Abreu had to stay; A-Rod had to leave
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The Yankees had little choice but to retain Bobby Abreu. They need a third baseman, a closer and a catcher. They didn’t need to add right fielder to that list.
Abreu is not a dirt-on-the-uniform type so fans tend to get down on him. But when you look up after 162 games, he has 100+ RBI and 100+ runs scored and he plays most every day. For one year at his age, it’s the smart move.
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The well-sourced Buster Olney reports that the the Yankees fell $100 million short of just getting a meeting with A-Rod.
The Yankees were willing to offer Rodriguez a five-year extension worth $150 million. That would give Rodriguez a total package of eight years and $231 million.
Boras wanted a package of $350 million. Presumably that would have meant an eight-year extension worth $33.62 million a year.
How could a team sign a 32-year-old player for 11 more seasons? I understand Rodriguez keeps himself in great shape. But 11 more seasons? Maybe there’s a team out there that will do that. But I can’t fault the Yankees for not.
It’s ironic that the Red Sox couldn’t make a deal for Rodriguez then won the World Series twice in four years. The Yankees made the deal, got progressively worse and then Rodriguez fled at the first opportunity after pretending he loved New York all season.
It’s a shame, in a way. The guy is a great player but he will be forever defined by his actions off the field.
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on Friday, November 2nd, 2007 at 3:16 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
As I’ve been saying, the future looks incredibly bright.
Maybe if we got Manny Ramirez instead we Would have had a few more ring.
What’s even more ludicrous about giving a 32-year-old third baseman an 11 year contract is the fact that you will probably have to be moving him off of third base in just a few years. He will probably have to exclusively be a DH for the last four or five years of that contract. That’s an awful lot of money to pay for someone who will probably wind up as just a DH later on.
The difference between the Sox and the Yankees winning WS since 2004 is the choking away of the 2004 ALCS. That has more to do with Torre using an already overworked Tom Gordon in Game 3 with a *9 run lead* than it does with Alex Rodriguez.
The Yankees have played tight in the playoffs ever since. It wasn’t all Torre’s fault, but it was a major reason why he had to go.
On Arod, don’t forget if he goes to an NL team (looking likely) he won’t even get to DH at age 42. I guess there’s always a sucker out there and Boras will be right there to catch them.
AMEN on Bobby. 1 down, 3 more to go.
Yanks won 97 in ‘06 vs. 95 in ‘05. I think the term “progressively worse” is a bit misleading.
“fans tend to get down on him”
there was a fan heckling abreu during game 4 when i sat in right field. that ‘fan’ probably regrets that heckling to this day. his woman wasn’t too happy either…
I heard that his former teammates on Seattle and Texas called him “the cooler” because he cools off any team he plays on. Look at Seattle in 2001 and Texas in 2004. They both got a lot better
Dee- Good point, I should have stressed IF he stays in the American League. You’re right.
good synopsis peter, thanks.
i think i am slowly transitioning from anger at a rod, to the more humorous side of this. His credibility is completely hurt in my book, but having said that, I will take every chance to hear him in interviews the next 10 years. what an amazing guy.
A-AAAAAAA FRAUD…..AAAAAAAA FRAAAAAUD. I cant’ wait to hear the chants if he ever steps again on Yankee Stadium.
What a loser. Classless.
Greedy MOFO. We’re much better without him.
Borass is one sick puppy. 350 million that is more than the gdp for many countries and he wants ALex to make it for playing a kids game. There are people out there (like he claims is his mother did) working 2-3 jobs just to make ends meet and put food on the table and a roof over their families heads. When is enough enough? I understand you have an ego so big it can’t fit in the clubhouse, but at one point don’t you have enough money where you can stay for less in a place you claim you love?
The Yankees continue to look better and better in light of all the information coming out.
“A-AAAAAAA FRAUD…..AAAAAAAA FRAAAAAUD. I cant’ wait to hear the chants if he ever steps again on Yankee Stadium.
What a loser. Classless.
Greedy MOFO. We’re much better without him.”
It’s kind of hard to demonstrate that someone else is classless when you are acting classless yourself.
Unbelievable. What’s Bore-ASS going to use next as spin??
“Nah, he’ll be 100% healthy…I didn’t want to say this…but his father was a space alien so he ages more slowly.”
C’mon guys. PAY-Rod has shown himself to be nothing more than a mercenary concerned with just himself.
HEY!!!!! Here’s an idea…let’s come up with a fantasy All A$$hole Team!!!
Manager – Ozzie Guillen
3rd base – PAY-Rod
DH – Bonds
Who else can we add?
28 mil per season is MORE than fair – still a full $7 mil ahead of Jeter. 5 years is also pretty sensible.
And don’t tell me Boras wouldn’t try & figure out some way, even with an 11-year extension, for Alex to get out of it and get paid yet another gi-normous amount of money down the line.
I sincerely wish nothing but failure on him for the rest of his career. He just doesn’t get it.
Ant–Oh man, you could have too much fun with that…
Sheffield.
Ant928- Curt Schilling.
Boras is trying to get extra commision from Arod’s contract, as he’ll get a hell of a lot less than he figured on Gagne & Andru Jones’ contracts…
Thanks, Pete.
It looks like we’re close to solving the mystery.
Timeline:
1. Alex and Boras pow wow in Malibu where Boras tells Alex, you had a career year and the Yankees and New York will pay anything to have you come back. They love you now.
2. Boras instructs Alex to not communicate with Yankees or do interviews, secretly fearing that Alex might let a “I love playing in New York” slip out.
3. Boras (allegedly) tells the Yankees the posting fee to talk to Alex is $100M.
4. Yankees try to contact Alex, who has been instructed to not take or return calls.
5. Boras botches opt-out (who knows why? that was senseless and would have only embarrassed his client).
6. Seeing that the Yankees have opted out as well, other teams wipe their drool and promptly put out the message that they’re not in the market for $30M infielder. (Boras probably convinced Alex that he’s so great, he could play two positions at the same time. Teams would be able to pay his salary fielding only 8 players.)
7. Alex’s stock drops.
8. Eventually there will be a feeding frenzy and Alex will get his money. Boras will look like a genius.
In addition to the money the key parts of the contract will be the fine print. Will there be another opt out clause, what pother perks will come with it that will cost more momney.
>> The Yankees continue to look better and better in light of all the information coming out. >>
Agreed. We may lose 150 RBI’s in the process, but we’ll be a better team for it.
mel – great timeline.
explain #8 to me, cause I don’t know how that happens unless it is at the
cont.
…the less than 300MM level
>> 3. Boras (allegedly) tells the Yankees the posting fee to talk to Alex is $100M. >>
That’s not what he meant when he said “fell $100 million short of just getting a meeting with A-Rod.”
That means the $350 million offer had to be on the table before Alex would even show up to talk about it.
So glad they picked up Bobby’s option – he’s a better than average fielder and a very patient guy at the plate. As you say, Pete, the Yanks have other positions they have to fill so why waste the opportunity to have Abreau come back. As for A-Rod’s contract demands, I can’t wait to see what he ends up with – don’t believe there’s a team out there who will go for an 11 year deal, for crazy money like that. Boras must be smoking some of those funny cigarettes!
Ant928 – how about Schilling as the ace of the staff?? LOL
And he will be defined by his agent.
When you hear ‘Arod’ how will you not think ‘Boras’?
If Arod ends up getting the 350 million from some team then God bless him.
There is no reason the Yankees needed to lock this guy up past his 40th birthday. The sluggers who remained sluggers at that age all have steroid and HGH allegations to their names. See Bonds/Sheffield/Palmeiro for reference.
Whoever ends up paying Arod 30 million at age 40 will be regretting it for sure.
It’s why he can’t sign with an NL team. He is a 3b for another 5 years maybe and then he’s either a 1b/DH from there on in. Without a DH option, signing him for more than 5 years for an NL team is suicide.
I think he really thought his opting out would still lead back to the Yankees. He was wrong.
The only way he can save himself at this point is to fire Boras and go meet with the Yankees face to face. That won’t happen though because Arod has proven to us he’s an idiot.
When he’s 40 and playing in Anaheim or SF (part time since it’s a NL team), he’ll be looking back wishing that he didn’t make the moves he just did.
He’s turned himself into Bonds. He’s the 2nd most unlikable player in the league. The only people who will cheer him will be his home crowd, provided he produces. Bonds thrives on the hate. Arod never has. It’s a sad situation for a very talented guy who didn’t realize he could have built himself into a Yankee legend.
if negations started at 5/150 i bet Boras could have got an extra year so say 6/180. Thats means he would have been getting paid 30 million until age 41. That offer is completely fair.
whatever,
Thanks for the link in the previous thread. Did you notice that Igawa makes $4.00? lol
Ant928
I’ve got your catcher: A.J. Pierzynski!
Pete while 150 rbi is alot to lose, you are correct they will be a “TEAM”
Have another one to add, Varitek
Yup. We lose one more ‘ME’ player. Now lets hope we can add one more ‘TEAM’ player.
Ant – I think you can put Manny in there at LF… Actually, this is turning into a ridiculously good team.
Mel
I’m guessing you are not far off.
i see this list turning into a-rod, bonds, pierzynski, and assorted former/current red-sox.
Pete,
I got the $100M posting fee from the ESPN article. The Yankees were willing to make a shorter deal worth $250M, but Boras said that they had to ante up $350M just to sit at the table. I think Pete Abe’s saying the same thing. The gap was $100M.
The annual was the same, it was just the number of years. The Yankees would be insane to commit a 41 year old player $30M. In the end it’ll be better for everyone. This marriage is dead.
Mel- At $4.00, Igawa is still overpaid.
Go AwA-Rod may sign another 10 year contract, but Boras will probably stick some more opt out clauses in this next contract as well. This cycle could happen again in four years possibly. Just think how exciting (SIGH) that it will be to hear the question again in a few years- will A-Rod stay with fill-in-the-blank, or will he opt out?
John Gibbons vs Ozzy Guillen may be a toss up…
Ant- Can we throw in Milton Bradley somewhere on your team, too?
i guess picking up abreu’s option was a good deal . 16 mil is alot for abreu but he does get on base and he does score runs .
forget a-rod . i have been saying all year long he was going . now he’s gone . good riddens . the yanks need pitching , pitching and some more pitching .
pitchers like mo rivera .
pitchers like johan santana
pitchers like pettitte who have balls the size of watermelons .
Trot Nixon can split time with Raul Mondesi in RF with Kenny Lofton coming off the bench at CF/LF. they are all tools
i think a ” me ” type of player is going to have big problems with girardi .
J-dawg,
That’s mean. I still haven’t given up on Igawa.
O.K. this is how I can tell that I’m over Alex. I didn’t even realize that over the past week, I’ve stopped calling him A-rod and started calling him Alex. Weird.
Even if Arod hit 90 HR and had 250 rbi’s, $30 million/yr is waaaay too much for a ballplayer.
I bet you a lot of Yankees are glad to see him go although they would never say it in public.
chris-
I think you’re right. And I think Cashman and the rest know that too. So hopefully they’ll avoid bringing a selfish player into the mix..
I think we need to be more positve. Lets start a team of all good guys
P Mo Rivera
P Andy Pettitte
C Jorge POsada
i would rather be dead than have the likes of schilling on this team . why not trade for pedro while your at it .
Mel- I was just venting and ranting like I do sometimes. Actually Igawa’s last game against the Devil Rays was acceptable if you take away the walks. It will be interesting whether he is used in a long relief role, as a lefty reliever to (try to) get lefies out, or he is dangled as trade bait and traded.
Bobby is soft, but cuddly. I wonder what he’ll do when Girardi yells at him, “The f-ing wall is not electrified!” I don’t think that Jeter will have problems with Joe, Derek wants to win more than anybody else.
P Mo Rivera
P Andy Pettitte
C Jorge POsada
Yes – I care more about having these guys back.
Could care less about Arod.
Predition, Slimeballs ( I mean A-Fraud and BorSatan ) will come crawling back to the Yankees with their tails between their legs after NO-ONE gives them Jack-Doo-Doo close to that silly 350 million proposal.
G Love
A-Rod can sign with a NL team now because there will most likely be an opt out in the new contract too. Probably wouldn’t be until 7th or 8th year because that would put him in range to opt out after he breaks records.
There are also many different ways to structure contracts. I don’t know what rules MLB has in place for contracts but a front end loaded deferred money contract would guard against paying a 40+ year old too much money. A-Rod could continue to receive checks for millions of dollars well into his 60’s if MLB would allow it. Either that or all the deferred money could possibly be turned into an ownership percentage of a team after he has retired from the game.
I was always an A-Rod defender, but if this report is true, that is just obnoxious, and i’m glad we won’t have to deal with all his drama now.
#9
I think they’ll all be back.
I think once one of them stays with the team, the other 2 will as well.
We are not losing 150 RBIs from the 3rd base position. You got to figure that whoever we get to play 3rd via platoon or everyday starter that we’d get at least 60-70 RBIs. Plus its not like Alex gets 150 RBIs each year.
Peter
The Yanks picking up Abreu’s $16M option was the wrong choice. They should’ve bought out then let go of Abreu and signed Aaron Rowand for CF (Cabrera takes over RF). The Yanks have too much lefthanded hitting in their everyday lineup (Damon, Matsui, Giambi, Cano, and now Abreu) and ZERO righthanded hitting outside of Jeter and Posada and Cabrera batting from the right side (Posada’s stronger side is his left).
Abreu has limited power and his actual RBI total is RBI minus runs he costs the Yankees with his lousy defense. He had the 2007 he had because A-Rod was batting right behind him, but A-Rod is gone now. Don’t be suprised if he turns in a .269 BA, .339 OBP, 10 HR, 73 RBI crapout.
Let’s see:
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
RIGHTHANDED POWER HITTING 3B???
Matsui DH
Posada C if he’s re-signed
(or the righthanded 3B here, Posada bats cleanup)
Cano 2B
Giambi 1B
(Give the Yanks at least 2 losses on his defense alone.)
Cabrera RF
For the record, it’s a REALLY bad idea to not take a math course since age sixteen and then crack open your GRE book a week before you’re gonna take the test…
Rebecca-
Maybe you’ll get lucky and all the math questions will have to do with Batting Avearges, ERA and OPS?
Ant – We have to ut JD Drew in Rf and it is not because of the red sox but he also is a $$$ guy with and he has nothing to back it up from the time he was drafted by Phllie (he still gets booed when he goes back there) to the current LA Dodgers opt out thing
nate c,
I think that if teams think there’s a chance to get Alex you got to offer at least $25M, right? Three or four teams bidding on Alex, pushes up the annual to at least $30M. All it takes is 2 teams, right? After all he’s still a good player, just misunderstood and mismanaged.
He will get the $30m a year, but I can’t see a team giving him more then the Yanks were going to or going over 6 years with an option of some sort. Who going to want to pay him $30m when hes ages 37-40. That is going to be a horrible back end of the contract especially if it is a NL team. His contract will definitely have a ton of options, bonuses, deferred money and weird contract language. The team should include “incentives” for $1m for every post season hit he gets, $2m for every 2B, and $5m for every homerun. Atleast they know they would never have to give him any of that extra money. I can not see a straight up 8 year deal.
Cookiemilk -
Not sure that signing Abreu means they are not going to go after Rowand. They will probably try to move Damon (not sure how successful they will be) and its likely that Melky’s name will come up in any potential deals.
Well he just might hit a homerun in the postseason when his team is down by a few runs, and the game is basically over.
Rowand is mediocre and I don’t want to see the Yanks sign another mediocre OF for the next 4 years when in two, the fans will be whining about how the Yanks need to trade this guy like they do with Matsui and Damon all the time.
Bobby Abreu is a better hitter than Aaron Rowand. Rowand played in a bandbox ballpark this year so his power numbers are inflated a bit.
Also, why commit to 5 years for Rowand when you only have to tie up one year with Abreu?
With Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata on the climb, the last thing the Yankees need is to tie up big years and dollars on “ok” (and nothing more) OF’s.
Remember one thing about the Arod money. Whatever money the Yankees pay him, they take a big luxury tax hit.
So, 28 million is really 32-34 because of the luxury tax implications.
Too much money for one player. Even a guy like Arod.
Going to be interesting to see where he lands.
DMan–hah! I’m not sure how much it will help. The good news, though, is that I should be okay for the verbal section.
But anyway. Back to baseball
IMO, the Yankees don’t need to concentrate on the OF, they need to fix the bullpen first and foremost, and get a 3B or find one internally. the OF is the least of their concerns right now.
sunny615-
Yup, and as its been mentioned a few times, in a year or two the Yankees will have some stellar OF’s coming up.
We don’t want them blocked by more aging OF with huge contracts…
Wow, just when you thought ARod couldn’t look any worse, here we are.
I doubt he can even get close to what Yanks are willing to pay (230mil/8yrs) let along $100mil more.
Kay is saying the red soxs are very interested in getting Alex.
Dawn of a New Curse:
Michael Kay (consider the source) is saying he spoke to someone in the know in Boston and says the Sox want Alex bad — for shortstop.
I say, good, go spend $100 million more than you need to and then kiss your postseason success goodbye.
Captains Corner,
I see what you mean. I still feel that Alex will try to stay in the AL, he needs to DH at some point in order to continue “The Quest”.
No one’s going to give him $350M, so Boras should try for a shorter, fat contract like the Yankees offered. And then he has options later where he can have options. As long as he can hit and play someone will give him money, especially if he’s close to breaking the HR record. If someone like Barry Bonds can get a team to give him $15M when he’s 42, then Alex should have no problem because he’s not tainted.
This is either an ego trip by Boras or an insecurity deal for Alex. But all I’s know is that Boras and Alex aren’t making any friends right now.
Bruce Jenkins of the SF Chronice had a great column about Arod the other day.
Bruce showed that, since Game 4 of the ALCS in 2004, Arod has come up 59 times in post-season play. In those AB’s, 38 runners have been on base. He didn’t drive in a single one of those runners. ZERO! Hardly “iconic”.
The only RBI he has in that time is the solo HR he hit in Game 4 of the ALDS this year.
You can cry “small sample size” all you want. However, that’s really amazing for a guy of his skills.
I’m sure that stat is not in Scott’s “book” on Arod.
The tough part of having Arod on your team (at these prices) is that, if you don’t surround him with talent, you aren’t going to win. Arod himself doesn’t guarantee your team will be better.
As we have seen in his four years in NY, he is not a guy that puts you over the top. That may be a byproduct of the game than a knock on Arod but, that’s another discussion for another time.
At 30 million a year, it really is a buyer beware situation for the team that signs him.
Sorry Jennifer, I post too slow
he said a “source close to the situation told him” I’ll take that and Alex’s agent 350 demand w/ a grain of salt I hate hearing a source if it’s true say the damn name !!!
“Kay is saying the red soxs are very interested in getting Alex.”
Wow – even more reason to hate him.
who knows hot stove hasn’t started but atleast my Knicks are not in the lime light
Even though Abreu isn’t one of those gritty guys, I still like him. It appears he’s a genuinely nice guy that enjoys playing the game. I appreciate that in this day and age!
Arod can’t play SS anymore. He’s 230 pounds and his range is not what it used to be.
If the Red Sox want to put him at SS, good luck. That would be a dumb move for the Sox.
I think the Sox are blowing smoke. I don’t think they want any part of Arod. If they do, they aren’t as smart as everybody wants to make them out to be.
Thats okay, your post was more thought out than mine. I just tried to post the info very quickly.
Adrian Beltre actually would be a pretty good trade option if Seattle doesn’t ask for the world in return. Beltre only has two years left on his five-year contract. He is a right-handed hitter to fill that need, he can hit 25 to 30 home runs, steal 15 bases, and hit around .280. He doesn’t set the world on fire like he did in ‘04, but he is a solid player. Plus he isn’t too bad defensively and he is only 28 years old. He may be a pretty good fit after all. Just a hunch.
I want a crack at the All A-Hole team
C- Michael Barret
1B- Kevin Youkilis
2B- Jeff Kent
SS- Julio Lugo
3B- Pay-Rod
LF- Milton Bradley
CF- Mike Cameron
RF- JD Drew
DH- Barry Bonds
SP- Curt Schilling
SJ: You _are_ talking about the guys that signed JD Drew and Julio Lugo…
I heard that Alex will only consider playing in Boston if he gets to wear that cool ‘C’ that Varitek wears on his uni.
I wonder who’d be the first to crack him with a pitch. My money’s on Joba. He’s so funny, he looks like an angel, buy I think he’s got a mean streak in him.
Francesa said yesterday that he spoke with a friend who has knowledge of the Red Sox front office and that person told him they were interested in A-Rod too. It might not be instead of Lowell but in addition to Lowell.
“IMO, the Yankees don’t need to concentrate on the OF, they need to fix the bullpen first and foremost, and get a 3B or find one internally. the OF is the least of their concerns right now.”
They do have a glut there, though. One is young and has some promise, two are older and expensive, but still productive. Both pretty much LF/DH at this point, though Johnny can probably play CF in a smaller park. It makes sense to think about moving one of them to fill one of these other holes.
Mike R–You’re missing Sheffield. And that wasn’t me on MVN, btw…
I heard that Alex will only consider playing in Boston if he gets to wear that cool ‘C’ that Varitek wears on his uni.
only 1?
You are completely right Rebecca. I have ammended the list.
C- Michael Barret
1B- Kevin Youkilis
2B- Jeff Kent
SS- Julio Lugo
3B- Pay-Rod
LF- Gary Sheffield
CF- Kenny Lofton
RF- JD Drew
DH- Barry Bonds
SP- Curt Schilling
Much better. I know it wasn’t you now. The person was outed as an imitator.
I agree with SJ I can’t see the sox poisoning that clubhouse with Arod. I don’t think he is a shortstop anymore but either is Jeter.
A-Rod’s range at SS would be as good or better than Jeters. Even if the Sox sign Lowell for 3 or 4 years, A-Rod would be back at 3rd base by age 35 or 36.
The Sox are just playing the part of interested suitor in a behind the scenes deal with Boras. They have no interest to sign him, but do want some team to ruin their team by signing him.
Given that Ortiz knee could blowout and Manny being Manny – I could see the Red Sox having serious interest in Arod.
How do you make up A-Rod’s 54 and 156 RBIs?
Easy, you get a third baseman and a first baseman who each hit 27 home runs and drive in 78 RBIs. That’s doable. The two of them will be far cheaper than one A-Rod and it is likely that they will not be nearly as disruptive to the chemistry of the team as this guy was.
If ture, that kind of demand from Boras is obscene. The Dodgers don’t have that kind of money. Moreno says he won’t ante up much more than what he is currently paying Vlad.
It will be very interesting to hear the spin from Boras when A-Rod finally signs with someone for five years @ 125 million. That is about 100 million less than the Yanks offered. That would be fitting.
It makes no sense to think about moving either since a) Matsui has a no trade, b) Damon has a partial no trade and is a better option in left than Matsui. None of our albatrosses are going to get moved – Giambi, Matsui or Damon. If no one here would want to trade for other team’s albatross contracts like Glaus or Sexson… why would anyone want our albatrosses?
Arod to the Red Sox might be the only thing that brings the Yankees back into the fold – so you wonder where these rumors get started.
Beltre is an interesting option.. especially since the Mariners actually showed some interest in Igawa. Could be some synergies there.
The Red Sox may be “interested” but everybody is “interested”. Its at what price and how it fits into what they are doing.
He is HATED in Boston. Absolutely HATED. Will it work in Boston? Man, for a guy who has some difficulties in that situation, why would Arod put himself in that situation?
I suppose anything is possible but, it would be surprising if the Red Sox want to mess with what they have going by putting Arod in that mix.
Despite all our bitching, ARod likely will go down as hitting the most home runs ever. He will be especially lionized when he passes “Chemical Bobby” Bonds.
I think he could have gotten as much or more from the Yanks as any other team, because the Yanks have the biggest budget and because of the extra $21m from the Rangers. I think ARod simply didn’t want to play here.
Or, maybe he left for the same reason he left the Rangers: to win a World Series. In that case, the Red Sox might be his first choice. Ugh.
I dont believe that about Boston being involved one bit. I think they will definitely get involved just to mess with the Yanks and try to get Cash to sweat and see if he jumps and gives Boras keys to the Steinbrenner bank account. Kay says ALOT of things about sources just to get people to listen that never equal anything. Boston fans hate him as well as half of there team. Everyone heard what Varitek said yesterday about him, I am sure the veterans would go to the owners and never let it happens.
Why would that get the Yankees “back in”? Because Mike and the Mad Dog say so?
If the Yankees “got back in” for that reason, its dumb.
Let him go to Boston. Let the Red Sox take on the money, the diva behavior, the luxury tax hit, and the way it ties their hands in other areas.
Don’t think the Yankees haven’t gone over every contingency re: Arod’s departure.
If he wants to go to Boston, good luck to him. That’s a no win situation for Arod. Anything less than winning the WS, its his fault and he would get brutalized by the fans and media in Boston.
A friend of Alex said he has a great deal of interest in going to Boston. Wow I guess we shouldn’t have been ticked about how they treated him like a dart board, or how Jason threw his glove in his face. Since apparently he didn’t care.
After all the nasty, horrible things Red Sox fans have said about ARod for years, and all the fun they’ve made of him, not to mention some of the shots players on the Sox have taken at him, if ARod went to Boston it would be absolutely surreal, and really, quite hilarious.
I’ll believe it when I see it. And if he went there, it could be “the curse” all over again.
SJ44- That hate of A-Rod is the biggest reason why Boston won’t sign him. That front office has a strong history of listening to those fans. They’ll realize that even as talented as A-Rod is, that there is no way that the fans will ever embrace him enough to justify signing him. I just can’t see it happening.
OH!!! Another a$$hole pitcher…John Rocker? Was that the guy that didn’t like gays and blacks and all that?
BREAKING NEWS
I have a list of A-Rod’s demands to sign with the Red Sox.
1- He wants the uniform number 350. Guaranteed.
2- He wants to be captain.
3- He wants an A on his uniform instead of a C
4- Tek must catch without a mask.
5- Bronson Arroyo must issue a public apology for putting his glove in the way in 2004.
6- Dice-K must change his name to Dice-BB
He was hated in NY and 54 HR’s turned the crowd around fast. Varitek may hate him but how many more years do you think he’s going to be catching in Boston.
Ant. He is the Closer. That’s the guy I was missing. Brilliant!
Alex may be hated in Boston, but many would change their tune.
They don’t really need to bring in Alex. They’ve got a formula that’s working. Also you don’t think they weren’t chuckling after every postseason Alex at-bat after 2004? They have scouts and evaluators who do a pretty good job in Boston.
I don’t think that Boston’s interest would bring Yankees into the fold. They’ve moved on and are building the team from pitching, out.
“If no one here would want to trade for other team’s albatross contracts like Glaus or Sexson… why would anyone want our albatrosses?”
Because ours aren’t albatrosses. Matsui and Damon are STILL GOOD HITTERS. Sexson is a disaster, and so is Glaus…and Glaus has been linked to HGH. The comparisons just don’t exist.
Matsui probably wouldn’t go, you’re right. But at least people would want him, so it’s worth looking into.
Damon has expressed an openness to the idea of leaving. Better fielder in LF than Matsui? Yes. Good leadoff guy? Yes. But something has to give. And sitting Giambi on the bench every day isn’t going to happen. Neither is cutting him. If the team can find another leadoff guy, and somewhere to play him, then it makes sense to trade Damon.
If the Red Sox sign A-Rod, they will never win another World Series again.
You know one thing I heard brought up, is we didn’t only lose the Texas money, if we re-sign ALex at 30 million our luxery tax goes up as well, so it is more than 30.
I still think that Boston had a hand in the timing of the announcement. I think Boras got assurances from Boston that they are willing to meet his demands for Arod.
Boston is so arrogant and pompous that they think they are above the game, much like Boras and Arod. It’s a perfect match in many respects.
Not to mention with all the Arod hatred in NY right now, what would be a better landing spot than Boston to stick it to NY fans?
Boston is a front office that thrives on stats and “metrics” when evaluating players and after coming off the success of this season, they no doubt think their formula of winning is the right one.
What they don’t realize is that Arod brings with him more than offense. He creates drama for the team in and out of the clubhouse. He becoming the highest paid Red Sox player in the history of the organization is a terrible risk to take. Considering you add up what Oriz and Beckett make and it still doesn’t equal Arod’s pay, you can see where this will lead.
The Boston players hate the guy already. The Boston captain fought him on the field. Giving him more money than anyone else, especially guys who have won championships for them, is such a dumb move that it makes so much sense that Boston would make it.
I hope he goes there. I can’t wait to watch him fail 19 regular season games against us. It’ll be the 2nd biggest mistake of his career after turning his back on the Yankees and all the good will he had built up here towards the end of his run.
I don’t think that they’d get back in because of what M&MD say LOL… but looking at a potential lineup that has Youkalis, Papi, Manny, Arod, Lowell might. Personally I really hope not. We need to move on.
A-Rod going to Boston would just make me laugh. A lot.
Arod isn’t coming back to the yankees for several reasons. 1st one: Playoffs. Yes Yes and Yes, i know, small sample size, numbers inflated by the media, etc. Thats not the reason why I bring up the playoffs. I bring up the playoffs because he has played for them in 4 years and he hasn’t been the difference in getting past the playoffs. He isnt the reason why they have failed, but he hasnt been the reason they have continued. A huge debate can continue on what arod meant to the yankees in reaching the playoffs. In fact, Arod was worth 5 wins a season. And without Arod, we would have not made the postseason this past season. Its very hard to imagine that a batter can be the difference maker, on a regular basis, for any team in the playoffs. If so, players like Billy Hatcher, Pat Border and David Eckstien would be in the HOF. They arent. And if your mission statement says “Win a World Series” would you pay someone 30 million that hasnt been a difference maker? In all disclosure, the reason why the yankees havent made it to the world series these past 4 season has to do much more with pitching than arod. Then shouldnt you invest 30 million on pitching instead of one player?
Another reason why Arod doesn’t play for us anymore is arbitration and draft picks. With the yankees changing gears of late. They have become great at drafting player, especially those that other teams are affraid they cant sign. With Arod opting out and the yankees offering arbitration, next summer the yankees might be selcting 3 players from selections 15 thru 50. Not bad.
If arod had won a world series or two while putting up those same numbers in the playoffs that he already has, and if Joba Chamberlin and other draft picks wouldnt have panned out for them, there is no doubt in my mind that Arod would be coming back. What happened is that the yankees have realized that they dont need arod. Thats why arod is not coming back.
Arod not coming back has less to do with his image than he real worth to the yankees
Alex Rodriguez Night on Opening Day at Fenway Park. Free Blondie Masks and “Ha” t-shirts to the first 20,000 people.
Wow, I’m listening to Micheal Kay right now, and I had no idea that Bernie was a Boras guy…but really glad to see that Bernie ditched him =D
I love Bernie.
A-Rod does have a very big ally in the Red Sox clubhouse who is very popular with the fans- David Ortiz.
Folks, its all part of the game. Of course “friends” of Arod are going to say Boston is in the mix.
Think about it for a moment…..the guy had a HORRIBLE week. Upstaged the WS, Boras made an ass out of himself this week with asinine comments (like throwing Mo under the bus for Arod’s post-season failures), his “friends” have to say SOMETHING.
What better way to try and tweak the Yankees and send a panic in their fan base by saying, “Arod is REALLY interested in the Red Sox”?
If he is that interested, buying him off isn’t going to make him “love” the Yankees again.
I say, let him go. Goodbye, good luck in Boston, hope it works out.
You can’t make panic moves if you are the Yankees. We have seen with our own eyes the way Arod has a tendency of melting in big moments. This, in front of a fan base who WANTED to love Arod.
In this situation, fans HATE Arod. He automatically starts off being hated. Now, one 0-12 series against the Yankees and the hate for him starts all over again with Red Sox fans.
Just can’t see that happening. It goes against everything the Red Sox are doing. If they do it, that’s GREAT news for Yankee fans because it shifts ALL the pressure to the Red Sox.
1) While Boras works for ARod, don’t confuse the 2. If ARod goes to the Yankees, Boras collects his 10 or 15% on $150m. If ARod goes elsewhere for $250m, that 10-15 MILLION difference for Boras. I’m sure that plays into the equation.
2) Don’t you people speak Borasspeak? ie: Damon is worth 7 yrs/100m = 4 yrs/52m (and he got overpaid at that) ARod is worth 12/$360 = 8/$230. You don’t think Boras is putting out those numbers because he thinks they are realistic, do you?
I still think Alex will be left with out a seat on March 1 when the music stops.
Meanwhile, Boras is also trying to do damage control on why ARod dissed Hank Aaron by not showing up for the Henry Aaron Award he won, to be presented during game four of the W.S. Aaron managed to make it, and he was on crutches. So did Prince Fielder, who won it in the NL.
Now Boras is saying ARod is dieing to meet with Aaron to receive his award in person, and to just sit down and talk hitting for an hour with Henry. I think I’m gonna puke. ARod is phoney as a 3 dollar bill and Scott Boras is the prince of darkness who would bury the needle on a lie-detecting machine and probably sell his mother if he figured he could get top dollar for her.
And somehow, I doubt if Hammerin’ Hank, a true gentleman, would be interested in sitting down and talking with someone as disingenuous as ARod.
Rebecca, Bernie never fired Boras.
jennifer,
Wouldn’t that be awesome? If no one showed interest? I can see the headlines in the post now, “SHUNNED-ROD!”
A-Rod going to Boston is also a bit of a slap in the face to Mike Lowell. Lowell had an absolutely fine season. He was really their best hitter all year long, he played great defense, and was a good clubhouse guy. By signing A-Rod, they would basically be telling Lowell, “thanks for everything that you did, but we’re going in another direction, so long.” That would pave the way for the Yankees to make a strong push for Lowell, though. It would surprise me to see the Red Sox kick Lowell to the curb.
J-Dawg, Alex would replace Lugo not Lowell
They’d kick Lugo to the curb… not Lowell.
Brandon–but Bernie did sign on his own, no?
Mel, I would love it!! I would laugh my butt off!!
J dawg, they would keep both lowell and alex.
At $9M, someone would be interested in Lugo.
Or maybe Arod and Bor-ASS are thinking he knows he cant hit in the post season. So he joins a team that already has 2 stars that shine in the post season Man/Ort so maybe people would forget when he doesnt do anything. He joins them they will pitch and everyone else in the lineup will do there job and when he goes 0-20 with 17 strikeouts..he doesnt have to do crap but he gets himself a free WS. Try to jump on the wagon. That would be funny!!!
yes Rebecca, Steinbrenner had to save him otherwise he would have been a Red Sox CF.
Kay sure knows alot of dirt on the real Joe Torre
Hey SJ44
Bobby Abreu was protected by A-Rod and faced A.L. pitching all year, so his 16 HR and 101 RBI are inflated a bit. I guarantee you he doesn’t come close to posting those numbers with anyone else protecting him and without Damon and Jeter setting the tables with the deep 7-9 batting order behind them. Aaron Rowand is a younger, better all-around player. He BURIES Abreu defensively. In case you haven’t noticed, the Yanks OF is pretty bad: Damon and Matsui a year older, Cabrera buries both defensively but is more suited for RF than CF hence Rowand CF. Again, Abreu’s RBI total is really RBI minus runs he costs the Yanks with his lousy defense in RF whereas Rowand’s RBI total will be RBI plus runs he saves with his stellar defense in CF. Rowand has arrived at age 30. I guess you’d be unhappy with .309 BA/ .374 OBP/ .515 SLG/ .889 OPS/ 27 HR/ 89 RBI with stellar defense from your CF huh, cuz guess what? Rowand batting cleanup between Giambi batting third and Matsui batting fifth will post at least that next year with that protection and vs. A.L. pitching. Since when was Yankee Stadium a pitcher’s park?
Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata? Are you serious? Neither will be in the Yankees everyday lineup in 2008 or 2009. Try 2010 at the earliest, and that’s if they’re good enough to make it then stay there. Historically, Melky is the only Yankee farm system OF who ever panned out after Bernie Williams. Ledee and Spencer never made it as everyday players, Juan Rivera and Wily Mo Pena have had limited success and probably won’t make it. Damon and Matsui are signed through only 2009 and Cabrera is under contract through 2011 and isn’t arbitration eligible until 2010. Theoretically, the Yanks could have LF and RF open for 2010 if it was just Rowand in CF (Damon and Matsui let go, Cabrera traded or released). 2010 Rowand would be in the third year of a 4 or 5-year deal and only 32+ (he’d turn 33 in late August).
Boston, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore where the Yanks play 27-30 games a year are bandboxes. Toronto and Oakland are pinball machines -double and triple paradise. Big OFs Rowand can handle no problem. Cleveland, Texas, and Minnesota are bandboxes. Chicago, Detroit, and L.A. are somewhere between pitcher’s park and bandbox. Rowand would do nicely in Detroit’s CF. The only A.L. pitcher’s parks are Seattle and Kansas City but K.C. is the Yankees doormat and only recently has Seattle played well.
Rowand CF/ Cabrera RF/ Giambi batting third/ Rowand cleanup
> Cabrera CF/ Cabrera wasted as a super #4 OF/ Abreu RF and batting third before what righthanded cleanup hitter who isn’t A-Rod? You’re not batting another lefty after Abreu. I’d say Posada but he isn’t signed yet and may not return cuz from what I’m reading, the Yanks will not give him 4 or more years if that’s what he wants.
You lose.
If Boston resigns Schilling, and keeps Lowell, who’s not gonna be cheap, and signed ARod, their payroll would be taking on a Yankeesque look. I can’t see it.
Forget the Redsox going after Arod,, why the hell would they want him? And why the hell would he want them? The fans hate him, the players despise him. The SOX already have a winning formula, and he is an unnecessary additive.
It is all smoke. If any of it is coming from any Redsox official, you can bet it’s because they want to up the ante for the eventual suitor.
Besides, anyone with half a brain knows full well that Boras has one or two deals firmly in his pocket, otherwise he would have opted out his client without any guarantees.
IMO He is going to the Angels. Just got to go through all the diversion tactics by Boras right now to make everyone think there was no tampering before hand.
“At $9M, someone would be interested in Lugo.”
I don’t think so.
After being bad with the Dodgers and then coming back to the league and division he was supposedly comfortable with…he was still really bad. And he’s 32. The Sox will have to eat money to get rid of him.
No Pete ,Arod will be known for something else too,being a greedy hireling, and a head case player that needed a lot of attention,and ego stroking. Bye BYE Prissy boy,jerk!
I’m not doubting you guys, I am just thinking that it might be a struggle on Boston’s part to give big money contracts to A-Rod and Lowell. Plus A-Rod is listed on Yahoo at 225 lbs, probably 20 to 25 pounds heavier than the average shortstop. He may need to drop a few pounds to settle in. His defense may also be a struggle at short as well. He hasn’t been a regular shortstop since 2003.
“Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata? Are you serious? Neither will be in the Yankees everyday lineup in 2008 or 2009. Try 2010 at the earliest, and that’s if they’re good enough to make it then stay there.”
what the hell are you talking about ? learn about our farm system before you say some stupid sh** like that !!! Jackson is ripping a pitchers league Tabta w/ a broken hanbone in his wrist hit .305 w/ over 50 RBI. They are nboth ST options and sure bets for a 40 man roster by 20008 or 2009
Ya, as hilarious as it would be to see him unemployed in March, don’t count on it.
He’ll sign somewhere.
Boras really screwed the pooch on this one…I bet he could have squeezed another 2 million a year out of the Yankees on a long term contract, but 11 years? Come on.
Amateurs.
If beantown wants that fool,great take our sloppy seconds,and watch your team be in the basement next season for sure.
yankee 21,
I hope you’re not implying that Boras as an 11 year, $350 million dollar offer in his pocket because if this actually happens, that team is absolutely DUMB.
No player is worth that kind of money to an organization, especially the Yankees. Like they need A-Rod to make money.
I dont think he can play SS anymore. He is way too big for that. It would have to be a AL team, which I would bet that it will be the Angels. Even if he did play SS he only has a good 3 years left in the field, that is why he will be a DH at the end of the contract.
“I guess you’d be unhappy with .309 BA/ .374 OBP/ .515 SLG/ .889 OPS/ 27 HR/ 89 RBI”
Yes, he will certainly continue to play at a rate similar to his career year, achieved in a tiny stadium. Moving to Yankee stadium CERTAINLY won’t make him regress to his mediocre numbers from every single other season except 2004. And his all-out style of play CERTAINLY won’t begin to land him on the DL more and more often as he ages.
Aaron Rowand is a solid player who people like because he gets dirty. He is not a great hitter, and CERTAINLY not a cleanup hitter.
I hope he stays in the AL because whoever gives him that money is going to be in the cellar and w/o money to spend for a while. LA is not NY, not just any team can eat such a huge salary and focus on other weaknesses as well.
As stated before, pitching wins, not $27 million all stars.
I am of the opinion that Boras has something up his sleeve, prior to the opt out.
Angels- Maybe, but do they really want to pay a post-season dud 2x what the pay Vlad? Not really
Dodgers- Just too much money. and they hate the opt-out JD Drew. Plus, does Arod really want to play for Torre again?
Giants- a real possibility. He could just be the man on the team and never play in the post-season. After the terrible week he’s had, and the complete hit to his image (read endorsements and $), i don’t think he’ll go to a team without a real shot at the playoffs
cubs- no playoff hopes for a while and ownership issues
and that brings me to
the red sox- it’s the only team that can afford hit, plays in a hitter’s park, has protection for him in the line-up, and is big enough market that alex can make a lot of endorsement dollars. he must have paid attention when espn said that torre going to la barely caused ripples. he must also realize that he may never get good publicity, so in his mind, i bet that pub is better than no pub.
as a yankee fan, i hope he signs there and demands to be the next captain. he’ll bury the place
rowand has never started a game batting 4th. He has a total of 8ABs batting fourth. Rowand batting 4th makes as much sense as George Bush holding a diploma
Jake,,
You got to believe Boras has a deal in his pocket,, I’ve no idea what it is but he’ll execute it in due time or he wouldn’t have advised Arod to opt out and hit the street blind, without getting compensated at least as well as the current (now last) Texas 252m deal.
Is A-Rod turning into Barry Bonds Jr., or what?
Like I said before ,Arod may want to play til he’s 45(and look stupid like small balls Bonds ,just holding on) but his body may have another thought.Any team that cripples themselves with a player that long in the tooth(age) is headindg for financial ruin,like Texas almost did. They tied a lot of money up on Arod and were choke by the big contract.
“Angels- Maybe, but do they really want to pay a post-season dud 2x what the pay Vlad? Not really”
He is EXACTLY what they’ve been yearning for for several years, though: the big bat to play 3B and protect Vladdy.
I’m kind of hoping they _do_ sign him because then Figgins is without a position. I want him to leadoff and play CF for the Yanks. That’d allow Damon and Melky to be involved in deals for a 3B, a 1B, or position prospects. Or pitching.
I finally like what Brian cashman is doing. I would have fired torre and signed girardi. I would have exercised abreu’s option – close enough. Now, he must re-sign posada and mo and beg pettitte to exercise his player option.
I have two question for whoever is wise enough to answer them. One, What is the deal with Jason Isringhausen and Joe Nathan? They both have team options but were either of them back with their team yet? Two, How much would you be willing to give up to get MIGUEL CABRERA? He is a 24 year old, right-handed third baseman. He is a four time all star and has consistently had a superb OBP and a stellar batting avergae. He also has a good amount of power and he is a double machine. He is the best defensively and his work ethis has been questioned but girardi said he would be a good fit with the yanks and the two of them always got along in florida. He is arbitration elidgible and is soon going to be making 11 million. The marlins certainly would like to unload that for some league minimum players.
on ESPN’s site: guess the price just went up again on AROD!!!
Rodriguez is seeking a 12-year, $360 million deal, Boras said he has yet to discuss specific economics with any major league club
I wouldn’t mind seeing A-Rod in Boston either…escalates their payroll and inflicts cancer.
Don’t see it happening though. They can have him. Even more reason to hate him.
Joe Nathan is back, confirmed earlier this week
i meant he isnt the best defensively
Nathan has signed.
Boras doesn’t collect 10-15% on contracts. Agents fees can only top out at 5%, under Players Associations rules.
Cookiemilk, you have no idea what you are talking about.
You are the only person dumb enough to believe Aaron Rowand is a better offensive player than Bobby Abreu.
Arod protected Abreu? Please. The guy has been a solid hitter his entire career. A better hitter than Aaron Rowand.
At the rate Austin Jackson is going, he will be with the Yankees by September of 2008.
I lose? LOL That’s pretty funny coming from someone who thinks Aaron Rowand is an offensive star.
yankee 21,
i agree boras has something up his sleeve. i am just wondering if he or anyone REALLY believes that 12 years, 360 million is feasible and is going to happen.
That is INSANE. I don’t think the Yankees could even do that. I am sure as hell glad they didn’t that is for sure.
Jake- arod is a moron and an awful humanbeing but not everyone who screws over the yanks is a clubhouse cancer. That word is thrown around every time a player leaves – frankly, its annoying already. Arod goin to the redsox would be a big F us WHICH i dont quite get because he is the one that has screwed us again and again.
My family (in st louis) has said Larussa considered Jason the mvp on the cardinals this season,he saved over 30 games.
I’ll bet he’s coming back to the cards. Larussa said that to the media.
Jeter’s Future Wife- That price from Boras will be up past $400 million in no time.
Absolutely nothing surprises me at this point. Absolutely NOTHING.
Arod to the Red Sox????
It’s not happening, or I would have to consider becoming a Yankee fan! Did I really say that??
How does Abreu steal so many bases without getting dirt on his uniform?
What is A-rod’s track record in the majors?
I know what happened in New York, can someone tell me what happened in Seattle and Texas?
How did the players, media, and fans treat him? Was he clutch, beloved? I’m just trying to figure out if New York just wasn’t the place for him. As a GM, you’d looks at how a player’s done over the years before dropping *360 Million Freaking Dollars*.
So, is ANYONE going to end up taking A-Rod?
Boras is not talking with a club owner. He’ll negotiate with a stupid fool,that will buy his act hook line and sinker, and regret the deal.
Brandon
W T F are you talking about? So what Jackson and Tabata are tearing it up where they have been? Lots of guys tear it up in the minors vs. minor league pitching, they’re a dime a dozen. Neither will be in a Yankees uniform in 2008 or 2009, certainly not 2008, make book on that. And last I checked, the Yanks don’t need open or two guys who could just crack the 40-man roster in 2008 or 2009, dumba ss. B.t.w. if you knew jack about the farm system, you’d know .305 BA is not all that impressive when top prospects usually hit .330 or more, the logic being if they could smack the cover off the ball at at least a .330 clip, they most likely will produce at least league average in the bigs.
whozat
Rowand posted 27 HR and 89 RBI outside the cleanup slot this year. I see Rowand as a Bernie Williams type cleanup hitter. Bernie was never the prototypical cleanup hitter. Rowand would probably be more suited to being a #6 hitter:
Damon/Jeter/Giambi/Posada/Matsui/Rowand
I was thinking Rowand in the cleanup only if Posada signs elswhere cuz the Yanks would either need a righthanded 3B with power or righthanded Rowand in the cleanup. You CANNOT
have potentially 4 of the first 5 batters or 5 of the first 6 batters be lefties (Damon/ Jeter the only righty/ Giambi/ Matsui/ Cano).
Ray–That’s the rumor.
We would, of course, welcome you with open arms if that’s the route you choose to take!
Ray, welcome a board sweety,on behalf of the Yankee fans. There’s safety in numbers,guy!
Aaron Rowand is a Bernie Williams type cleanup hitter?
Are you serious? Aaron Rowand isn’t even CLOSE to being the hitter Bernie Williams was.
He’s had ONE good offensive year, in a bandbox ballpark. He’s not in the same league as a hitter as Bernie was.
Defensively? In Bernie’s prime, they are comparable. Offensively? Not even close.
Troy Tuliwiski and Jacoby Ellsbury were both in the Arizona Fall League last year. Neither guy was thought to be close to making the ML roster. Both did, and both contributed.
That’s what happens with younger, talented players. They can move up very quickly.
Austin Jackson doesn’t have to be on the 40 man roster right now to be considered a person who may be in the Bronx in 2009.
If he continues to play at the rate he is playing now (and right now, he is tearing it up in the Hawaiian League…..where Joba was last Fall), he will be in the Bronx in 2009.
Its why one year of Bobby Abreu is better than 5-6 years of Aaron Rowand. It gives the Yankees options, rather than being tied into a long term contract for a decent, but not star, player.
Pete,
You forgot to mention they need a FRONT-LINE STARTER!
Or did you not see that Boston and Cleveland had that – and we had Wang?
Dave,
Remember, the Yankees will always be better than the Red Sox, with or w/o A-Rod.
Do you know how much money that is to dump on one player? Insane.
I doubt it will happen, they aren’t that dumb.
Well, this will be a big decision for ARod, about where to possibly end his career, and Alex has talked how it’s something he will discuss at length with his “inner circle”, those closest to him, those he can trust.
Uh, I wonder if Joslyn Noel Morse, that blond stripper ARod was hangin’ with up in Toronto, is part of his inner circle?
Atul that’s why our new pitching coach might be able to help Wang.
“So, is ANYONE going to end up taking A-Rod?”
Yep and I think that he’ll ultimately sign for less than what the Yankees offered. Boras will come out and say that this proves that A-Liar is not obsessed with money. What it will really prove is that once the Yankees left the bidding table, everyone else gained an advantage.
My prediction: A-Fraud will be an Anaheim Angel of California by the end of the month. Also, the Angels will lose to the Yankees in the ALDS in ‘08 thanks to the subpar play of A-Dog.
It will be interesting to see when A-Rod signs whether Boras tries to include another opt clause after 5 years or so. It only makes sense that if the Yankees had signed him, there would be no such clause.
Everyone take a deep breathe.
There will be hundreds of rumors before he finds a new team and that’s probably not going to happen until December or January.
Some of you sound ticked off that he broke up with you before you broke up with him. Same end result either way.
SJ 44 you’re the resident knowitall in blog comments section
I never said Rowand is an “offensive star”. I do know he’d be the second best all-around player in the Yankees everyday lineup (first being Cano) when you factor in his defense, too bad you don’t. He is better than ALL Yankee OFs.
No matter, Cashman made a stupid move.
Take A-Rod out of the equation in 2007 then make me laugh and say Abreu posts the same numbers he did in 2007. Abreu wouldn’t. His Philly days are over, you want to live in denial of that, whatever.
2007 Rowand > 2007 Abreu, check the stats and b.t.w. check how Rowand was an integral part of Philly overcoming the Mets (who really beat themselves but Philly still had to win.) Who has a World Series ring? Rowand was the prototype for the 2005 Chi-Sox winning formula.
Rowand BURIES Abreu defensively. Rowand is a stellar CF whereas Abreu should be a DH for a small or mid market team.
If you think the runs Rowand saves in CF aren’t important, you don’t know as much about baseball as you think you do and in case you haven’t noticed, the Yanks have ZERO righthanded hitting and no certain power outside of Matsui cuz it’s no lock that Posada (who hit only 20 HR) will re-sign or Giambi (who hit only 14 HR in yet another injury-plagued year) will be 30 or more HR productive again.
Matusi may not even hit alot of HRs. Cano could hit 15 HR or 25 HR, I’d prefer he keeps hitting .300+ with solid defense and better OBP and at least 90 RBI. The last thing the Yanks need is Soriano II from him.
Yeah Catya… Bonds is barely holding on with over 450 PAs and a 1.045 OPS, 2nd in MLB only to ARod. Good call.
Not to get all Yankee Universe and everything, but if Alex goes to LA or Chicago will it be a big splash? I kind of feel that Alex was such a huge sensation because he played for the Yankees. If he goes to a smaller market (they’re all smaller, including the Mets) he’ll still have an impact, but I feel there won’t be as much hype and obsession surrounding him. That’s why I feel that it’ll be difficult for Alex to get huge deals from anybody but the Yankees (I’m not advocating for that!).
Supposedly Alex would pay for himself with tv deals and such, but people in LA were very *yawn* about Torre and staff coming in. I think Yankee fans were more interested than Dodger fans.
Just thinking that the Yankees made Torre a star and they made Alex the superstar into a super, duper star.
Hey guys even though beantown won the WS,Yankees had a winning record this year and last aganist them.They didn’t be the Yankees in division play they were relieved cleveland took it to the Yankees, that’s why them winning wasn’t hard to take. They didn’t beat the Yankees,they beat up on a very small market team,and now have their heads in the clouds.Because, they officially have the TWO (2004,2007)most bought,WS wins that money can buy. They bought TWO now!
Austin Jackson will be in Yankee Stadium no later then June 2009. His progress this year has been incredible. Tabata maybe Sept. 2009. Both of these kids will move up the ladder very quickly.
old yankes fan ,I know his ,JUICED record,smal balls, huge head(Literally) yada,yada,yada, (yawn)
You better believe there will be another opt out clause in any contract ARod signs, especially if it’s for 12 years. How could there not be. And why is ARod looking for a 12 year deal? That’s not smart. Teams change drastically over that kind of period of time. Look at the Tigers in a 12 year span and see how much they changed. Teams aren’t going to buy into what Arod is selling, especially seeing what he just pulled with the Yankees. No one will give him a 12 year deal knowing Arod will pull out as soon as he is able to. ARod also won’t accept a contract without a opt out clause.
He wants to always be made market value, yet wants a 12 year deal.
The more I hear the happier I am that ARod is gone. NO MORE DRAMA from that little lipstick wearing frosted hair havin’ fool. How can anyone like him after all of this.
The numbers for ARod are a distraction. Boras can ask for whatever he wants. The bottom line is ARod is worth whatever anyone is willing to pay him. I doubt it will be as high as Boras is asking. But when you ask high, you know that the people doing the bidding aren’t going to start too low.
Dave,
Also, when I refer to cancers, I am talking about when one person consumes attention, creates controversy (intended or not) and disrupts the team atmosphere. This past year seemed like a step in the right direction because A-Rod finally learned to shut his mouth.
That won’t hold true on his next team. He needs to the center of attention.
That is cancerous.
Stats and numbers don’t make winners and good people. Gary Sheffield proved that.
SJ 44 look at Rowand’s 2007 stats
.309/ .374/ .515/ 27 HR/ 89 RBI
Those are Bernie Williams type numbers, just less RBI cuz he batted lower in the order. He already buries Bernie defensively.
Rowand is only 30 years old.
Lifetime .286/ .343/ .457, so not just one good year. He had good seasons in 2004-2005 incl. .310 in ‘04. No, not Bernie (’putting words in my mouth again) but Bernie-TYPE. Potential to be Bernie in the Yankees lineup batting between Giambi third and Matsui fifth and vs. A.L. not N.L. pitching.
Again, Rowand would play in only two pitcher’s parks:
Seattle and K.C. Again, K.C. sucks and Seattle ain’t all that.
You’re not pulling up the look at Tulowitski and Ellsbury card with me. Jackson and Tabata are not them and for every
guy who shoots up like them there are 10 who hit like gangbusters and either never make it or flop in the bigs.
Also that out of nowhere position player is rare.
Now Aaron Rowand is a better offensive player than Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui? Only Cano is a better offensive player than Aaron Rowand?
Stop now while you can. At this point, you are embarrassing yourself.
Namecalling doesn’t make your points any more relevent. Didn’t under all the other blog names you used when you post such gibberish and it doesn’t now.
Rowand will never be better than Abreu…I dont care how old Abreu is. He is 33 and had one of the worst first halfs I have ever seen. If he is more consistent this year he will be much better than Rowand. Why sing Rowand to 5 years when you can have Abreu for one than see where he is next year. We dont need another johnny damond.
Does anyway here ever look at stats? Rowand, over 6 full years, has had 2 very good years of .900+/- OPS, and 4 average or less years of .750+/- OPS. His Carrer OPS is .805, while Abreu’s is .905. Those aren’t adjusted numbers, but have some meaning. He appears to be a slightly better then average batter for his position. He D is very good, but like Damon, it will take it’s toll.
why is everyone so obsessed with austin jackson. He was in A and Hi A ball this yr. He was mediocre in A ball and fantastic in hi A but it was half a season after a bad half in A ball. Am I missing something?
Nobody answered my question. WHAT WILL THE YANKS HAVE TO GIVE UP TO GET MIGUEL CABRERA? He is a perfect fit as a righty, clean up hitting third baseman. And the marlins wont be able to afford him pretty soon.
Cookiemilk you are not smart at all.
Doreen ,Exactly just like real estate,a house is worth what a person is willing to pay for it,the asking price isn’t important,what do you think it’s worth? Same way with Arod, who see’s the value in him for that amount!
SJ i totally agree with you, i really think AJAX will be here as a september call up. Ever since his promotion to Tampa he has been tearing up the ball. Now I know he hasn’t played in AA or higher yet but as long as he stays injury free, along with tabata, one of them should be here in 09. another great thing about having abreu around is that he can continue to nurture and teach tabata (a fellow countryman) forget rowland. hes a great defender but I don’t want the contract he will demand anywhere near the yankees. they already have damons to worry about.
People have to stop going by the old way of Yankee thinking.
Yes, they can sign just about any FA they want. But should they? No, of course not.. Not everybody is the right fit. Some guys had career years..
The Yankees have made that mistake before.. Guys like Lofton, Brown, Tony Womack, etc.
There going to be careful with their FA and trades.
we can sign aaron roward to play center and put melky butt back on the bench where it should be. TYhe yanks need a good centerfielder – not a below average one. They should get rowand and trade damon or giambi for a first baseman.
pat,
Some of us are very happy that Alex broke up with us.
Cookiesmilk,
You have some valid points, but picking up a one-year option on Abreu is not stupid. I love Rowand,I love Victorino even more. The problem is that because we love someone doesn’t mean we can get him. They were faced with a deadline, they exercised the option. If C-$ didn’t pick up the option and all the Rowands, Hunters, and heaven forbid, Joneses of the league found other teams they preferred to play with, then that would be stupid.
C-$ has to pick his battles. 3B, catcher, and closer are the ones he chose.
But I agree with you, Rowand’s a warrior. Breaking his face on the wall was legendary.
Mel, your right I’ve never had a guy break up with me ,but this feel great man!
When u lose ur best hitter and the free agent market is the worst its been in yrs u really have to upgrade all of the positions that could use an upgrade instead of trying to get one superstar that doesnt exist. Unless they can somehow get miguel cabrera to play third next yr cash should not be thinking about having melky in center of phillips in first. We need some righthanded hitters.
i’ll agree with you cookiemilk that 07 rowand might be better than 07 abreu but the main difference is rowand will demand at least a 4 year deal, where bobby only has one year. after next year they will have melky damon matsui gardner ajax and tabata all possibly fighting for the outfield.
Dave, we had the Cabrera conversation yesterday: too much.
Cookiemilk,
I hate calling people idiots, but if you think Aaron Rowand is even mildly comparable to Bernie Williams, you need to dunk your head in ice water and numb your brain.
Aaron Rowand played in Philly last year…balls jump off bats in that ball park. He is a heck of a fielder, but his bat is way overrated and in perfect timing (ala Beltre).
Plus, we don’t need an OF. We need a 3B, a catcher, and a closer and all the bullpen help we can get.
How do you know what Jackson and Tabata are or are not? Have you ever seen either kid play?
Right now, Austin Jackson is one of the 3 best OF prospects (by scouts who are seeing him everyday) in baseball. He’s 20 years old.
Tabata hit .300, with a bad wrist, in a pitchers league, at 19 years old. If you don’t think those kids have the upside of Ellsbury and Tuliawiski, you aren’t following their progress.
Rowand’s numbers are in Philly, a hitters ballpark. He is an ok offensive player. Is he worth 6 yrs, 84 million? That’s what he is looking for on the open market.
The Yankees would be nuts to tie up 6 years in Aaron Rowand.
Don’t just look at numbers. Anybody can look at that. Look at the context of those numbers. Without context, numbers are meaningless.
He achieved those numbers playing in the pitching poor NL East. Who are the all star arms he is facing in the NL East, where he plays most of his games?
Is there a Josh Beckett, Eric Bedard, Roy Halliday or Scott Kazmir in the NL East. Do you not think his numbers will be affected facing better pitching and playing in a bigger home ballpark?
That’s what you have to assess when you look at players. Not just look at their numbers and decide, “he’s the answer”.
They aren’t “Bernie Williams-like” because Bernie did it longer and against better pitching.
He’s a nice player. He’s not the answer for the Yankees.
Cookiemilk-
The tone & the way you present your arguments is not gaining any respect from the rest of us. You need to earn our respect, not expect it.
SJ has earned our respect while posting here for a while.
I also don’t understand how Rowand BURIES Abreu defensively especially when they play different positions.
ya lets trade damon or giambi for a 1st baseman … come on. this isn’t xbox. who in their right mind would take giambi ? and give the yanks something in return? enough with the fantasy trades.
Dave,
Hard to say what it would take to get Cabrera. His stock has supposedly dropped recently as he’s had weight problems, causing his already mediocre defense to slip, and he is said to have an attitude problem.
However, with Girardi now at the helm, perhaps he would have some insight into what’s going on with Cabrera and whether or not he would want him at 3rd, having managed him in Florida.
Dave,
what about rebuilding instead of reloading?
Yes, the FA market is relatively awful, but why can’t we put a defensive stopper at 3B, resign Mo and Po, bring back Pettitte and see what we can do.
Saving money this offseason will allow us to be even more aggressive next offseason when some legit players are on the market (Santana, Peavy, Teixeira, etc.). LIkewise, Mussina and Giambi are off the books ($34 million right there).
I want us to win as much as the next guy, but take a step back and build for a nasty stretch like we did in the 90s.
Happy 26th Birthday, Wilson Betemit!!!
“Breaking his face on the wall was legendary.”
And it put him on the DL for how long? And that hurt his team how much?
“TYhe yanks need a good centerfielder – not a below average one.”
Wow. You never watch games. You know who’s an above average defensive CFer? Melky Cabrera. His range is fine and his arm is GREAT. You know who was putting up an OPS above .800 once he got regular playing time? Melky Cabrera, until his September slump. You know who’s still only 23 and thus likely to improve? MELKY CABRERA.
“He is a perfect fit as a righty, clean up hitting third baseman.”
Who has gained 75 pounds in the last four years. The guy is lazy and a poor defender. Joe G has NOT said he’d be a good fit. The Yankees DO NOT need another player who will soon be a 1B/DH.
You want to know what they’d have to give up? Start with Hughes and Melky. And that’s too much for a soon-to-be-DH with a bad attitude.
I agree with everything Whozat says about Melky.
Cabrera-wise, he is solid, but with what we would have to give up, I go back to my rebuild, not reload comment.
It serves no purpose.
Out of the gates, we can be competitive next year and there is no reason to think we can’t.
Trading away for a questionable entity (Miguel) is a bit too risky for me. Sure his bat is great, but is he REALLY a 3B?
On the topic of Rowand, that is a BIG WASTE OF MONEY. Absolutely unnecessary with Melky in CF.
Whozat- I agree with you completely about Melky. He’s a tough and gritty kid who can win you a ballgame without even getting a hit. When he’s on and clicking defensively, he saves several runs per game.
I could live with a cheap FA acquisition at 3B like Mark Loretta. Not much power, but a good OBP, and he can play more than one position.
I have no concerns about replacing A-Rod’s production at 3B. The Yankees don’t need to score 1,000 runs (ok, 968 if you’re keeping score). The need to lower their ERA, not increase their production.
The Red Sox scored 101 fewer runs than the NYY in 2007. The Yankees’ ERA was 4.47, while the Red Sox’ was 3.87.
Fix the pitching, not the hitting.
That means team-oriented players who can get on base, move runners, play defense and get outs. HR/RBI/SB are for fantasy leagues.
For 2007 American League CFs, Melky ranked:
5th in ZR, 3rd in RF and 8th in Fielding Percentage.
In the NL, Rowand ranked:
1st in Fielding Percentage, 5th in Range Factor and 2nd in Zone Rating.
You know what? I can’t wait for the GM meetings. Because soon after that some of the available names will begin to disappear and the trade suggestions here will become a little more reality-based.
I think it’s great how everyone gets so excited about how they would make up next year’s team. But I also think some of the scenarios are, well, I just don’t know how to describe them!
I’ll be the first to admit I’m a conservative type of gal. I don’t like change for change’s sake. And I don’t want to clean house. And I generally think the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. And the grass is NOT all that much greener on the other side.
For my part, I want the Yankees to re-sign our first loves, Mariano, Jorge and, of course, Dandy Andy. Then we’ll see. If I’m Wilson Betemit, I do all I can to get in the best shape I’ve ever been in and put up a fight for the 3B job. What’s he really got to lose? Not that I think he’s the answer at all, but I surely don’t want Miguel Cabrera in his current condition and with his current attitude (and attitudes never really change), and I doubt Mike Lowell will be available, and though I thought Crede would be a viable solution, based on 2 seasons ago, I’m definitely in the very small minority there. But, thank goodness, it ain’t up to me!
Heh, so I almost just set my apartment on fire.
Might be the last time I cook, for a while.
“he saves several runs per game.”
Ok, come on now…that’s not true either. You have to compare him to an average CFer, not to like…Giambi playing out there:-)
”
For 2007 American League CFs, Melky ranked:
5th in ZR, 3rd in RF and 8th in Fielding Percentage.
In the NL, Rowand ranked:
1st in Fielding Percentage, 5th in Range Factor and 2nd in Zone Rating.
”
So, Melky’s solidly above average, then? Just like I said? Looks like he bone-headed a few balls, but good for his first full season playing CF. Solidly above average ZR and RF.
Rebecca- Yikes! Just stick to sandwiches and take-out orders for a while.
Doreen- The only one that I am calling for is Adrian Beltre, other than that I will try to be quiet on the trade front.
phil. melky costs around 400,000 rowand will cost 12ish million dollars.
For 2007 American League CFs, Melky ranked:
5th in ZR, 3rd in RF and 8th in Fielding Percentage.
In the NL, Rowand ranked:
1st in Fielding Percentage, 5th in Range Factor and 2nd in Zone Rating.
is it worth it for that much more money and 4 years? no. probably not.
Rebecca -
Oops! I hope you’re okay.
J-Dawg -
My problem is that all the names just get mixed up. I get so I don’t know Beltre from Beltran!
Whozat- Oh, I just meant when Melky was on, I didn’t necessarily mean that he saves runs in every game.
J-Dawg,
Why Beltre?
Solid defender, no doubt, but HUGE contract. If you want defense, keep Betemit there or at least give him the opportunity.
And if any of you say Troy Glaus I am done here for the day.
The second part to the solution is to not mess with the prospects. Period.
Stay the course, keep investing in “high-risk, high reward” pitching.
And buy enough time for the young hitters in the system to mature and get to the big club.
Jackson is not that far away. He is in the Top 10 in EVERY offensive category (all 16 categories) in the Hawaii League, and in the Top 3 in over half of them, including Slugging, 3B, SB, H, R, etc.
The Hawaii League is unquestionably a pitching-dominated league.
It won’t be long; just stay the course.
From what I here Jackson is going to be like the face of the Franchise or something.
Which means we need a cool nickname for him.
Any ideas?
Guys the Yanks will not and should ot make many moves this offseason.. if they basically sign there guys(mo, jorge, etc.) and get a fill in 3b(I am open) and bring up more young guys for the pen then mid season they have $ and flexibility to make moves..
they are not going to make many moves especially if it is for 5 yr contracts with good but not great players..They are done with that way, that is the golden star era Arod way and that got us JACK…
if the Yanks can score 880 runs next year they will be fine.. I think there pitching will be better then this yr. more power arms(k’s hel out anyway you slice it) and the whole Arod noise will be gone.
Wouldn’t it be great if the Yanks were underdogs and were somewhat under the radar screen.. SJ is right guys like rowand or pedroia are loved because they get dirty, are small(ie gutty) etc..Look at Cano he gets so much grief because he appears lackadasical or too smooth. Really do you think he tries less then pedroia.. also pedroia needs to dive to get to balls because he does not have cano’s range!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe detroit will look at Kyle to replace Zumaya??I et Girardi tries to fix Kyle, he will be there pet project this yr………
This is what it has come to in NY…
“Oh, shoot, we lost a position player, let’s go dump the farm on a superstar and convince ourselves that we can win the World Series EVERY year.”
Not going to happen. I’m personally tired of the c*ck-tease we get every year losing in the ALDS.
We can be competitive every year but you have to build to win it all, just like Boston did. They filled in the pieces necessary with their farm and intermittent FA.
The only mistake they made last year was signing JD Drew.
rebecca, the guys over at river ave. blues call him ajax. thats pretty bad ass
Doreen- I know exactly what you mean, I need a scorecard to keep up with some of these players!
Jake- I think that Beltre would be a good fit, just because he provides 25 possibly 30 homers, brings much needed right-handed hitting, hits for a decent average, he is durable, and good defensively. He does have a big contract, but there are only two years left on it.
Rebecca, I think Austin Jackson has already been referred to as A-Jax. What do you think of that for a nickname?
Bringing back Abreu was an awful move on several fronts:
1. Instead of clearing $13M buying out then letting go to Abreu ($15M he made this year – his $2M buyout for 2008)
and putting that towards keeping Posada, the Yankees give Abreu another $16M…before re-signing Posada and/ or getting a 3B. The Yanks HAD to pick up Abreu’s option? They couldn’t buy him out then work out some kind of deal for less money? If he truly wants to be a Yankee and loves living in N.Y.C., then he’ll wait and take a page from Paul O’Neill by signing for below market value, what Paul did throughout his entire Yankee career. Take a year and $8M for $10M total ($8M + $2M buyout). The Yanks would have $5M cleared from last year ($15M Abreu made this year – 10M he’d make next year) to give towards keeping Posada.
2. Abreu in RF ensures Matsui in LF, Damon in CF, Giambi at 1B, and Cabrera wasting away as the super #4 OF who showed he can play everyday. Add Jeter being lousy at SS and Posada if he’s kept average at best at C, and that is one awful defense folks. Cano and maybe the 3B would be the only above average defenders -one quarter of the fielding team behind the pitcher.
3. Count on at least 3 losses from that OF (one from each OF) and 2 losses from Giambi’s defense for 5 losses on their defense alone.
4. The Yanks risk losing Posada and being stuck with quite frankly, a shit starting nine outside of Jeter, Cano, and maybe Matsui without Posada.
5. The Yanks have ZERO righthanded hitting outside of Jeter and don’t make me laugh about Shelley Duncan. He’s a bench player who can’t hit for average, get on base, draw a walk, steal bases, pinch run, or play defense. He strikes out a ton. His claim to fame is his 3 HR vs. whoever one weekend,
his Frankensteinesque face, and first name.
6. What if Posada signs elsewhere? Don’t be suprised if the Mets knock his socks off with 4 years @ $15M/yr. = $60M and he takes it. What if the Yanks get Joe Crede and he’s 2003 Robin Ventura i.e. a guy who get rid of midseason? You better get the second coming of 2003 Aaron Boone if Crede flops.
Cashman doesn’t want to work. Bringing back an aging awful RF is the new way for the Yanks to him I guess. It’s bad enough he’s developed only TWO good everyday players from the farm system since he took the job in 1998 (Cano and Cabrera), now he wants to render one useless (Cabrera) and jokes about the other moving to 3B (Cano). He hasn’t developed a reliever who is a lock to join the 2008 Yankees bullpen. All he has going for him is Wang, Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy and lemme tell ya, 2 of the latter 3 better pan out next year and he better come up with a viable 3B, keep Posada, and put together a solid bullpen or he’s the next one out of here after Torre.
Rebecca,
Your optimism is overboard now.
When Austin Jackson actually makes the Show and actually produces, then bring up nicknames. He doesn’t deserve one, nor does Tabata, nor does Dellin Betances, nor does Horne, and I am not even sure Kennedy does at this point…then again, IPK is his initials so he owns that regardless.
A-Jax is stronger than dirt!
I think Julio Lugo was a big mistake for Boston too.
A-Jax is pretty rad!
Ajax works for me.
Especially if you get him in a black trench coat, with those Shaft sunglasses, and make a poster of him as a Comic book hero!
A-Jax, huh? I hope he cleans up at the plate!
“…forever defined by his actions off the field.”
Probably not. Ted Williams isn’t remember for throwing baseballs at fans or spitting on reporters.
My guess is he’ll be remembered for being really rich, 800+ lifetime homeruns…all kinds of other lifetime records.
I’m not condoning his conduct in announcing his intentions during the world-series (weak and stupid); but ARod may own one of these teams one day and then he’ll be the same as a Steinbrenner. Is George remembered for his conduct even 20 years ago?
Beltre if he only has 2 or 3 yrs. left on his deal is a good option for 3b, he is still young..He is a good fielder also.. Why would Seattle want to trade him??Based on present costs his contract is bad but not terrible….
They could nickname him Who.
As in Reggie Who?
And the unfortunate part about Austin Jackson game is that he bats right-handed. That’s a shame….
boston made plenty of mistakes.. we will see about Daisuke… Drew and Lugo are both mistakes…. Coco is a mistake also..
beckett and okajima erased those mistakes…
Lets be honest if Wang did not SUCK so bad the Yanks could have won it all.. when you #1 starter has a 12+ ERA you are done……….
Jake–Uh, dude, it’s called having a sense of humor…
Now I read in the paper that Alex would like to go to LA. I wonder if he’d like the Angels or the Giants too? I wonder if he’d consider any team in mlb or in the minors, as long as they gave him the largest contract. I guess reading rumors that he’d like to stay with the Yankees, go to the soxs, and go to la proves it is all bs.
Bobcat,
That is rather unfortunate. We definitely don’t need any more righthanded hitters.
I was thinking the same thing, Mel.
Particularly ones that can hit for power and run.
another boston mistake gagne for murphy, gabbard, and whoever….
that was s terrible mistake…..
and steal bases.
instead of laptops.
Wow. At this point Alex and Scott need to disappear for a few days.
Okajima was a piece of luck. They truly did not expect him to be as successful or effective as he was. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a question mark for next year. Was last season a fluke? Remember Aaron Small? Lightning in a bottle or a real find?
Daisuke is the opposite. Is he the second coming of Beckett? First year with the Sox, so-so. Second year — exactly what they’d hoped for. Next year, we’ll see with him, as well.
How long can Manny be Manny? Will Ortiz’ knees finally be the disease that causes him to freeze? The Red Sox have a soap opera of their own. Which causes me to ask, why in heck do they need to add to it? ARod in that clubhouse is a disaster waiting to happen.
Nine years ago ( during Cashman’s tenure, by the way) the Yanks acquired former Houston Astro’s #1 draft pick Mark J Johnson,former Mets 3rd round draft pick with a “can’t miss” label lefty Ed Yarnall and top prospect Todd Noel.
In exchange for these fine prospects that combined to appear in a total of 9 major league games ( only 6 for the Yankees) the Yankees sent 3rd baseman Mike Lowell to the Marlins.
My only point here is that we should be careful before we project minor league success as a liklihood of major league success. More often than not and for a variety of reasons,prospects fail at the major league level.
Mely is A BELOW AVERAGE OFFENSIVE PLAYER and now that players realize what kind of arm he has they will stop running on him. With cabrera at center, betemit at third and some crap player at first our lineup is looking shoddy and waay too left handed for 180 million dollars. And how can a team with that kind of payroll have a rebuilding yr. They cant. Young players have to be integrated while we go for the playoffs like last season. Miguel cabrera is one of the best hitters in the NL and he is 24. I dont think he is switching out of third any time soon. He just need to lose some weight. We said to save our money last off season and go hard after carlos zambrano or mark buerle or ichiro next yr and they both re-signed. How do we know peavy and santana and Teixera wont all re-sign. I say we go out and sign someone like Rowand and try to trade fo cabrera or at least look into it. Melky is NOT getting any better offensively than he has done – he is a 280/340 type player with no power. That is awful for a centerfielder for the NY yankees. Im sorry but it is.
Cookiemilk,
You have not said one intelligent thing this entire post.
Give it up.
Yankees captain Derek Jeter didn’t lobby for Alex Rodriguez’s return when given an opportunity during an interview with Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN yesterday. Jeter said nothing about whether he would want Rodriguez back, or if he was disappointed or wished Rodriguez had not opted out.
New York Newsday
Dave,
We hear you! But isn’t the fact that people will stop running on Melky a good thing?
Also, do you know how hard it is to lose 75 pounds accumulated over a period of 4 years? That’s not water retention or muscle. That’s fat. He’s closer to be Prince Fielder than A-rod physique-wise.
The obvious is now confirmed: The Dodgers are interested in signing Alex Rodriguez. General Manager Ned Colletti said Thursday he would soon meet with new manager Joe Torre and other staff members to discuss the possibility of signing Torre’s former star third baseman with the Yankees. They’ll also talk about other free agents and trade scenarios.
Riverside Press
If I’m a GM, I’d have to think long and hard about laying out that much money and that many years on Rowand. Inconsistency should be his middle name- who knows what you’re getting with him? He has toned down his style of play a bit, which was a smart move. Running into walls gets you on the highlights, but it’s also an easy way to check out the DL. He’ll make some great plays- and also butcher the easy ones with terrible routes. Plus, he throws worse than Damon. It’s like he can either throw the ball hard or accurate, but not both at the same time. I’ve watched Abreu for almost his entire career, and this was an expected but solid move for the Yankees.
seriously, cookiemilk you are a failure
the Yankee payroll next yr. will be $160 mill not $200… All prospects are a crapshoot, always has and always will be.
But prospects are cheaper and significantly lower risk…….
Jeter’s future wife,
Did you hear the interview? (or were you with him, lol?). Check it out on the Fan website.
They asked him a question about if he thinks Alex is coming back and he said it looks like the mini bosses (my words, not his) were going to stick to their word.
No, he didn’t say anything personal about how he felt, but he wasn’t asked how he felt.
Jeter’s silence is worth a thousand words.
“The Yankees made the deal, got progressively worse and then Rodriguez fled at the first opportunity after pretending he loved New York all season.”
How unfair is that statement? Here is the reason the Yankees have been worse since the end of 2003: after 2003 they lost Pettitte, Wells, and Clemens to free agency. Those guys were above average pitchers at the time. The Yankees replaced them with guys that were injured a lot and/or below average pitchers (Wright, Brown, Vazquez, Pavano). This is a fact: the Yankee pitching has been below average every year since the start of 2004. The hitting has been terrific. What does A-Rod have to do with the pitching? Oh that’s right, nothing. The Yankee pitching was always well above average prior to 2004, which is why the Yankees usually made it far in the playoffs. Starting pitching is the most important factor, and the yankees SP have not been good enough since the start of 2004. It’s really that simple.
Of course Alex looks like a dope for the way this opt-out was handled. But come on, this guy was great for the team and is the reason they even made the playoffs in 2005 and 2007. Doesn’t anybody remember these things?
Mystery solved!!!!!!!!!!!!I finally figured out why Arod’s lips are purple!! He’s been drinking the grape Kool-Aid that Rev ‘Jim’ Boras has been giving him!!
and for everyone complaining about giambi, damon, matsui, etc…. i would think you would be a little more careful before jumping at a 6yr/80M deal for aaron rowand. when the yanks signed giambi and damon, they were playing better than rowand ever has.
also, give betemit a chance. alot of scouts were high on him (high as in “optimistic”) and he hasnt been given a chance to play on a regular basis. i would honestly give betemit a shot over everyone not named lowell if it meant not giving up any prospects.
bill and ted – i totally agree. people are blaming arod for not winning the series to make themselves feel better. he is not hte reason they didnt win. he certainly didnt help in the playoffs but its ridiculous to put the blame on arod.
yankee fans are the only ones who would think a 24 yr old third baseman who has been an all star every season of his five yr career is not that great to have cuz he gained weight. Joba lost how many pounds before he made the major leagues? You can lose that kind of weight or at least some of it relatively quickly. Plus he hit 320 this yr with a 401 obp. He hit 34 homers and 38 doubles. Last yr, he had a 430 obp with 50 doubles. He has had 100 plus rbis every season of his four full yrs in the MLB on a team that at times had absolutely no offense escept him. Imagine how many he would get one the yanks – arod like perhaps. You guys dont seem to understand that despite the fact that arod is a butt for leaving us and totally disrespecting us he was practically our entire offense the first half of the season. Without him, we prolly wouldnt have made the playoffs. He drove in or scored about a quarter of our runs this season. When you lose that kind of productiono you have to at least attempt to replace some of it. The free agent market is awful – the worst its been in a while. There is no one even close to him on it. We need someone good at third or in center. Hunter is ok and Jones was awful last season.
Melky is very good defensively. I have never said anything negative about his defensive abilities. However, he is the centerfielder for the NY yankees. As long as they had murders row and cano, the offensive output of the centerfielder didnt really matter. We had enough at other positions to make up for him. Without arod and having some scrub at third and first, we cant afford to have a subpar offensive centerfielder. We need some right handed power in our lineup. Im not saying he is awful, im just saying melky can no longer be the centerfielder for our club – 280/340 with no power out of centerfielder isnt going to cut it any more.
Dave – we all think Cabrera can rake. He is nasty at the plate. But he is a horrific defender and would be a huge liability in the field (if at 3rd). The problem is that they would have to give up a ton of talent to get him. If the Yanks could get him without giving up any top prospects and DH him, he would be a star. Too bad that can’t happen.
Todd, that’s just plain mean!
Now to re-sign Posada and Molina (not to mention closing the deal with Rivera).
Rebecca – Who cares about being “mean” to A-Rod at this point? After all, it’s now abundantly clear that he never gave a damn about us (i.e. Yankee fans)…
Todd,
That’s so mean. Did you see the special on ESPN News a couple of weeks ago?
Here’s a link to the story, but the documentary was really moving. Long story short, the adopted son survived with guilt and shunned basketball for a long time because he refused to go back to the compound the night before. He felt that if he had gone back he could have stopped it from happening. Only now, and because of his son, who’s a pretty good prep star, is he getting back into basketball. He and the reverend’s grandson still wear their name Jones proudly.
Very, very moving with vintage video footage. I remember it vaguely, but it was still shocking nonetheless.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn.....id=3047543
AFraud’s has a total of 17 RBI’s in 149 postseason at bats. Forget about his pedestrain .267 batting average. His slugging % is only .483. If you project those 17 rbi’s in 149 at bats to 600 at bats, AFraud would be on a 68 RBI pace.
Dollar for dollar Alex Rodriguez is amoung the worst post season players in history. How can anyone defend 17 RBI’s in 149 at bats? He chokes under pressure, plain and simple.
Chicago Dave,
We’re talking about the Rev. Jim Jones reference.
BTW, the Joneses still live in the Bay Area.
When people say that the Yankee sare losing 160 RBI’s that isnt entirely true. Since there will be someone replacing him at 3rd base who could get maybe 80 rbis the Yankees in reality will only be losing 75 rbis or so. It is still a lot but not as bad as it is made out to be
ChiDave–There’s being mean and then there’s going overboard.
Saying A-Rod’s lips are purple cos he’s got a thing for grape popsicles? Fine. Frostbite? fine.
But when you invoke massacres…that’s a little overboard, at least for me.
He just needs to lose some weight- they can sign him and put him on a diet. Last season, he played 157 games and made 17 errors. Arod had 24 errors in 151 games that same season. He had a horrible yr defensively this season – ooo well he isnt a gold glover but he prolly wont be a liability.
And I dont even care if we get cabrera. Im just saying we need to attempt to substitute the offensive production we recieved from arod even if they have to span it over three different position – 3rd 1st and center. Im saying we cant stick betemit at third, melky in center and someone at first and pretend like the offense will be just as good. We have one right handed hitter in the lineup. We have almost no sluggers except for giambi and when is he healthy? We have no power frrom the right side whatsoever unless posada is batting right handed. We need to acquire or trade for some offensive power. That much is clear.
We cant just re-acquire mariano and posada and get pettitte to exercise his option and be in great condition unfortunately. Cash has alot on his plate this off-season and the organization is basically putting everything in his hands – he better live up to it.
In case anyone missed this, the Onion once again sums it all up:
http://www.theonion.com/conten.....saved_by_a
mel – OK, well I get the bit about not wanting to be mean to Jim Jones’ kids…but otherwise I still don’t care what “mean” things anyone says about Pay-Rod at this point…
P.S. – I can’t wait to see who is dumb enough to bend over and give Pay-Rod/Boras that ridiculous deal. Whatever team it is will have absolutely zero payroll flexibility for the next decade. The team will stagnate while A-Rod continues to put up his pretty regular season stats. Kind of like the Giants with Bonds the last few years…
Jeter does a good job dodging the question. They come right out and ask him if he wanted A-Phoney to stay and he talks around it. He’s quite the diplomat.
Rebecca,
For the record, it’s a REALLY bad idea to not take a math course since age sixteen and then crack open your GRE book a week before you’re gonna take the test…
I understand, I just took the GMAT after graduating college in 1988! Talk about rusty. Just relax, you probably know more than you think you do. If I can get a good enough score to get into Grad school then you sure can. Good Luck!
one scout: “Cabrera’s defense has gone from mediocre to truly bad, and he’d make more sense as a first baseman right now.”
Boston picked up options on Wakefield and Tavarez.
The best place for Alex to go would be an nl west team. Than we won’t have to see or hear from him until he plays the mets or returns to YS for the All star game. When all Yankee fans will have their vocal cords warmed up for a proper receiption.
Yeah I loved the answer Yeah, I think Hank and co will stick to their words, i don’t see them backing down. UM Jeet that isn’t what they asked you. LOL
as i said arod had more errors than miguel cabrera in 2006 – ALOT MORE and that was only a yr ago. 17 errors in 157 games isnt bad at all. Arod couldnt adjust to third base at first. tHEN, HE DID. The next season was the worst defensively of his career. Cabrera can come back next yr 30 pounds lighter and be great. No one knows. Look at Joba chamberlain – when he was overweight most scouts said he would never make the majors.
Drive 4-5
Look up a few late 90’s Yankees post season averages and you might be surprised. I did after I read the following yesterday:
Tyler Kepner of the NY Times
“Then I looked up something else: the career post-season record of Bernie Williams. I heard him interviewed on WFAN today on the drive back from Joe Girardi’s news conference. Mike Francesa praised Williams for being so terrific in the clutch, and Williams surely had several signature moments: walk-off home runs in Game 1 of the ALCS in 1996 and 1998.
But what would you guess is Bernie’s career World Series batting average? Would you believe .208? And his post-season average is .275, over 465 at-bats. Rodriguez’s is .279, over 147.
The point is, you can spin stats against A-Rod, or you can spin stats that make him look better. The only question that matters is what someone is willing to believe.
Found this on the net
http://acx.prospero.com/dir-bb.....29384.icon
I would be interested in Cabrera only if Joe G. agreed with the deal – because it would be an indication that he thought he could get through to him. And I would only do the deal if the price was not onerous in terms of pitching talent surrendered. If it cost one of our “Big 3″, I wouldn’t do it. Starting pitching is way more important, in my opinion. Others may disagree with that.
Joe Crede – maybe. Depends on price (second tier pitcher).
Lowell – Not for a 4-year deal. Maybe not even for a 3-year deal. I’m leary of the last years of the deal. But, at least he doesn’t cost players in return, and his loss would hurt Boston.
Beltre – I don’t like him. He only had that one good year, and he has a contract.
Rowand, Hunter – They’ll go for too many years, and then we’ll be stuck. And, I don’t think our outfield is exactly terrible for next year.
None of these guys knock my socks off.
Good pitching covers a multitude of weaknesses in other positions. I think we should hold onto ours.
So the Yanks talk totally just made the Nets game. The Nets color guy wants A-Rod back. I got the sense that Ian Eagle does not.
AHH I just started to listen to Joe’s sit down with the print media, now I see why Joel Sherman wrote such a nasty article. He didn’t like that he was called out on a question he asked.
If Abreu doesn’t slump for the first 3-4 months of the season again (which he won’t) and Damon (or whomever hits leadoff) doesn’t slump like Damon did last year, then whoever takes A-Rod’s place hitting clean-up will have a ton of RBIs. Maybe he won’t get 150+ but with the 1 & 3 hitters getting on like they should, next years cleanup guy won’t be struggling to reach 100.
Matsui had 103 ribs and he was hobbled by his knee most of the year. If he’s hitting 4th or 5th behind either Damon/Melky, then Jeter and Abreu, then I’d expect him to be over 120. Abreu himself had 101 even with the monster slump he went through. I don’t think 120 is unrealistic for him either. Yes it would be his career high, but knocking in 101 in 07 proves it’s not unrealistic in the lineup NY still has w/o A-Rod.
Actaully Posada slugged .543 while Cano & Matsui each slugged .488 which aren’t bad. Whether 4-5-6 or 5-6-7 (not necessarily in the order I listed them) those 3 should get more RBI opportunities with Damon & Abreu on base more. Same goes for Abreu with Damon on base more.
I can’t imagine Damon, Abreu, Matsui, Cano & Melky each going through extended slumps (all at the same time) again. So their production really should improve.
Remember for a while it was just Jeter, A-Rod & Posada carrying the load while everyone else slept. All Damon, Abreu, Matsui, Cano & Melky have to do is live up to their normal expectations and we aren’t looking at an automatic 50 RBI net reduction by losing A-Rod’s bat.
We’re not talking about lofty expectations here. Realistic ones. They each can and will go through some slumps, just nothing as bad as they did in 07.
A lofty expectation would be for Posada to repeat his ‘07 career year in ‘08. Even if he has a good year, which I genuinely hope he does .. in pinstripes … I don’t know how he could do quite as well as he did in ‘07.
The Kool-Aid comment was meant to show how Arod is brainwashed by Boras, just like those poor people were brainwashed by Rev Jim Jones..
Can’t you wait for the 2008 All-Star Game when A-Rod gets Booed louder than Barry Bonds ever has?
The $350 mil price is a Boras trick. When he gets a lower offer he says Gay Rod is taking less because he really wants to play here( fill in the city). Hopefully he & his trailer park trash wife will land far from the Bronx read that west coast. Now that he’s gone we can build a team again and go back to winning rings. Be glad when Giambi & Moose come off the payroll, more room for winning players.
ARod won’t be at the All-Star game. He will be spending the break with his new baby. I guarantee it!
Doreen you are probably correct.
He’ll say I have a new daughter (notice how he never says the childs name) and I want to spend time with them.
Jennifer –
What kind of a question did the guy ask to Girardi?
Arod just couldn’t cut it in NY. The pressure chewed him up and spit him out.
It is so hard to believe that another team would be crazy enough to make the same mistake Texas made.
If I am paying $20 million a year for a player… it better be a player with a proven track record of being a world champion. Not of being a giant choke artist.
He asked him regarding the Dodger job, basically if he really wanted the Yankee job why was he even talking to them. Joe responded by asking did you apply to only one college? that ticked off Joel. YOu can listen on this blog, it is right near the begining.
Yank 20 million he wants more like 35.
I for one won’t miss A-Rod, but I’m not going to dwell on where he ends up. Whoever pays that price tag will have to live with it.
I just don’t understand how any NL team could sign Arod, no DH and what would they do with him at age of 39, 40?
SJ, any answers?
is there a chance that AROD sits out the season b/c no one is paying and he won’t come down in price?
“I just don’t understand how any NL team could sign Arod, no DH and what would they do with him at age of 39, 40?
SJ, any answers?”
His health record is better than Bonds’, I think. I figure he’ll still be able to play 1B when he’s 40. At least for 130 games in a season or so. 3B til he’s 36, 1B after. No?
Haha $33 million a year? That’s more than the Marlins ($30m) and the Devil Rays ($24m) pay their whole team!
Anyone who does not think that Ajax (Action Jackson) and Tabata are real prospects does not follow the game. It is interesting that talented minor league players seem to make much more rapid progress than they use to in the past. Of course, there was our Big 3. But jackson went from low A to high A to a cup of coffee at triple A. I am excited about both and agree we should not box ourselves in with additional long term deals for the likes of Rowand and Hunter. I like both, but the retro game plan from the 90s is the approach now– build from within.
Paying $30+ million per, for anyone … jeezus. For that price a team could get three proven players in their late 20’s, each of all star caliber or close to it.
Whatever team signs A-Rod for that much moolah has to hope he can make a very profitable run at Ba-roid Bonds’ HR record. NY has the most money and a $21 million head start (at least thats what I thought the Texas $$ amounted to, sorry if I’m wrong on that) and wisely wouldn’t go for it. The 3 guys NY could acquire for the same money would bring more to the team than was lost.
No need to splurge all at once, or all in one place either. If half of it went into finding & signing some of the best young prospects instead of veterans, then NY would have even more Joba/Hughes/IPK/Cano/Wang level talent coming up in a few years.
Watch: By the time A-Rod’s career is done, the guys I just listed and the prospects spawned by A-Rod’s opt out will have more world series wins than A-Rod.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
Bill James is a consultant to the Red Sox. He compiled a list of best young players in the game right now. Cano made the list. Check out what he says about Miguel Cabrera (#24)
Is it possible that Cashman IS planning on negotiating with Boras and A-Rod, he just says he’s not going to in order to make it plausible to get him for cheaper?
Not saying I’d want it to happen. Just curious what people think.
If AROD goes to the NL, Boras will probably up lobby Selig to institute the DH in the NL.
I enjoy Peter Gammons at times, but has anyone heard his rant over the timing of the Arod opt-out? Its pretty funny and i bet he wouldnt have cared this much if it didn’t take away some from his beloved Redsux. If it was during a Cleveland/Colorado series, he probably would have been fine with it and then rip the Yankees for not treating Arod better.
AWOL is a joke and he can take AWOL’s Army with him.
It would be really sweet — or just — now if the Mitchell report implicates A-Rod… true or not, watch his $360 million over 12 years turn into $3.60.
Uh… Bill James is a little more than just a consultant to the Red Sox.
I think the only way Arod is a Yankee next year is if they are forced to go the arbitration route. The Yankees have already said they will offer arbitration so that they can get some draft picks if Arod signs elsewhere. I can’t see Arod agreeing to arbitration unless he really really really wants to be a Yankee or if he gets no serious bidders – and neither of these seem remotely possible.
Doubt it, Andrea–Cash strikes me as the type that sticks to his word
How about he’s a historian who just happens to do a little consulting to the Res Sox on the side.
My office is full of Yankee fans. These are the conversations they/we have.
We all hate Boras. There’s a picture of him on the outside wall of a cubicle that we put tacks in when we get mad about somethign.
Agree, Rebecca. And I think they are not too sorry to see him go. Too much drama, too much money.
Good. I’m glad everyone agrees Cashman isn’t doing the “we don’t want you. Ok, we’ll take you for less money” thing. That thought had me worried. Someone in the office had that idea.
I could care less what Bill James thinks about anything.
Steve Balboni
Gammons was the source of discussion this morning in my office. He needed a valium on Mike and Mike. I had no problem with his isn’t winning more important than money rant but when he transitioned into the disrespected a young pitcher who is a cancer surivor, he went over the top.
Its likely a moot point, but for those that scoff at signing Rowand because he “demands 6 years at $84 Mil” – let’s be realistic. Rowand has as much chance of getting that type of deal done as ARod has for 10 years/$350 Mil. Neither scenario will happen and their agents realize it.
Rowand could possibly sign for 4 years/14 Mil – a little too much but a decent stop gap for NY and some needed offense from the right side. The NY crowd will fall in love with his hustle and attitude, too!
Agreed that Rowand does not approach Bernie offensively but his 3 full seasons in the Al Central were fairly productive and his stats in close games/2- out- ABs are above his norm.
And please..to say Bernie Williams was Rowand’s equal defensively is wishful thinking. Bernie had speed and a fair arm before the shoulder injury. But Bernie had poor baseball instincts, seldom got a good jump , and took poor routes to the ball. One just had to watch him patrol CF to figure that out.
Reports earlier this afternoon on Michael Kays radio show said that Boston is interested in A-Fraud for SS and resigning Lowell for 3B.I just dont see it…Varitek the captain cant stand the guy,the fans let it be known that they dont want him.
One thing I will predict,we are going to hear a lot of RUMORS over the next few weeks about him going the MUTS,REDSUX,GIANTS,DODGERS,CUBS,and Angels.Hell throw the Yankees in there as well.Although I dont see it.
I was estatic that February weekend in 2004 when the Yanks made the trade.A few months earlier,I thought it was a done deal him going to the Redsux and Magglio as well.But if the story that came out today about 350Million being a starting point is true….then I just dont see him getting that from ANY team.
Nice cartoon by Bill Gallo in todays Daily News…has a baseball player with millions in his hands,and next to him is a soldier with a few bucks in his hands.Total joke…no way any one is worth that kinda of money…what a shame if someone is stuid enough to give it to him.
I like this chant better – “WHORE, WHORE, WHORE, WHORE….”
Joel Sherman is a bunghole. I could tell from his smarmy attitude in the Press conference that he thinks he’s the shiz.
I hope ATM-Rod signs with the Tigers. There are a few reasons:
1- We get there draft pick. The Tigers are our main draft rivals. We would have landed Porcello if not for them.
2- That ties up there money making it harder for them to tie up there young pitching when they hit the market.
3- That frees up Brandon Inge and maybe we can get him for the right handed side of our platoon with Betemit.
Now that the Yankees have decided to pick up Abreu’s option, I think that the deadline for Andy Pettitte’s decision arrives pretty quickly. I’m not sure about the exact date, but it may be within a week or two. Certainly I hope that he chooses to exercise his option and return for one more season. That would be terrific.
J-Dawg: I believe it’s November 7. I’m not sure where I’m getting that date. 10 days from the end of the World Series I believe. ButI have November 7 in my head.
Andrea – That’s the same date I heard. I think it was on 1050 but I’m not sure.
Ok. So I didn’t make it up. So he’s got a few days. Hopefully he comes back. Andy’s a beast. He could probably pitch another 5 years.
I say that with no actual knowledge, but based on his postseason start this year. I’d pay him $16M a year just for that.
I have been looking it up as well, it’s 10 days after the WS ends, though some places say Nov 7 or Nov 8. It’s most likely Nov 7th by midnight.
I like this chant better – “WHORE, WHORE, WHORE, WHORE….â€
Whaddya got against working grrls? I like working grrls.
Hey where’s that idiot poster called himself TigerFan?
How’bout that Zumaya injury — Career Ending! Yeah!!
“Zum Zum Zumaya”:http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/?8dpc
Thanks, Andrea. November 7th is definitely going to be a day to watch VERY closely. Just like SJ44 said the other day, if he comes back, then the Yankees could show him a nice gesture and continue to offer him player options. That would be a smart idea on their part.
Man, I feel bad for Zumaya. Tough break.
There’s neither fear nor panic in Detroit, as they still have their over-abundance of top notch pitching propects and Big Todd Jones to close out games.
I agree J-Dawg. It seems the Yankees and Pettitte have a pretty respectful relationship. Or at least a trustful one.
How does player selection typically work? Is it a Cashman thing? Or is it a Cash + Girardi thing?
Except Jones declared for FA.
Manny’s going to be on with Leno tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk. This could be funny.
Hopefully Zumaya can somehow bounce back from this. He seems like a tough kid. It just doesn’t seem fair, he had such a bright future, but unfortunately these freak accidents just happen sometimes. I’ll never forget how amazed I was when I first saw him pitch on TV and watched him throw those 102 mph fastballs.
Well maybe Gagne or Borowski or even Farnworth. All good options.
Fernando Rodney would probably get first shot to close if Todd Jones leaves for Atlanta. Joel Zoom by ya didn’t really thrive when he was closing games earlier in the year when he was healthy.
I’ve heard that Farnsworth is really good when he gets into the zone. I don’t think he can close, though. I’m pretty sure that there may be save opportunities on consecutive nights.
The Tigers were interested in re acquiring Farnsworth from the Yanks this year as I recall. They would probably revisit those talks now, especially if the Yankees eat some of his contract.
“The Tigers were interested in re acquiring Farnsworth from the Yanks this year as I recall. They would probably revisit those talks now, especially if the Yankees eat some of his contract.”
That would make me VERY happy. Pay his whole salary if you can get something good for him!
The Yankees may could squeeze out something fairly decent in return from Detroit if they are willing to pay for Farnsworth and offer just one more player.
The Lakers are absolutely killing the Suns. YES!!
The Nets were embarrassed tonight =(
Well, at least the Devils won!
J-Dawg,
Are you a Laker fan, too? Looks like Radmonovic is going to be the high scorer. 102-72 with 8 minutes to go. Ouch.
DJ Strawberry is getting some garbage time for Phoenix. Looks just like the dad.
Mel, yeah I’m a longtime Laker fan. I follow the Grizzlies just because I’m from Tennessee, but I was a Laker fan back in the Magic days, well before the Grizzlies moved here. It’s a good sign that they are doing this without a monster night from Kobe. As I am typing this Radmanovic is 4 for 4 from three-point land and the Lakers are really killing the Suns on the boards.
Just for the heck of it. This is my ideal vision of the Yankees roster for 2009. I’m sure I have some of the free agent stuff wrong – and I’m not saying any of this is possible – quite the opposite. It’s simply the team I’d like to see in 2009.
1b Andy Phillips
2b Robinson Cano
SS Derek Jeter
3b Alex Gordon
C Jorge Posada
DH Johnny Damon
RF Jose Tobata
CF Carl Crawford
LF Hideki Matsui
P1 Johan Santana
P2 Chien Ming Wang
P3 Phil Hughes
P4 Joba Chamberlein
P5 Humberto Sanchez/Jeff Karstens
* Carl Crawford signed as free agent
* Johan Santana signed as free agent
* Alex Gordon traded for Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, and prospect
On a more serious note. Does anyone know what, if any, Yankee prospects are expected to see some time in 2008?
Where will Opt-Out-Rod end up?
“Ladies and Gentlemen, batting eighth for the Dodgers”
J-Dawg,
Good to have D-fish back, huh? I wonder how Smush is doing? He didn’t even play tonight for Miami. What a difference a point guard can make.
I’m sorry I read this crap but WTF is BILL JAMES SMOKING !!!
Robinson Cano 24
Philip Hughes 21
Joba Chamberlain 22
how didn’t they make that list and the Yankees farm system is ranked #27 !!! IDK what Bill James profession is but it sure as hell ain’t baseball.
Mel- There is really a world of difference between those two guys. Parker always looked like he was lost, but Fisher is the perfect fit for Phil’s triangle offense. It is definitely great to have him back. I also think that Andrew Bynum is primed for a breakthrough year. He’s in much better shape and looks hungry to make an impact.
Cano made it at #40. I think the only Red Sock to make it was Pedroia at #32. And I think it’s for players who’ve had more than a cup of coffee in the majors. It’s more of the established players. Bobby Jenks is younger than 25? He looks 45. They called M-Cabrera fat and lazy, too.
Kobe definitely needs to get traded but IDK why I keep thinking he’s getting traded to the NJ Nets
Why Not–You’ve missed Austin Jackson, who will potentially be ready for prime time before Tabata.
If Crawford keeps up, I’m for signing him as a FA, but I’m not sure I trade both melky and ian for Alex Gordon, that’s a steep asking price.
Austion Jackson is a young Tori Hunter just read this quote on him in his playoff game and HWL Rebecca
http://www.trentonthunder.com/.....M=NOVEMBER
Kobe on the Nets?
Are you crazy?
I am SO not a fan of that that I’d start rooting for the Knicks. Or even the 76ers. Or the Clippers.
J-Dawg,
Yeah, Drew gave Amare a hard time tonight. Amare had only 1 rebound. Drew might be a little motivated by Kobe’s comments. If they play defense like they did against Houston in the last 2 minutes, they may do o.k. They held Phoenix to less than 100, but much of that was the Suns just didn’t have it.
Rebecca, don’t be crazy I’m a Knicks fan , trust me you don’t want to see them making scrubs folks legends on the court, example tonight Daniel Gibson became a Knicks killer.
and you Rebecca you wouldn’t do
VC
Kirstic
Boone
Collins
pick
for
Kobe
Kwame Brown
com’on even there I’d do it.
Are the Nets moving to New York? And isn’t Jay-Z a part owner?
Mel- The Suns were probably a little drained by playing on back-to-back nights early in the year, since they beat the Sonics late on Thursday night. It was a great effort by the Lakers defensively and on the boards. I have a feeling that things may be all right, too. Let’s hope for the best!
Brandon- The Lakers would have to at least ask about Richard Jefferson, too. I imagine that the Nets would not part with him for any reason, because he is really a phenomenal player, one who is overshadowed a bit by Vince and Jason.
They are moving to Brooklyn
Brandon: I wouldn’t do it.
I was a Nets fan throughout the late nineties and saw a lot of just plain *bad* teams before they got Kidd and just plain got good.
I also saw the Nets play the Lakers with Kobe on them, and I HATED the way Kobe was a ball hog.
Reminded me WAY too much of Marbury on the Nets.
Now, Bruce Ratner for Kobe I might do…
yeh Brooklyn , imo they should get a temporary joint ownership w/ the NJ Devils new Pudential Arena until then so more fans could go to thier games.
J-Dawg, they wouldn’t get RJ the Nets would be stupid to trade him , VC is the seat filler in LA and Kirstic gives them a solid big it would be a good move because Emeka Okafor is a FA next yr.
Rebecca, Kobe is pissed in LA his owner has done nothing but it’s part his fault because he got Shaq traded, but Kupchak traded Caron Butler for Kwame Brown that’s not his fault , Lamar Odom has no heart he’s lazy. Kobe aloves J.Kidd because he does one thing right he gets the ball to people in the right places
oh and nobody is as bad as Crapbury I can’t stand him I swear I can’t stand him and his ebonicless , lackadasical play, self STARBURY calling a*$ !!!
Brandon, Rebecca- Don’t forget that Marbury wants to go to Italy when his contract runs out. I remember back when he played college ball at Georgia Tech for that one season. There was even a bit of a selfish rap on him back then.
I hope his a$* does go to Italy his 4 -5 yrs. in NY has only done one thing disgrace the # 3 John Starks wore out to battle game after game, then there is Miss Curry plays defense like a subway turnstile and rebounds w/ his shoulders.
Brandon: I know about Kobe being unhappy in LA, but I still don’t want him in New Jersey.
I dunno, he’s always just kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
John Starks, there’s a name from a while ago. I know that Patrick Ewing was always the big star on those teams, but I always thought that Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley were really two driving forces behind those teams, such as the team from ‘94 that went to the NBA Finals. Two guys who were absolutely unafraid of anybody. Mason was 6′7”, 250 lbs and could handle the ball like a point guard. That amazed me.
I know J-Dawg Mason , Xavier McDaniels, Mark Jackson, more Oakley, Mason, Ewing and Starks thier memory tier mark they left in MSG has been just rotted by Isiah Thomas and this mismatch they put on the floor.
Back to baseball!!!!! Why not give Betemit a shot at 3rd.Crede is a good alternative if we do not give up the farm for him.Ditto Rowand.Scour the world for pitchingturn over every leaf for an arm or two.
The all a-hole team!David Ortiz.What about mike lowell?he gave dougy a concussion!