It’s Time For Yankees To Part Ways With Jorge Posada

Before Sunday night's game against the Red Sox, Jorge Posada was dropped from the Yankees' starting lineup. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi told him that he’s not going to be the team's regular designated hitter anymore.

So what should the Yankees do with their soon-to-be 40-year old part-time DH?

The Yankees should cut ties with Jorge Posada now.

He's just not productive. Posada is hitting .230 with nine homers and 31 RBIs this season. He’s got a .309 on-base percentage and a .372 slugging percentage (stats which put him at the bottom of the AL).

Since the All-Star Break, Posada has not hit a home run. In those 17 games, he has a .232 average with just two RBIs.  These numbers aren’t good enough for an everyday player – especially a DH – whose sole purpose of being in the lineup is to hit.

How does Jorge Posada help the Yankees right now?

Posada was only playing against righties anyway. He has been benched against lefties since May. He was told back in the winter that he wasn’t going to be a catcher anymore.  He didn’t even play one game behind the plate in spring training.

So let’s just put this in perspective – your DH, who only played against righties for the past 2 months, now isn’t playing against righties because he’s ineffective.  His real position (catcher) isn’t even an option anymore.

It’s early October – the Yanks are facing the Rangers in the 1st round of the playoffs. You’re down 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning. Would you want Jorge Posada facing Neftali Feliz with the game on the line?  If not, why is he on the team?  

I want his roster spot for someone that can be productive. What happens to Edwardo Nunez when A-Rod comes back? I want Nunez on my team for the rest of the season. He can play 2-3 positions and has shown he can deliver in big moments.

Don't make this decision with your heart.

Jorge Posada was a big part of five World Series championship teams.  He was part of the "Core-four" (Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera). They key players that made up the heart of Yankees from the mid-90’s until recently.

Watching your heroes get old isn’t easy. It’s never easy to watch a loved player lose his skills and become ineffective.  It’s even harder when it's a player that helped the Yankees establish themselves as one of the best teams in baseball. But if he played for any other team, he would have been released a long time ago.  If he played for the Yankees and wasn’t a part of the "Core-Four", he would have been released a long time ago.

It's not an easy decision to make but cutting ties with Posada now it's a smart decision.