For those of you who hate the Yanks, or merely root against them, this one is for you. I think NYaT’s Andrew Katz does a great job presenting the Yanks’ 2010 “worst case scenarios”, however much it makes me uncomfortable. I saw Part I yesterday and waited until today to link to Parts I & II. The scary part about these “worst case scenarios” is that some of Andrew’s cases are eminently possible:

1. The Yankees Worst Case Scenario, Part 1 (position players)
   Derek Jeter - What it would look like: A worse version of 2008. I don’t think we’ve truly ever seen BAD Derek Jeter. He’s had some times he’s struggles and times he’s looked awful in the field, but he hasn’t looked awful. But as he turns 36 next season, there is the chance that decline could hit. I can imagine a nightmare scenario where he’s slipped offensively and defensively to the point the Yankees have no interest in signing him in the off-season leading to a battle colder than the Cold War itself. The only thing worse for Yankees/Jeter is if he was tied to PED rumors. Since all of that is ridiculous (trying to quickly put it out of my head) a serious Jeter injury like 2003 could also hurt the Yankees.

2. The Yankees Worst Case Scenario, Part II (rotation)
   Javier Vazquez: What it would look like: 2004 ALCS Game 7. The worst thing that Javy Vazquez can do is remind Yankee fans at all of what he looked like during his last game in the Bronx. Many Yankee fans (including me) are taking a leap of faith that his being back in Pinstripes won’t bring back those memories. We hope his season in the Bronx wasn’t as bad as it seemed, that he was injured during the second half, and that it was a statistical anomaly in an otherwise consistent career. We’re hoping that a trip back to the American League and to the best hitting division and one of the best hitting home parks isn’t going to make Vazquez turn into a homerun machine. We’re also hoping that Ozzie Guillen is wrong that Vazquez isn’t a big game pitcher. But if we’re wrong, it could be real trouble. I can’t see the Yankee Stadium faithful having a large amount of tolerance for a slow start from Vazquez and I doubt he’ll be much good for the Yankees if that becomes the case. And if any of the three players that the Yankees traded for Vazquez turn out to be stars, it could look like quite a bad trade, considering that Vazquez already had a spotty track record in the Bronx.

Ugh. Blech.