Mark Teixiera when all is said than done. Again, reports that come from "Yankee insiders" should be treated with the same amount of skepticism as the Fredo Steinbrenner proclamations, but I think it's worth looking at both moves and comparing and contrasting.

Manny Ramirez:

Pros - When Hank called Manny one of the great hitters in the game he was downplaying what the guy can do at the plate. Love him or hate him, Manny is one of the most prolific hitters in the history of the game. As a Yankee fan, can you think of another player who instilled sich fear when he came to the plate? Big Papi has certainly killed the Yanks in his time with the Red Sox, but even at his best Papi was only as intimidating as Manny. The guy is almost automatic in big moments. He is simply a machine and, if he were given the opportunity to beat up on the Red Sox 19 times a year, do you have any doubt that his average would rival what he did against the Yanks all those years? He would make it his mission, especially next year, to pound on the Sox every chance he got.

Last year, the Yankee offense suffered in large part due to the ineffectiveness the Yanks displayed with runners in scoring position. No one was particularly good in those moments, but the middle of the lineup (A-Rod and Giambi) were especially brutal. Manny would immediately make the Yanks middle of the lineup virtually impossible to handle. If A-Rod were to regain the same form he had in 2007, and Manny were simply Manny, Jeter and Damon could both score 120 runs. The offense would be amazing.

Also, Manny would be energized to play in New York that first year and be primed to play against his old team. His motivation would be high, the same as it was when he first got to L.A., and I have no doubt the man would put up gigantic numbers in 2009.

Cons - Manny isn't a spring chicken. He is 36 years old. Eventually, he is going to start to show his age, even if it's a little bit. Now, there is a good chance that Manny doesn't start to decline for another two years or so, butManny is gonna probably want a contract that takes him to the end of his career, perhaps as many as four years from some other team, and that kind of contract, one that would take him to 40 and beyond, just wouldn't make any sense at all.

If the Yanks are truly interested in taking a different route to success, wouldn't Manny be exactly the SAME kinda move that's gotten them in trouble before? An ageing player signed to a long term contract who will produce at the lowest levels of their career, no matter how productive, would seem to be symptomatic of the mistakes the Yanks have made for so many years. At a time when the Yanks are professing a commitment to youth and change, how could they justify a "business as usual" signing, even for the quality of player such as Manny?

But there are other, less obvious reasons why this move wouldn't make sense.

Conclusion - There is no doubt in my mind that Manny could be exceptional for at least one year, but Manny being Manny is a catch phrase in baseball circles for a reason. With a multi-year contract, the problems Manny had in Boston would show up in New York. There would be lack of hustle moments. There would be loss of concentration. There would be times when Manny would show up at the ballpark with some strange knee issue or hammy pull and refuse to play. Now, everyone has raved about Manny as a teammate, but can you honestly imagine that kind of mentality playing in a clubhouse with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera? And does Joe Girardi, who obviously had a slew of problems transitioning from the Joe Torre era to his new way of doing things, really need an attitude like Manny in that clubhouse? Can you imagine Girardi's reaction the first time Manny throws to the wrong base, or forgets how many outs there are, or hits a ball he thinks is going out and ends up on first base because he didn't run out the play? Can you imagine how much more gauling it will be for G.I. Joe when Manny comes back to the dugout laughing about his latest mistake?

Then, there is the Robinson Cano factor. The Yanks seem hell-bent on retaining Cano, believing the second baseman is still a star in the making, despite his bad season. Cano's major problem is his lack of concentration and it is hard for me to believe that having Manny on the team would be a positive influence on him. Cano needed a coach like Larry Bowa on him from day one last year and, when that didn't happen, he fell off. Can you imagine Manny being Manny around Cano? Can you imagine those two forming a bond? It is hard to see how the Yanks could bring Cano back from that, isn't it?

Manny just doesn't make a whole heck of a lot of sense for the Yanks. For the Dodgers, who need that big bat in the middle and have the clout of Torre to handle the situation, if seems perfect, but not for the Yanks. The team needs younger, more dynamic players to build a new core around, and despite his incredible abilities, Manny doesn't fit that bill.

Mark Teixiera:

Pros - This is a pretty long list so let's start with the basics: he's 28 years old, meaning that, if you committed to him for 8 years he would only be 36 at the end of the contract (the same age Manny is now). He's a switch hitter. He's a gold glove caliber third baseman. He's had 30 or more home runs the last five years. He bats at or over .300 every year. His OBP, SLG, and OPS are all well above average. He plays almost every day. And, this year, in the postseaon against the Red Sox, he batted .467 with a .550 OBP.

He has also proven to be very clutch, hitting .308 with runners in scoring position this year and batting a whopping .352 in close and late situations. That would certainlu seem to be the type of resume you would want to add to the middle of your lineup.

Cons - Honestly, all I can see as a con here is the money and the years. The Yanks seem to be hesitant to commit to Teixiera at the expected asking price (somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 years, $200 million). I can understand that. First, the Yanks have been paying through the nose on both luxury tax and revenue sharing for years. The amount of money they hand over to MLB every year is actually obscene (a perfect example of a socialist mindset when it comes to economics). If the Yanks wanted to scale back their payroll, how could anyone really argue?

Also, let's face it, the Yanks are more than likely not completely recession proof here. If you have a pulse, you know the economy aint exactly sparkling right now. Baseball, and the Yankees, can fool themselves into believeing the national pastime won't be hurt by this recession, but that would seem to be a dream. Eventually, people are going to begin to cut back everywhere, and someone who was excited at the prospect of attending a game in the new Yankee Stadium next year might put those plans on hold, especially considering the outrageous and somewhat absurd prices the Yankees plan to demand for an opportunity to see their team perform.

With starting pitching being the Yanks number one concern, and with the team seemingly ready to offer CC Sabathia a "you'd be an idiot to turn us down" kind of offer, I can see the logic in the Yanks deciding that two giant contracts would be wrong headed.

Conclusion - As I said, everyone can understand a business addressing financial concerns in this economic market, but the Yanks are asking A LOT of their fans in these trying times, raising ticket prices and making it more and more difficult for the average consumer to attend games. In light of that, and considering that, eventually, the economy will rebound, it would seem to me to be hypocritical of the Yankee brass to start the corner cutting this year, tightening the straps as they ask their fans to commit more to the cause. Even if the financial burden becomes more extreme, it is hard to imagine the Yanks actually losing money in 09, and even with staggering price hikes, the team stands to see its attendance pass 4 million again next year. Add in the success of the YES Network and budget concerns don't seem to be an issue.

That leaves us with the merits of Teixiera on the field.

Unlike Manny, Tex is younger, more athletic, and can field his position with the best of them. He is the type of bat the Yanks could plug into the lineup for the next decade and forget about. He has all the skills that would make him a valuable asset for the duration of his contract.

There has been this mindset that has infected Yankee land that free agent signings, any free agent signings, are quick fix pyramid schemes that don't work. The disasters of everyone from Carl Pavano to Gary Sheffield have seemingly poisoned the water for many who follow the Yanks when it comes to free agents. Yet, the problem is not with free agent signings. The problem is WHO you choose to give your money to.

Teixeira is the type free agent who will give you a return on your investment. He also gives you security to build from within. If you sign Teixiera and put him at first base, you have an infield of him, Cano, Jeter and A-Rod (along with Posada), meaning that you can expect to get A+ quality offense out of each of your infield positions for the next several years. That means you can take a chance on a kid like Brett Gardner in center if you want, believing that you can carry average offense at that position if the kid doesn't pan out. It also means that you can hand an outfield position over to Austin Jackson in a year, if he progresses the way people expect him to, and watch him mature without worrying that his growing pains would destroy the offense.

Some will argue that first base should be left wide open for Posada or even Jeter and their eventual move when age makes a switch of positions necessary. That seems somewhat idiotic, doesn't it?

The Yanks have already toyed with the idea of trading Hideki Matsui, but even if they didn't, Matsui's contract ends after this season and Posada could move into the everyday DH role afterwards. Jeter's defense seemed to actually improve this year and, considering how athletic he is and how he keeps himself in such good shape, it seems hard to believe that Jeter would REQUIRE a position change for another 3 years or more. By that time, Posada would be gone (most likely retired) and Jeter could move into a DH role as well, or move to a corner outfield spot. Saving first base for possible position changes doesn't seem like a winning strategy to me. What seems like a winning strategy would be putting the best players on the field right now and in the future. It would seem hard to argue that Teixiera doesn't make that possible.

Plus, signing Teixiera would allow the Yanks to use prospects to acquire a young center fielder or corner outfielder via a trade.

Teams are built through smart trades, wise free agent investments, and a clear understanding of which home-grown players are worth keeping. Teixiera is the type of free agent the Yanks could invest money in and not worry about that investment going belly up.