Caught this article over at espn.com in which Buster Olney goes out on a limb and notes the Yankees will have a good team if they can land Carlos Beltran and Randy Johnson. Without question the best part of the article comes when Olney cherry picks optimistic tidbits for the potentially potent Yankee lineup. He writes…

But in 2005, the Yankees would have a superteam,
their best regular-season squad since 1998, when they won 114 games. Should the
Yankees succeed in signing Beltran, this is what their
Opening Day lineup would look
like:

SS Derek Jeter: Has a career .315 batting average.CF Carlos Beltran: Scored a
career-best 121 runs in ’04.
3B Alex Rodriguez: At the age of 29, has 381 career home runs.
RF Gary Sheffield: Led the Yanks with 121 RBI in ’04.
LF Hideki Matsui: Was second on the team with 174 hits last season.
DH Bernie Williams: Had a .360 on-base percentage in ’04.
1B Jason Giambi/Tino Martinez: Could be in a battle for playing time in spring
training.
C Jorge Posada: Has hit 20 or more homers and driven in 80 or more runs for five
straight seasons.
2B Tony Womack: Had a career-best .349 OBP in ’04 for the Cardinals.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The Yankees will have quite a team in 2005 but the way Buster evidences his contention that the Yankees are a “superteam”, with little one-liners on players that may or may not be on the team, leaves quite a bit to be desired. Hell, I could submit a devil’s advocate list that is no less telling than Buster’s notes. Here goes.

SS: Derek Jeter: .352 on-base in 2004 yet more evidence he is declining.
CF: Carlos Beltran: Most overrated free agent in years. Career OPS+: 111 Trot Nixon’s career OPS+: 121
3B: Alex Rodriguez: Slappy McBlue Lips lacks the intangibles to play in the Big Apple
RF: Gary Sheffield: .393 On-Base lowest in 10 years. Like Jeter, in full decline mode.
LF: Hideki Matsui: Given discrepancy between 2003 and 2004, one of the biggest regression candidates of 2005.
DH: Bernie Williams: Kinda reminds me of Tony LaRussa using his DH spot on Marlon Anderson
1B: Jason Giambi / Tino Martinez: League average is best case.
C: Jorge Posada: 33 years old and likely to join his mates in downward spiral mode.
2B: Tony Womack: Career .274/.319/.362 batter

Cherry picking is fun. Wheeeee!

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