About the Off-Season: The Good Enoughs
- Tim Kabel
- Dec 30, 2025
- 2 min read
About the Off-Season: The Good Enoughs
By Tim Kabel
December 30, 2025
***
This offseason for the New York Yankees has been underwhelming, to say the least. They have made very few moves and none of those moves have been inspiring. We, the fans, are waiting impatiently like Ricky Ricardo (the bandleader, not the broadcaster) waiting for Lucy to give birth, pacing endlessly back and forth. It doesn't help, but we think it does. Anyway, since I don't want to keep regurgitating the same suppositions and proposals regarding the 2026 roster, I decided to do something different today.
Since good enough seems to be the mantra surrounding the Yankees these days, I have decided to compile a team of second-tier Yankees. To follow the Ricky Ricardo motif a bit further, I know I have some “splaining to do”. I am going to make a team out of players I have actually seen in a Yankees uniform who were not the best players the Yankees have ever had at their position. In other words, you won't see Aaron Judge in right field on my team, because he is the best rightfielder I have ever seen as a Yankee. I will also exclude Hall of Famers. I will also not have Roger Maris on my team because I never saw him play.
Sometimes people read these articles and think that I have a time machine or that I am 92 years old. Neither of those two things are true.
My goal is to create a competitive team out of players who were just a notch below the best I have ever seen in a Yankees uniform. I will start with the catcher and work my way around the diamond. This is a purely subjective exercise.
Catcher- Mike Stanley
First Base- Mark Teixeira
Second Base- Alfonso Soriano
Shortstop- Didi Gregorius
Third Base- Wade Boggs
Leftfield- Roy White
Centerfield- Mickey Rivers
Rightfield- Paul O’Neil
DH- Jack Clark
Starting Rotation- Tommy John, Ed Figueroa, David Cone, Carlos Rodon, Luis Tiant
Bullpen- Dick Tidrow, Graeme Lloyd, Bob Wickman, Ron Davis,
Steve Farr, David Robertson, Andrew Miller, Dave Righetti
Bench- Matt Nokes, Brett Gardner, Chuck Knoblauch, Oswaldo Cabrera
This would be my starting lineup:
Mickey Rivers-CF
Alfonso Soriano-2B
Wade Boggs-3B
Mark Teixeira-1B
Jack Clark-DH
Paul O’Neill-RF
Roy White-LF
Mike Stanley-C
Didi Gregorius-SS
I think this would be an extremely competitive team. In fact, if the players on this team were all in their prime, I think it would be better than the current Yankees team. This just goes to show you the quality of players the Yankees have put on the field over the years. It also shows you that when the Yankees set their mind to it, they can acquire players slightly better than Nick Torres, Austin Slater, and Franchy Cordero.
It is unfortunate that Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner do not seem inclined to do so at this point.
I was thinking Brosius at 3B, but indeed Boggs averaged 2.4 WAR/162 Yankee games higher.
Paul, Pags was 1.55 WAR/162 Yankee games, so if Nettles is No 1 (which he should be, even though per 162 Yankees games, Boggs' WAR was 0.2 higher), Boggs is definitely No 2.
Of course, that's not counting Celerino Sanchez. 😆
ETA: A-Fraud (5.8 WAR/YG) would be my No. 1 over Nettles if I permitted PED cheats on my team.
Seeing Dirt (The late Tidrow) on a list always makes me smile. But he was part of Yankees West, and San Fran's 3 WSC.
I like this. I would have to give this some time.
After Mattingly at 1b, I guess I'd go with Chambliss
I'd put Pags at third after Nettles.
Mike Stanley and Ron Hassey make a nice catcher tandem
Oscar Gamble needs a spot in the outfield or DH...
Sparky Lyle has to be there, but is he a star? If Mariano is first team level and Goose is second team, then Lyle qualifies...
A fun idea Tim!