How far can $78 million get you in Major League Baseball? For 40 percent of the league, it can fund your entire roster. For the Yankees, it might have given them the best infield baseball has ever seen.
In the past, the Yankees have taken plenty of flak for their enormous payroll and recent playoff struggles. It seems that General Manager Brian Cashman has finally found a balance between the Steinbrenner spending method and sound baseball management with the signing of Mark Teixeira.
Last year, the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons due in large part to their poor clutch hitting and aging defense. Jason Giambi embodied both of those qualities, as the aging star had only one season over .300 with the Yankees and was never confused for a defensive specialist.
In the offseason, Cashman made a strong push to sign Teixeira to help ensure that the Yankees would rise back to dominance. Considering the Yankees are actually paying less for Teixeira this year than they paid for Giambi last year, it might be the best $180 million they have ever spent.
By adding Teixeira, the Yankees have comprised an infield that historically ranks among the best offensively and defensively. Teixeira and Derek Jeter are both having MVP-caliber seasons, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez has three MVPs of his own. Together, Teixeira, Jeter, Rodriguez, and Robinson Cano have combined for 714 hits, 388 runs, 110 home runs, a .307 batting average, a .386 on-base percentage, and only 32 errors. Those 110 home runs are more than the entire Mets team has hit this season, as if the times weren't bad enough in Queens.
Those numbers compare very favorably to some of the other great infields of the modern baseball era. The 1975 Cincinnati Reds infield comprised of Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, and Pete Rose, but their combined 49 home runs don't even come close to matching the pop that these Yankees have. The Brooklyn Dodgers infield of the late 1940s and early 1950s that featured Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, and Pee Wee Reese was formidable, but again didn't have the power and had a weak link at third in Billy Cox.
Coming into the year, it was evident that the potential was there; however, many questions surrounded these fantastic yet controversial players. Could Rodriguez bounce back from an offseason of hip surgery, steroid allegations, and family turmoil? Could Jeter bounce back from a less than stellar season and get back to his old defensive form? Could Cano ever realize his full potential and become a key cog in the Yankee lineup? And most importantly, could Teixeira shine in the bright spotlights of New York?
As the Yankees struggled to a 13-15 start without Rodriguez to open the season, it didn't look as if this quartet would get anywhere near where they are now. The return of Rodriguez provided the spark that this team needed and guided them over 100 wins for the first time since 2004.
It might be a long time before we see this same combination of power, average, and defensive prowess. Jeter and Cano have turned the double play as smoothly as anyone this year, and Teixeira and Rodriguez have provided the power that makes battling through the Yankees lineups one of the toughest jobs in sports.
Many New Yorkers, however, will be quick to point out that these statistics may be all well and good, but they have to be backed up by postseason success. Win a world championship in the Bronx, and these Yankees will find themselves in the pantheon of the greats.
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