I would also suspect he's gonna need a new GM, as Cashman's contract expires on Halloween, and it's widely rumored here that Cashman is fed up with having his authority undercut by the Tampa crowd and team president Randy Levine.
I don't think George will do a lot of big-name shopping. Most of his big money guys are still under contract. Not re-upping Bernie Williams and Kevin Brown will free up $27 million, but Matsui's deal is also up and he's gonna command a lot more than what he's currently making (8 million). And, I think he's still paying a good piece of Soriano's contract with the Rangers as part of the A-Rod trade.
His two aces, Johnson and Mussina, will be a year older and neither has ever been a post-season phenom
But, he's stuck with them. He might be more active in the trade market than the free agent one.
Some of the fixes bandied about in the papers down here are laughable--like trading Sheffield for Manny
Like, Epstein would ever be dumb enough to trade Manny within the Division, let alone to the Yankees. Altho watching Manny try to play right field would be worth the entertainment value
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