Once upon a time, the New York Yankees used to get what they wanted. They used to lurk in the shadows. They used to manipulate the market into a false sense of security, then pounce. They used to meet pitchers who wanted to end up in California, then sell them on a legacy in pinstripes instead. They used to let their money do their talking, their history holding the pen and handing it over to an ace’s waiting arms.
The 2000s occasionally represented post-dynastic excess, but the 2008-2009 offseason was their masterstroke. Coming off a 2008 season where the Yankees closed their iconic stadium and moved across the street, with precious few prospect debuts en route and some stalled-out worry surrounding big names like Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, New York was in need of a harsh makeover to turn the tides. The Red Sox, 2007 World Series champions and American League runner-up in 2008, had been usurped by the upstart Rays. The Yankees’ ability to intimidate was fading, and fast.
Given the choice between claiming that things were good enough as-is and some bad luck would surely even out in the seasons to come and acting like the richest team in the biggest city in America, the Yankees went to work on multiple fronts (as George Steinbrenner’s health deteriorated).
CC Sabathia didn’t want to be a Yankee, per the wisdom at the time. He wanted to remain on the west coast. Instead of surrendering to perceived inevitability, the Yankees got to work convincing him that they’d be a stronger landing spot than the comforts he hoped to find in Los Angeles. When the dust settled, they didn’t have to apologize to anyone or bow down; 14 years before Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the larger contract and Yankee fans rationalized and scrambled, they looked a deficit in the eyes and reversed the trend.
Shortly thereafter, the Yankees struck again. Sabathia was a stopper. But to call their rotation “complete” would’ve been foolish. With spaces left to fill, they made an upside bet on the wild and occasionally wonderful AJ Burnett, who’d dominated the Yanks a few times in ’08 while with the Blue Jays. When Burnett was locked in, there were very few pitchers like him. It happened less and less often as the years went by in New York, but hey, it was just five years and $82.5 million, right? For a curveball like Burnett’s, the bet was well worth it.
17 years ago, on Dec. 20, 2008, the Yankees introduced both pitchers to the gathered media to much fanfare.
Yankees History: New York introduces CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett in late December 2008
Securing Sabathia and Burnett didn’t guarantee a title. It did show that the Yankees weren’t content to roll over and let the Sox and Rays lay claim to the division for seasons to come. It also stood in stark contrast to the Yankees’ modern ideology that, after one franchise-shifting move, they should sit and wait for additional needs to develop before striking again. On the contrary; once you have pushed significantly, there is no reason to stop pushing until the job is done. The Yankees won the 2009 World Series with a three-man rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. Without going from one to two splashes, the Yankees’ title deficit would be 24 years and counting.
Of course, the rotation didn’t need to be the beefiest given the amount of offensive talent they possessed. The lineup was so potent in part because the Yankees had one final arrow in their quiver. Conventional wisdom said Mark Teixeira was on the Red Sox’s doorstep after finishing the 2008 season in Anaheim. Conventional wisdom stood no chance against the Yankees’ full-steam operation.
With all three men locked into place, the Yankees had completely revitalized their 89-win core without banking on a fleet of bounce backs or selling their fans on stopgaps and false starts. The Yankees ended Sept. 2008 as the AL East’s third-best team, and the one most prone to regression. They finished Dec. 2008 believing again, unveiling a two-headed rotation monster in front of the city that used to never sleep.
There’s still time for Brian Cashman to learn his lesson from his own urgent behavior. But the days are getting longer again this winter — and it certainly feels like it in New York, given the Yankees’ toxic brand of self-satisfaction.