Best offseason of the Torre era (96-04)

[Sierra Mist]

For this poll, which offseason of the Torre era were you most impressed with at the time it happened. The main thing is how you felt coming into the following season after the deals of that current offseason. I voted for 2003 offseason because of A-Rod, Sheff, Quantrill, Gordon, Lofton, etc, etc, etc. I expected 2004 to be like 1998 all over again, but oh well.

[Yankeeah]

For this poll, which offseason of the Torre era were you most impressed with at the time it happened. The main thing is how you felt coming into the following season after the deals of that current offseason. I voted for 2003 offseason because of A-Rod, Sheff, Quantrill, Gordon, Lofton, etc, etc, etc. I expected 2004 to be like 1998 all over again, but oh well.

2005 off season. One simple reason:

Ruben will retire

[JeterRodriguezSheff]

2005 off season. One simple reason:

Ruben will retire

and SM will be gone from the best Yankee fan site on the web

But really I think I would go with this offseason once it is done. I dont know why but I got a good feeling about Cash making a few slick moves.

[Sam18]

I wanna start a poll, "when will SM be RO'd?".

[Sierra Mist]

the poll is up now

[Dooley Womack]

You left out Small. I need Small in a poll if I'm going to make a rational decision, dammit.

[Sierra Mist]

You left out Small. I need Small in a poll if I'm going to make a rational decision, dammit.

I forgot he was an offseason move, I forgot that he was signed to AAA in January. I always relate Small's coming to July, when he won his 1st start as a Yankee.

[Dooley Womack]

"I think 05/06 offseason will be better than all of them"



If that one person who selects this choice turns out to be right, I want his name and number so I could invite him to the tracks.

[Dooley Womack]

I forgot he was an offseason move, I forgot that he was signed to AAA in January. I always relate Small's coming to July, when he won his 1st start as a Yankee.

He came into spring training, and actually did well, so you might want to edit.

[Sierra Mist]

"I think 05/06 offseason will be better than all of them"



If that one person who selects this choice turns out to be right, I want his name and number so I could invite him to the tracks.

JeterRodriguezSheff did, he posted before the poll was finished, read his post above.

[Dooley Womack]

Despite this being the Jose Veras era, I have to go with '98 and Brosius, Chili Davis, Knoblauch, El Duque.

[Sierra Mist]

He came into spring training, and actually did well, so you might want to edit.

I cant edit the poll, perhaps a Mod can add Small's name to the 04/05 offseason move, but either way 97/98 and 03/04 are going to have the most votes.

[Dooley Womack]

I cant edit the poll, perhaps a Mod can add Small's name to the 04/05 offseason move, bit either way 97/98 and 03/04 are going to have the most votes.

I agree.

[WebsterMulligan]

The 1997/98 off-season moves translated into championships. Brosius, Chili Davis, Knoblauch and El Duque were all key contributors.

[Dooley Womack]

The 1997/98 off-season moves translated into championships. Brosius, Chili Davis, Knoblauch and El Duque were all key contributors.

Interesting avatar, WB. Who is that player?

[WebsterMulligan]

Interesting avatar, WB. Who is that player?

Ernie Davis. He won the 1961 Heisman Trophy playing for Syracuse University. He also lead the Orange to its only national championship, in 1959.

He was one of the many great running backs who wore the fabled #44 at Syracuse. Jim Brown and Floyd Little also wore #44 at SU.

[DiMaggio5CF]

I was the most excited about the off-season prior to the 1999 season.

The Yankees had just come off the most incredible season most of us had ever seen. There weren't any holes, but we still added legendary Roger Clemens, who was just coming off back-to-back Cy Young seasons with the Blue Jays. When a friend of mine showed me the ESPN.com headline that said that the Yankees had gotten Clemens, I put my two arms up in the air and exclaimed, "The New York Yankees have just won the 1999 World Series" -- and I was right, too.

David Wells was great for us, especially in '98, but "The Rocket" was going to give us that definite number one ace starter that we needed. He was going to lead the rotation of Andy Pettitte, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, and David Cone who was coming off a 20-win season. Hideki Irabu, we had learned, was nothing special, but was still one hell of a fifth starter.

And the bullpen was at its best. Mariano Rivera was coming off his "Senor Octubre" postseason, and Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton were still premier setup men. Even Ramiro Mendoza was a solid middle reliever.

The offense still lacked that clear leader, but it was completely solid 1-9. Posada was coming into his own as the catcher, Tino was still solid at first, Knoblauch -- despite his "Blauch-head" '98 ALCS -- was good at second, Jeter was great at short, and Scott Brosius was coming off his outstanding 1998 performance. Shane Spencer was now the man in left field, and Ricky Ledee wasn't too shabby; Bernie and O'Neill were solid in the outfield. Chili Davis was going to be a great DH, and Darryl Strawberry was a good power threat off the bench.

That winter was a quiet one, but it was extremely significant. We had the best team in baseball, one of the best teams of all time, with almost everyone coming back. And on top of that, we upgraded the most important part of the team, and brought on board one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of the game.

The second most exciting off-season -- at the time that it happened -- was this past one, prior to the 2005 season, much for the same reason. We had hit rock bottom, but we still had an offense led by Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Hideki Matsui, and a bullpen bolstered by Mariano Rivera; Paul Quantrill was expected to bounce back to form, and Gordon's postseason collapse was a fluke.

And on top of that -- besides adding Carl Pavano, the free agent crop's best arm outside of Pedro Martinez, to a rotation that already included Mike Mussina, we added Randy Johnson. Randy Johnson was, just like Clemens, that once-in-a-lifetime, dominant, Hall-of-Fame-bound ace starter. Schilling played a huge role in beating us in '04, and now that Pedro was headed to Queens, Johnson was the guy who was going to handle Schilling. He was going to take on the heart of the Blood Sox head-on, and he was going to win.

The winter of Randy ranks slightly lower than the winter of Clemens -- and they were both coming off stellar seasons when they joined the Yankees -- for two reasons: Clemens was a little younger when he became a Yankee, and we were coming off the best year when we got Clemens and the worst year when we got Johnson.

But when you look back on it, neither of those winters were huge. We won the World Series in 1999, but not directly because of Clemens, and we won jack crap in 2005 with Johnson.

The key off-season, I would say, was prior to the 1997 season when we got Wells and Stanton. Stanton was a key part of one of the best bullpens ever, and Wells had two great seasons in New York, including being the number one pitcher in the magical season of 1998. And even though he was traded after just two seasons, he did bring us Clemens, who didn't really do anything spectacular, but was a solid pitcher for us through 2003.

The second most important off-season was the next year, prior to 1998. Knoblauch and Brosius were big parts of the offense through 2001, and El Duque was one of the biggest big-game pitchers in Yankee history. The only reason that I rank this one slightly lower is because pitching wins championships, and we added two key pitchers prior to '97.

[Dooley Womack]

Ernie Davis. He won the 1961 Heisman Trophy playing for Syracuse University. He also lead the Orange to its only national championship, in 1959.

He was one of the many great running backs who wore the fabled #44 at Syracuse. Jim Brown and Floyd Little also wore #44 at SU.

Thanks, WB. I've heard of him but not to that extent. I didn't know Brown played for SU. What a rich history of great running backs.

[hellonewman]

1997/98 was a hole-pluggin' fiesta.

But you forgot to mention Darren Holmes!

[27IsNext]

"I think 05/06 offseason will be better than all of them"



If that one person who selects this choice turns out to be right, I want his name and number so I could invite him to the tracks.

Just for that, I'm picking the last option.

[AMYanks]

I was the most excited about the off-season prior to the 1999 season.

The Yankees had just come off the most incredible season most of us had ever seen. There weren't any holes, but we still added legendary Roger Clemens, who was just coming off back-to-back Cy Young seasons with the Blue Jays. When a friend of mine showed me the ESPN.com headline that said that the Yankees had gotten Clemens, I put my two arms up in the air and exclaimed, "The New York Yankees have just won the 1999 World Series" -- and I was right, too.

David Wells was great for us, especially in '98, but "The Rocket" was going to give us that definite number one ace starter that we needed. He was going to lead the rotation of Andy Pettitte, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, and David Cone who was coming off a 20-win season. Hideki Irabu, we had learned, was nothing special, but was still one hell of a fifth starter.

And the bullpen was at its best. Mariano Rivera was coming off his "Senor Octubre" postseason, and Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton were still premier setup men. Even Ramiro Mendoza was a solid middle reliever.

The offense still lacked that clear leader, but it was completely solid 1-9. Posada was coming into his own as the catcher, Tino was still solid at first, Jeter was great at short, and Scott Brosius was coming off his outstanding 1998 performance. Shane Spencer was now the man in left field, and Ricky Ledee wasn't too shabby; Bernie and O'Neill were solid in the outfield. Chili Davis was going to be a great DH, and Darryl Strawberry was a good power threat off the bench.

That winter was a quiet one, but it was extremely significant. We had the best team in baseball, one of the best teams of all time, with almost everyone coming back. And on top of that, we upgraded the most important part of the team, and brought on board one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of the game.

The second most exciting off-season -- at the time that it happened -- was this past one, prior to the 2005 season, much for the same reason. We had hit rock bottom, but we still had an offense led by Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Hideki Matsui, and a bullpen bolstered by Mariano Rivera; Paul Quantrill was expected to bounce back to form, and Gordon's postseason collapse was a fluke.

And on top of that -- besides adding Carl Pavano, the free agent crop's best arm outside of Pedro Martinez, to a rotation that already included Mike Mussina, we added Randy Johnson. Randy Johnson was, just like Clemens, that once-in-a-lifetime, dominant, Hall-of-Fame-bound ace starter. Schilling played a huge role in beating us in '04, and now that Pedro was headed to Queens, Johnson was the guy who was going to handle Schilling. He was going to take on the heart of the Blood Sox head-on, and he was going to win.

The winter of Randy ranks slightly lower than the winter of Clemens -- and they were both coming off stellar seasons when they joined the Yankees -- for two reasons: Clemens was a little younger when he became a Yankee, and we were coming off the best year when we got Clemens and the worst year when we got Johnson.

But when you look back on it, neither of those winters were huge. We won the World Series in 1999, but not directly because of Clemens, and we won jack crap in 2005 with Johnson.

The key off-season, I would say, was prior to the 1997 season when we got Wells and Stanton. Stanton was a key part of one of the best bullpens ever, and Wells had two great seasons in New York, including being the number one pitcher in the magical season of 1998. And even though he was traded after just two seasons, he did bring us Clemens, who didn't really do anything spectacular, but was a solid pitcher for us through 2003.

The second most important off-season was the next year, prior to 1998. Knoblauch and Brosius were big parts of the offense through 2001, and El Duque was one of the biggest big-game pitchers in Yankee history. The only reason that I rank this one slightly lower is because pitching wins championships, and we added two key pitchers prior to '97.

That was a great summary. I agree whole-heartedly.

[BronxBaumer]

I can't wait till we trade Small for a pile of balls. That will truly make this the best party ever

[IncredibleByNature]

"I think 05/06 offseason will be better than all of them"



If that one person who selects this choice turns out to be right, I want his name and number so I could invite him to the tracks.

There is plenty of time left, Dools. It's still possible for this to be a successful offseason for the Yanks.

[Python Patrol]

the offseason prior to 2004 was very exciting, I voted for that one.

[lem]

I think it was the Chili Davis acquisition that pushed 97/98 over the top

[NelsonMuntz]

Despite this being the Jose Veras era, I have to go with '98 and Brosius, Chili Davis, Knoblauch, El Duque.

Nice.

Incidentally, I voted the same way.

[I Love Wang]

Ernie Davis. He won the 1961 Heisman Trophy playing for Syracuse University. He also lead the Orange to its only national championship, in 1959.

He was one of the many great running backs who wore the fabled #44 at Syracuse. Jim Brown and Floyd Little also wore #44 at SU.

Right now, I'd be more impressed with Syracuse #22's than Syracuse #44's.

I have to go with 98, because I was ecstatic when we brought in Knoblauch. That was a great pickup, and no one in that deal has been good.

[Yankees13]

For this poll, which offseason of the Torre era were you most impressed with at the time it happened. The main thing is how you felt coming into the following season after the deals of that current offseason. I voted for 2003 offseason because of A-Rod, Sheff, Quantrill, Gordon, Lofton, etc, etc, etc. I expected 2004 to be like 1998 all over again, but oh well.

1997/1998, no other one is even close.

[yanksconstantino24]

1997-1998 was by far the best.

[wileedog]

97/98, easily.

For the record, 04/05 was one of the worst ever IMO.

[World Champions NYY]

Though not listed, I would consider the '95-'96 offseason, when Watson and Torre first came in, as a pretty successful and significant one: Martinez, Nelson, Raines, Girardi, Gooden, Duncan.

Pretty much put the core of the team that had been assembled by Michael over the hump.

[mbn007]

I voted for 1997/1998. That also might be the last time a Yankee GM had autonomy. Since this off-season, Cash may also have autonomy, this one could turn out to be the best yet.

[Sierra Mist]

Though not listed, I would consider the '95-'96 offseason, when Watson and Torre first came in, as a pretty successful and significant one: Martinez, Nelson, Raines, Girardi, Gooden, Duncan.

Pretty much put the core of the team that had been assembled by Michael over the hump.

I was goona put that one too, but I only had 10 options and wanted to leave an option for the current offseason.

[in MO I trust 42]

97/98 no question, brosius el duque

[RobRiv]

Right on, DiMaggio5CF! I loved the winter of 98/99, too. We re-signed Bernie on this day, 11/25/98, then, landed Clemens on 2/18/99. These two moves helped the Yanks remain great for years to come -- and as a nice bonus, pissed off the Red Sox. '98-'99 was a huge win-win winter for the Yanks!

[Sierra Mist]

I wonder who voted for 99/00, that was a boring offseason in terms of new additions because Lily, Parker, and Westbrook never played. Raines was released before opening day, and though he batted .300 Lance Johnson was let go in May.

[NYYBombshell]

I wanna start a poll, "when will SM be RO'd?".

Oh SNAP!

[NYYBombshell]

Without a doubt, 97/98.

[Dooley Womack]

I'm rethinking my choice. If Seinfeld could be one of the best shows ever and be about "nothing" why can't this be one of the best off-seasons ever?

[Archer1979]

I hope no one minds my two cents, but the 97/98 off-season that brought Brosius, Knoblauch, and El Duque has to be the one. Without those three, the 98, 99, and 2000 World Series go to someone else.

I can see why some would vote for the Clemens acquisition, but in my mind, 99 and 2000 still would have happened as they did, although just a tougher road.

[Dooley Womack]

I hope no one minds my two cents, but the 97/98 off-season that brought Brosius, Knoblauch, and El Duque has to be the one. Without those three, the 98, 99, and 2000 World Series go to someone else.

I can see why some would vote for the Clemens acquisition, but in my mind, 99 and 2000 still would have happened as they did, although just a tougher road.

Get the 'ell outta this thread you *&$%^#!!!!!!!!

[Tifoso]

For this poll, which offseason of the Torre era were you most impressed with at the time it happened. The main thing is how you felt coming into the following season after the deals of that current offseason. I voted for 2003 offseason because of A-Rod, Sheff, Quantrill, Gordon, Lofton, etc, etc, etc. I expected 2004 to be like 1998 all over again, but oh well.

1997/8, without question


Great topic, BTW

[Archer1979]

Get the 'ell outta this thread you *&$%^#!!!!!!!!

[Sierra Mist]

I hope no one minds my two cents, but the 97/98 off-season that brought Brosius, Knoblauch, and El Duque has to be the one. Without those three, the 98, 99, and 2000 World Series go to someone else.

I can see why some would vote for the Clemens acquisition, but in my mind, 99 and 2000 still would have happened as they did, although just a tougher road.

the funny thing is on the offseasons in which we had the most activity, we did nothing that season. After getting several guys prior to 98, all new players added in the offseason from 98-2001 were not a whole lot. We also won 3 straight rings, and almost won in 2001 as well. Then we go crazy with all these high priced contracts starting in the 2001-02 offseason, and from 2002-2005 we make it to the World Series once, and didnt even win it. Maybe we should stop with the high priced, long term contract free agents/trades.

[Tifoso]

the funny thing is on the offseasons in which we had the most activity, we did nothing that season. After getting several guys prior to 98, all new players added in the offseason from 98-2001 were not a whole lot. We also won 3 straight rings, and almost won in 2001 as well. Then we go crazy with all these high priced contracts starting in the 2001-02 offseason, and from 2002-2005 we make it to the World Series once, and didnt even win it. Maybe we should stop with the high priced, long term contract free agents/trades.

We didn't have to add after 1998-2000. We were as close to perfection as you can come. Which is why the 1998 Yanks just edge the 1939 Yanks as best team all time.

[Tifoso]

I hope no one minds my two cents, but the 97/98 off-season that brought Brosius, Knoblauch, and El Duque has to be the one. Without those three, the 98, 99, and 2000 World Series go to someone else.

I can see why some would vote for the Clemens acquisition, but in my mind, 99 and 2000 still would have happened as they did, although just a tougher road.

We agree.

Crap--my sock just stated bleeding

[Sam18]

We agree.

Crap--my sock just stated bleeding

Thank God its only your sock and nothing else.