Neyer on the Yanks, perpetual putridity

I've said many, many times that while I am not happy the Yanks are missing the playoffs, it's not the end of the world. I've often said that the Sox missed the playoffs in 2006 only to rebound in 2007 and win it all. Could it happen to the Yanks in '09? Maybe.

And it seems that Rob Neyer is drinking some of the Kool-Aid:

And although it's easy to say that you can't win with young pitching, I believe the Twins and the Rays might like to argue with you. It's obviously true that the Yankees' young pitchers let them down this year, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll let them down next year.

I do want to mention the comparison between the 2006 Red Sox and 2008 Yankees. My first thought was that they weren't comparable at all. I'd thought that the Red Sox were simply unlucky in 2006, that they had all the pieces in place.
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That's mind-blowing, don't you think? After winning 95 games in 2005, the well-heeled, brilliantly run Boston Red Sox were outscored in 2006. Hey, it happens. The next year they won the World Series.

No question, the Yankees have a lot of work to do this winter. But I hardly think we've seen the last of them.

The main point in the text above, to me, is that just because guys like Hughes and Kennedy struggled this year doesn't automatically mean they will next year. Could they? Of course, but a miserable 2008 doesn't poison the well in perpetuity. Perpetual putridity?

PS: I still think they should deal Igawa with any other parts to get a more reliable/established arm. He'd have value in the NL, particularly in a big park that can mask his fly-ball tendencies.