But a manager of Irabu's, Bobby Valentine, who managed in Japan for a few years before returning to the States as the Mets manager, once asked him what he thought about American baseball. The conversation touched on the Yankees and Irabu responded that he wasn't familiar with that team. However, not a week after the Padres had negotiated his release from his Japanese team, Irabu said he would never play for the Padres, that the only team he'd ever play for is the Yankees, his favorite team from his childhood. Who says Irabu isn't coachable. And while Irabu hasn't exactly been a Hall of Fame caliber player here, he did win 24 games for the Yanks between 1998 and 1999 with a better than average ERA, thus helping the Yanks to win two more world championships before being shipped off to Montreal for 3 top pitching prospects.
Money fixes other problems as well.
Not only can they repair their major league club and bolster their farm system by throwing money at it, they have enough to compensate when their minor leagues fail, too. The Yanks lost Brien Taylor in 1993 when he hurt his arm in a bar fight and never fully recovered. He was the Yanks' first pick in the 1991 draft and was slated to join their major league staff about the same time as Andy Pettitte. Oh, and outbid everyone in 1998 for the reputed best Cuban pitcher in the last 25 years, Orlando Hernandez. Lastly, the Yanks never have to let anyone go.