Posada: I’m OK with Girardi
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- November
- 3
There have been some reports, whispers really, that Jorge Posada doesn’t get along with Joe Girardi.
In a sign that he could be headed back to the Yankees, Posada had his agents release a statement on Friday refuting that notion.
“Girardi was my mentor and he always taught me the value of having a great work ethic and how it was most important to maintain the position year after year. The 2007 season was difficult and bittersweet and all I’m doing right now is evaluating everything,” he said.
Posada wants to stay in New York given that he recently had his home in Manhattan expanded. While the Mets are certainly an option, they now appear willing to make a deal to keep Paul Lo Duca.
Posada’s last contract proved to be a bargain for the Yankees. He’ll make some of that back up with his new deal. In the end, I suspect he’ll stay, catch a few years and transition over to first base.
One thing we do know is that Bobby Abreu is staying with the Yankees. That was the main story in The Journal News today.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 at 6:54 am by Peter Abraham.
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Thanks Pete. Isn’t that kind of a weird statement to make? Worries me. Kind of like saying Girardi’s a great guy, but I’m leaving for other reasons.
Nice!
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.
“In the meantime, any anonymous comments about his relationship to Girardi attributed to those close to Posada are both fallacious and spurious,” Levinson said.
Peter,
Some of your colleagues seem to delight in spreading malicious gossip.
Signing Po is one of the 7 steps the Yanks can follow to win the World Series next year according to the Hardball Times.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-yankees-still-can-buy-the-world-series/
A little long, but an interesting red - especially their take on a Santana trade and signing Adruw Jones.
This team is sickening. Posada will transition over to 1B? You mean transition over to being an old, slow, bad 1B because that’s what he’ll be in 2009/10/11 (whenever the hell he won’t be able to catch anymore).
The Yanks need to let go of Posada and Molina then sign Paul LoDuca and Michael Barrett for 2 years at $6M a year = $12M each. One guy catches 3 starters, the other 2, ideally Barrett/LoDuca/Barrett/LoDuca/Barrett. I’m happy with .270 combined BA and I think they could equal or better the 20 HR and 90 RBI Posada posted this year. 68 points lost on the BA cuz 2007 Posada hit .338 you say? Well that .338 was an anomaly, Posada isn’t batting anywhere close to that again based on his career numbers (career .277 BA, previous single season high BA .287). I’m guessing no > .300 from Posada, but let’s say he batted .310 even. Barrett/ LoDuca’s better defense than Posada will make up for at least 10 points on their BA and Posada’s defense will be 10 points off his BA, so I’d consider it more like .280 Barrett/ LoDuca to Posada’s .300. Not much of a difference. Factor in one of the young guns benefitting from Barrett/ LoDuca and not a murk like Posada, and that difference in BA is negated.
LoDuca’s annoying. He doesn’t run out ground balls or fly balls. And that bothers me. I understand you’re a fatassed catcher, but at least make the effort. Crap happens and people drop balls. And the Yankees just got rid of Sheffield. They don’t need another bad attitude in the locker room.
Realisitc projections:
Barrett: .275, 13 HR, 50 RBI in 96 starts + extra playing
LoDuca: .265, 7 HR, 30 RBI in 66 starts + extra playing
Combined: .270, 20 HR, 80 RBI combined (solid production)
Better defense than Posada (add 10 points to the BA).
Hughes, Chamberlain, or Wang benefitting greatly from working with one or both them (add another 10 points to the BA).
Barrett 7 years younger than Posada.
$6M each ($12M combined) a year for only 2 years vs. 3 or 4 years of Posada who according to Peter Abraham, won’t catch for the length of entire contract, so what’s the point in re-signing him? The Yanks are paying $13M a year or more for this guy to catch in 2008-09 then be an old, slow, bad 1B or DH in 2010, or worse, catch in 2008 only and a be an old, bad, slow 1B or DH in 2009-10. Goodbye.
Posada somewhere else, say an N.L. team., for 3 years.
Career .277 hitter
Previous single season high BA before 2007 of .287 in 2003
N.L. pitching
I figure .290 BA, 15 HR, 80 RBI
He moves to 1B (no DH) in 2009 or 2010.
BAD CONTRACT.
“Step 1: Trade Melky Cabrera, Wilson Betemit, Shelley Duncan and Darrell Rasner for Johan Santana.”
Sure, Colletti will jump at that offer! Maybe throw in Sean Henn for Joe Mauer while your at it, Jacob!
Reggie44 -
Re: article on hardtimes…
I’d jump at that Santana trade, not so sure about Andruw and Sexson, having Jeter move to short is interesting… but the article loses all credibility when it includes Pavano in the starting rotation and excludes Chamberlain, Hughes, and Kennedy.
actually hardballtimes not hardtimes… Freudean slip?
well, Pavano was in the rotation this year. So you never know. It’s just how LONG he’s in the rotation for
“My career could be done.” -joel zumaya
with the yankees in transition and with many of the decisions revolving around younger and cheaper players like hughes,chamberlain,kennedy,etc, the above statement by zumaya illustrates the inherent unfairness of the 6 years of being locked to a mlb team that a young player goes through.
if zumaya was a free agent after his huge 2006, he would have signed a long term contract worth millions and been set for life.
now if he never throws another pitch, he’s probably looking at a lot of low income options. it’s simply wrong how major league teams hold players hostage for 6 years. there is no legal logic to it. it’s a by product of mlb being a legalized monoply . an agent like boras will at some point will hold out a young player and test the 6 year rule in court.
a player like zumaya did not get a huge bonus to start with.according to cot’s he was the 320th pick. maybe a hundred thousand i’m guessing.
so his economic life is ruined if he get’s a career ending arm injury. he’ll have to start over which is not easy when he probably has only a high scholl education. the mlb teams benefit immensely from cheap young players, but cut them loose in a heartbeat if they get injured. why should hughes, chamberlain kennedy take the risk? they are the ones who should be insisting on low innings and being handled carefully. hughes was rushed last year. he went through a year of injuries as a result. luckily, he came out of it ok. why was that risk all on him ? joel zumaya’s situation shows the risk hughes took.
all players should be paid for performance and not because some are trapped by mlb and have no choice except to take what the team offers.
this is obviously not a front burner issue, but i have no doubt that 20 years from now there will be no 6 year rule. for blog readers however, it doesn’t hurt to take a step back and think about something that everyone takes for granted.
i’ll bet zumaya is thinking about it right now.
Andruw Jones? Jack Wilson?? Richie Sexson???
I’m convinced that this Hardball Times article was ghostwritten by Steve Swindal!
I really hope Posada stays.
Andrea - I wouldn’t worry too much about the Yanks going with LoDuca as Option B (if Posada does end up leaving to join the Mets). Give Cashman a little credit!
as far as andruw jones goes, it’s the kind of situation that if things turn out right he’d be a steal after a down year. mike lowell couldn’t be given away by the marlins after his 2005 year. in retrospect, 2005 was an anomaly. the redsox did their homework and they guessed right(or they were just plain lucky). it’s possible lowell was just going through a year of getting off peds. whatever it was, it was only one bad year, but every team thought he was washed up. andruw jones could be in the similar situation of simply having a bad year. i have no idea if that’s the case, but to get under market deals, a team has to make some good choices on these kinds of players. you can’t sign everyone based on their good years and expect to have payroll flexibility.
Yeah, the “Pavano in the starting rotation” part of the article had me scratching my head. I actually thought it was funny. But for a Saturday morning it’s a fun read…and better than anything Lupica would dream up.
I thought the Jeter to third option was interesting from a PR/spin angle - it won’t happen and I don’t know if it should happen - but it is an opportunity where the Yanks can spin it as “DJ is the ultimate Yankee doing this for the team” as opposed to “our shortstop is getting older” - because whoever replaces DJ down the line will be under a ton of scrutiny. If I remember correctly, Cal Ripken moving to third was full of drama back in the day.
ChiDave: I give Cashman credit, bu t someone posted that LoDuca was a great idea. LoDuca is a good catcher, just not a good person to have around, I don’t think. And he’s a little whiney.
Mike Lowell WAS given away by the Marlins. Didn’t they force the Red Sox to take him in the Beckett trade?
Andrea - Theo always get the sweetheart deals. I mean, I think the only decent player he has had to give up is Hanley Ramirez. Then again, he got Beckett AND Lowell in the Ramirez deal, and clearly the Sox didn’t even need a good shortstop to win the Series, so I’d say Theo seems uncommonly blessed (or downright lucky)!
Andruw Jones is a mistake.
His agent is the one-and-only Scott Boras. Even with the horrendous season in 2007, he is supposedly seeking $17-20 Million for 5-7 years.
If you watched his outfield play last season, you can see how his range and skills have diminished. Although he will be only 31 years old next season - he has already played 12 seasons with that now overweight body.
There is also much speculation about PED abuse. Look for his name on the Mitchell Report.
High Risk - Low Reward!
ChiDave: let’s be fair. Theo DID end up with Gagne.
It would not be hard for Posada to accept playing for Girardi. Jorge is a true professional and it doesn’t matter who manages him. He always gives his best effort and he is really one of the emotional leaders of this team. Maybe he will stay and continue to be an emotional leader, just keep him away from Bob Davidson.
LathamJoe- I agree with you on Andruw Jones. When you watch him in the outfield, it is clear that he has lost at least half a step. And at the plate he has that awful uppercut swing.
I think we can win with Cabrera in center. That is, if the rest of the team is “right,” we don’t need a big bopper in center.
Besides, Cabrera’s defense is pretty damn good. I’d say he’s in the same ballpark as Hunter in that regard. Also, Melky isn’t exactly the worst hitter in the world. I mean, he’ll never match Hunter or Jones at the plate, but he will hit for a respectable average and come up with a big hit now and then.
Besides, Cabrera is younger and cheaper than either Hunter or Jones…and he’s homegrown! We need to put the days of overpaying for “foreign” free agents behind us and keep building on our homegrown talent.
Andrea - Yeah, but you must remember that everybody wanted Gagne at the time, and Theo still ended up getting him for almost nothing.
“And at the plate he has that awful uppercut swing.”
Not to mention that his ankles get twisted so violently every time he swings that they look like they’re going to snap!
ChiDave: Almost nothing except getting SO close to blowing the division. I still hope the guys he traded for him end up being stars. That would be amazing. I don’t see it happening though. That one pitcher (forget his name) wasn’t half bad.
Where do people come up with these ideas?
I wouldn’t be interested in LoDuca, Andruw, Beltre at all. Rowand or Hunter only if they would take less than 4 years, which they likely will not. And Crede only on discount.
The players we currently have at those positions are at least capable enough to get the job done, if not better, and we won’t be locked into onerous longterm deals. (I wouldn’t consider 3 year contracts to Mo or Po as onerous, as they are still playing at a high level, and you know they can produce in NY in the clutch.)
Our success next year will be predicated on pitching.
Is there any way we could kidnap Grady Sizemore? I know the Indians wouldn’t trade him, so it would have to be via kidnap…
Andrea - Unfortunately, I think Hanley Ramirez is the only bona fide star amongst all the “prospects” Theo has traded. All the rest have been complete busters or have middling talent at best.
Then again, the minor leaguers the Yanks have traded in recent years haven’t really done anything (not yet, at least), either. So, maybe Cashman isn’t too much behind Theo, after all (although he’s still clearly behind!).
Andrea - Did you see Grady in the ALCS against Boston? He was LOUSY. (Still, I bet you think HE’S cute TOO, right?!
)
ChiDave: You can look at it another way: The Yankees don’t HAVE any crap players to trade; all Boston has are the crap that Theo’s trading away.
Trying to be optimistic here.
Joe from Long Island- I agree with staying away from all of those guys except for Beltre. I just mentioned him yesterday because he only has two years left on his contract. The Yankees may not have to part with too much if they will take the contract off of Seattle’s hands. Beltre would provide much needed right-handed power, good defense at third, and he is durable. Maybe my talk is just my usual garbage, though.
Seattle sometimes talks about trading him, but nothing ever happens.
Andrea - Yes, that is one way to try to be positive about it. Then again, would Cashman have been able to pull off the same deals as Theo has even if the Yankees had had ample “crap” to trade? I don’t think so…
Of course, a lot of it has to do with the Yankees being who they are, and the fact that other teams seem to love to hold the Yankees for ransom in every potential trade. Mind you, I wonder, especially with all of Boston’s recent success, when teams are going to get wise and start treating Boston exactly like the Yankees in trades… It’s about time as far as I’m concerned!!!
ChiDave: I didn’t really watch the ALCS too much. I tried to stay away from some of it–just in case it was too painful. And wasn’t it Sizemore’s first post-season? Gotta give them a little leeway. They’ll get used to it. And also, he was lousy against the team who ended up winning it all, so that says something.
But he makes GREAT plays in CF during the regular season, and he’s a base-running machine.
And for the record, I do not base baseball players’ merits on their looks. My love for Matty DeSalvo comes from his attitude and his interviews when he was first called up, and the way he was interacting with the other players in the bullpen on the last Sunday game I went to. He just seems like a good guy. So leave me with my love!
ChiDave: I think trade folks are gonna start wanting Ellsbury the way people are wanting Hughes from the Yankees. Just my thought, though.
Reggie44
I’m convinced that HBT article was meant as a joke.
Andrea - OK, so you really don’t like any players in baseball (Yankees or otherwise) just because of their looks? Come on!!! Girls are girls and guys are guys, right?! After all, all the girls out there who “love” Derek Jeter don’t feel that way just because of the way he plays the game…Am I right or am I right?! Just saying…
As for Sizemore…Yes, he looks like he’ll be a real star right now, but who knows exactly how he’ll pan out a few years? Besides, (as you said) there’s no chance the Indians are getting rid of him anytime soon, so you’ll just have to love Melky for now!
i believe anabel sanchez was in the lowell/beckett trade too. He went on to throw w no hitter for the marlins and is still young.
Also don’t forget the Arroyo for Willy Mo Pena trade. LOL.
Rocco - As for Sanchez, the no-hitter was pretty much the last great thing he did. Yes, he’s young…but so was Juan Nieves when he threw a no-no for the Brewers, and he was completely out of baseball just a few years later.
As for Arroyo…Meh, he’s had some good games but he’s no Josh Beckett. Besides, I don’t think the Sox really missed him this past year, do you?
ChiDave: there are definitely girls like that. But Anna Kournikova. And she’s not even GOOD! That is all.
But I’m not like those girls. If a player is very bad, I find him horribly unattractive because of it. Like our friend Rocco right there is desperately in love with Kyle Farnsworth and his tight pants, and whether Farnsworth has a nice butt or not, I just can’t see it because of his crappy pitching
And I KNOW the Indians aren’t getting rid of Sizemore. That’s why we kidnap him.
Randy l -
I think that the younger players could be better protected financially if there was a salary cap. With the “the sky’s the limit” earnings for veterans, teams have to cut back somewhere and it’s on the front-end (young) guys with little or no track record. But the Player’s Union will never accept a salary cap, even if it benefits everyone. There’s certainly enough money to spread around, and, please, exactly how many millions is enough to live on? \
I think when you’re talking about players demanding $350 million just to start negotiations, the financials have gotten way out of hand. I get that money is the equivalent of “respect” in MLB, but maybe they could do a salary cap and then give out M&M’s or something. Because, seriously, no one needs $30 million a year!
Andrea,
I was just about to say that I don’t think there is a team in the league that would call Ellsbury crap. I think an offer to the Twins that included Ellsbury would make them at least think about trading Santana since this is his last year on his contract.
One additional piece of information on the Beckett trade with the Marlins. Hanely Ramirez is a very solid player but the pitcher the Sox game to the Marlins in that trade (ironically I can’t remember his name) actually pitched a no hitter last year so the Marlins were not exactly ripped off in my opinion.
Andrea - OK, OK, please don’t get mad at me! I’m just kidding around with you (as we like to do!)!!
mmm Farnsworth!
RAndy l:
Great points reagrding Zumaya and the 6 year rule.
I sorta chuckle when people use the term Free Market and Baseball in the same sentence.
In a free market, would Jeter and AROD make more than 40 times that of Cano?
I too could see Boras challenging these rules. I believe he has an agenda, beyond caring for arod’s welfare.
Arod is merely the best vehicle to get him there.
Re Desalvo:
It is refreshing to hear a thoughtful athlete once in awhile.
Reading books at the locker instead of playing cards!
Ugh…All this talk about Farnsworth is making me ill. Let’s talk about someone else!!!
Andrea- I really miss Anna! She never did win a title on tour but she did bring notoriety and the kind of personality that tennis is always needing.
It’s hard to tell how rookies react after throwing no-hitters. Some pitchers will be great, but some not great. There was a rookie pitcher for the Oakland A’s in 1983 named Mike Warren who threw a no-no. He ended up with 9 career victories. Hopefully Anibal Sanchez will have better luck.
ray: but like the Yankees and not wanting to trade away their great prospects, I doubt the Sox would want to trade Ellsbury, especially for a guy who’s a free agent in a year. And if they did, that would take away all the things we just said about Theo being smart.
Rocco: vomit.
ChiDave: not getting mad, just explaining. My opinions of players has nothing to do with their looks. And honestly, I don’t find Jeter or even A-Rod all that attractive. I’m more of an Andy Phillips kind of girl. And break me off a piece of Chris Britton any day! (KIDDING!)
Chicago Dave the Jeff Suppan for Freddie Sanchez trade with the Pirates is one the Sox regret. And how about Cla Meredith and Josh Bard to San Diego for Douf Mirabelli?
Chi-Dave –
Anna - Personality??????
Chicago Dave/Andrea:
Theo hasn’t exactly traded away crap for some of the deals made by Boston. The Red Sox have a top-5 MiLB organization with much talent.
They sent Hanley Ramirez and a young pitcher named Anibel Sanchez to Florida for Beckett and Lowell. It has become a good trade for Boston because both players were instrumental in winning a title. But Ramirez is a young all-star and should remain so for many years. Sanchez is a 23-yr old righthander and you may remember his 2006 season in which he was a sensation with Fla - 10-3, 2.83 ERA and a no-hitter that season. Unfortunately he developed shoulder problems early in 2007 and was shutdown, but still has much potential.
The Gagne trade almost cost Boston the AL East Title. They sent Kason Gabbard (a No.4 or No. 5 starter) and two outfielders, David Murphy and Engel Beltre. Beltre is the key in this deal, he is a 19-yr old from the Dominican Rep.,I think) who projects as a 5-tool outfielder.
Sometimes it takes a few years to properly evaluate trades.
I remember the sportwriters criticizing the Yankees for trading Sparky Lyle and some lesser players to the Texas Rangers for a couple of young prospects. Lyle had won the Cy Young in 1977 and had a successful 1978 season as the setup man to Gossage.
One of the players that the Yanks acquired in that trade was a young lefty - Dave Righetti who took a few years to develop.
I think every team has those trades they regret. Early in his career the Sox traded away Jeff Bagwell and I have no recollection who they got for him…I think it was a relief pitcher we ditched at the end of that season. As Dr. Phil would say…how did that work out for you?
Look at it this way…Schilling, Beckett and Lowell…All were acquired in trades and all have been hugely instrumental in the Sox recent success. What truly great players did Boston have to surrender to nab those three? Hanley Ramirez. That’s it. Don’t give me Anibal Sanchez, please. The list of nobodys who have thrown no-hitters in ML history is quite well populated. Until he does something further in his career (which he certainly hasn’t done yet) Sanchez is on that list.
As for the likes of Bronson Arroyo, Josh Bard, et al. Nice players, but certainly not “star” players. The fact remains that, in the final analysis, the Sox have received a heck of a lot more talent than they’ve given up.
Latham Joe: We said Hanley Ramirez was a good one, and I was saying I hoped that the folks they gave Texas for Gagne end up being awesome.
I think my point basically is that Boston doesn’t have a Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy type prospect group that people will automatically want when trades are brought up, so they can trade less. So I’m wondering when things will start to catch up for them.
Doreen- That was me who said that Anna brought personality. She was beautiful and brought a flavor to the game that it has missed at times. I’m a tennis fan, but I didn’t exactly watch Anna because of her forehand.
Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pina was another terrible trade. Not because Arroyo is a star, just that it seems he was worth so much more.
Andrea - AMEN! I would simply add that, even when the Sox do have those “great” prospects available (like Bucholz, Ellsbury or even Youkilis a few years ago), they manage to keep them out of deals and STILL get exactly what they want in return.
The worm has to turn for Theo soon. The rest of baseball has been pretty dumb, but two WS titles in four years should start waking everyone up. It’s high time the fleecing of Boston begins!
If by personality you mean a hot ass
Hot ass definitely counts as “personality” in my book! HA!!!
They traded Freddie Sanchez to Pittsburgh to reacquire Suppan who they had traded there earlier in the season. Giving up Sanchez a .300 hitter and all-star in 2006-7. Disagree with your characterization of Anibal Sanchez and remember his start and win against the Yankees, he is a very impressive young pitcher.
J-Dawg -
My comment still stands. At least, back in the day, Chrissy Evert could actually play the game.
I will say Anna brought attention, but not personality. And it annoys me that female athletes garner more attention because of how they look or don’t look than male athletes. I’m not saying that women don’t comment on a male athlete’s physical and/or facial attributes, but at the end of the day, at least for myself and the women I know, it’s how they play the game that keeps you tuning in.
That all being said, I think the Yankees as a team are much better looking than most of the others!
Chi-Dave
Why is Clay Buchholz a top prospect, but Anibal Sanchez a Nobody who threw a no hitter?
Is Dane Cook mentally handicapped?
He poses a rhetorical question on Brian Cashman’s behalf: “Should the Yankees give up Joba Chamberlain for Miguel Cabrera?”
Not if Cashman ever wants to walk the streets of Manhattan again.
Yeah, you can say Buccholz and I can say Bo Belinsky. Anibal Sanchez was pitching very well before his injury and will no doubt return.
Why is Dane Cook even talking about baseball at all?
ThatWasMe - I’ll bring up a name I brought up in an earlier post…Juan Nieves. Once a highly touted prospect for the Brewers who became the youngest pitcher ever to throw a no-hitter when he blanked the Orioles on April 15, 1987. He then suffered an arm injury and was out of baseball entirely by 1989. Sound a bit familiar? As of right now, Sanchez looks a lot more like Juan Nieves Pt. II than Fernando Valenzuala.
I just might commit suicide if Joba was traded.
Doreen- I know what you mean. I think that Maria Sharapova is beautiful of course, but the fact that she is a great player who wants to win at any cost is something else that I enjoy. It’s like she looks across the court at the other player and says, “how dare you try to beat me.” The Yankees may have more of that “I dare you” edge now that Girardi is back. That kind of attitude and will to win is something that is a driving force in any sport.
Wait.
I am so missing something here.
What does Anna have to do with the Yankees, and which Anna are we talking about?
I saw a stat on ESPNEWS that absolutely made my jaw drop. Of course we know that our former third baseman wants a $350 million dollar contract. The entire Tampa Bay Devil Rays franchise is only worth $267 million!!
Rebecca - Anna Kournikova…and you’d have to read back through the posts to understand the reference!
J-Dawg - I’d absolutely take Sharapova over Kournikova! She has the looks AND the talent to match!! NICE!!!!
“Boston doesn’t have a Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy type prospect group”
Pedroia, Ellsbury and Lester would all seem to be low salary/ high return guys in the same that the Yankees 3 are.
Chicago Dave, I’m not ready to write off Sanchez and also think that the Sox have given up some good young talent in trades where they under-valued their own players, Freddie Sanchez, Bronson Arroyo, Cla Meredith and Josh Bard good examples. This catches up with you over time. We’ll see.
Hasn’t Kournikova like never actually won a major tournament or something?
I’m a Nadal fan personally…
Pete
Given what you hear about the Posada and Rivera negotiations, how would you handiccap the odds of them being Yankees before Wednesday when they can negotiate $$ with other teams?
ThatWasMe - Fair enough, let’s see what the rest of the ex-Boston propects do over the next few years. Personally, I hope a few of them do turn into bona-fide stars (thereby making Boston regret trading them). However, just to be clear, my original argument was predicated on right now, November 3, 2007. I’m saying that when you look at how the trades have panned out so far, Theo is looking golden.
pat: I meant in terms of everyone wanting them. In the Gagne talks, it was basically “give us Kennedy or you get no Gagne.” That didn’t seem to be the case with Boston. And in my mind, I put pitching prospects in their own little group aside from other prospects, just because pitching is so hard to come by.
Rebecca: ChiDave was accusing me of loving baseball players on looks alone, because “girsl are girls,” after all, and many girls love Jeter because he’s so dreamy. So I brought up Anna. She has no actual tennis playing merit.
Chicago Dave:
Philip Hughes Minor League Career:
275 IP 311 Ks 2.03 ERA 0.86 WHIP
Anabel Sanchez Minor League Career
298 IP 261 Ks 2.66 ERA 1.10 WHIP
Philip Hughes Major League Career:
72 IP 58 Ks 4.46 ERA 2.57 WHIP 5 Wins 3 Losses
Anabel Sanchez Minor League Career
144 IP 86 Ks 3.24 ERA 1.37 WHIP: 12 Wins 4 Losses
Phil Hughes is the best pitching prospect in MLB, but Anabel Sanchez is “a nobody that’s thrown a no-hitter”.
Sorry, that last line is Sanchez’ MAJOR League Career stats.
Phil Hughes hasn’t had a chance to really prove himself. He had a couple starts, got hurt, and spent the rest of the year trying to get himself back.
Much like Anabel Sanchez, Andrea.
Rebecca - Anna Benson. We were discussing Kris for next years rotation.
Latham: I didn’t say anthing about Sanchez, cause I know nothing about him. I just don’t think it’s fair to count out Hughes yet. I don’t know if it’s fair or not to count out Sanchez. So I just stay out of that one.
ray (sox fan)- Bagwell was traded for Larry Andersen.
Chicago Dave- Great call on Sharapova, oofaaa!!!
As I recall Navartilova was quite the looker as well. JK
“Theo is looking golden.”
Yeah, and that Cash deal where the Yanks got Abreu for CJ Henry and Matt Smith looks TERRIBLE. And trading Randy Johnson back to the DBacks looks terrible too.
Keep in mind that people hold the Yanks up for more. Texas wanted Melky or Ian Kennedy for Gagne.
You guys are good.
Hello to the various people giving Theo credit or blame for the Beckett, Lowell trade. That trade was not made by him it was made during the few momths he was out in the wilderness before he decided to come back to the team a few months later.
Rebecca it is true that Kournikova has never won a major tournament, but among all the women on the world circuit in recent years there can be no doubt that she did possess the best buttocks.
When are the Americans going to produce another great male player? I miss Pete.
I thought I heard Anna and Kris Benson were separated.
But back to the Yankees, I loved reading this morning how much Bobby Abreu wanted to come back to the Yankees. So refreshing, you know?
Andrea
Teams who are trading someone who can step in and play for the Yanks now might be looking for a return of a player who can do the same thing. The majority of propects that the Yankees have that are major league ready right now just happen to be pitchers.
Bobby Abreu seems like such a mellow dude and probably a good fit in any club house. I like him and glad we have him in 2008.
Andrea:
I think you misundertood my post. No way am I counting out Philip Hughes - he IS one of the best pitching prospects in MLB. My point was only that Sanchez has comparable stats to Hughes and therefore should be considered as a top young pitching prospect - and not a “nobody”.
gayle: I didn’t know that. Theo in the wilderness? I can’t picture it.
pat: good point. But I also just meant that there really aren’t teams demanding a certain player from the Red Sox as they are the Yankees. I’m sure it’ll happen eventually.
LathamJoe: Got it. I thought you were comparing him to the “nobody,” and therefore calling him a “nobody.” There are so many people out there saying that Hughes is a nobody I get a little defensive of our Phil!
Hughes is due for a real breakout year and has a golden opportunity to fully establish himself as “somebody,” not that he was ever a nobody to begin with.
Rebecca- Ugh, I can’t stand Nadal. I guess it’s the grunting and the stalling in between points. And Anna was an accomplished doubles player. She did team up with Hingis to win the doubles at the Australian Open one time.
ThatWasMe- The USTA has touted a guy named Donald Young for years, but he’s still not ready to make a huge impact yet.
doreen-
instead of salary cap, having everyone be a free agent every year(unless they sign a contract for longer) would more than likely lower salaries. that’s the position of the player’s union. when they had the choice of total free agency way back when the courts struck down the reserve clause, marvin miller, the head of the player’s union did not want all the players on the market at the same time because there would be too much choice for the teams. he thought it would lower the salaries. in the present system, the young players are sacrificed( if they don’t become veterans when they do get to cash in). the system is too top heavy with veterans getting artficially high salaries and young players getting artificially low salaries.
i’m pretty sure salaries would drop overall if all players were free agents each year. think how many third baseman the yankees would have a shot at. maybe ten instead of two or three.
That hardball times article is complete hog wash. I dont think people in New York understand this, but Santana will not be traded this year. The Twins need public money to get their new stadium deal, and the politicians will not be pleased to hear that their star player has just been traded away. Shelly duncan and melky cabrera are not putting butts’ in the seats. Santana does…
Randy 1
I just think that if everyone is a free agent every year there is no stability. Would it be better financially for the younger guys? Probably, yes. There would be more parity (there’s a word MLB likes to throw around). But as far as making up a team and being able to plan a couple of years into the future, and to know what your payroll is going to be, I’m not so sure it would a workable system.
Even for the players themselves, from a practical standpoint, wasn’t one of the reasons for fighting the old system so that players would have more control of their own destiny? If all the players are free agents every year, then every year you’re negotiating a contract, and every year you don’t really know where you’ll be based. You’re talking about men with young families for the most part. They would also need the kind of stability that multi-year contracts allow. Plus, let’s not forget that even the younger players, while not exactly enjoying the largesse that’s out there, are paid well above the poverty level. It’s their futures that are not guaranteed (and who’s is, really?). Perhaps a system where there is a “luxury tax” of sorts imposed on the highest paid players in the game (pick a salary level), where the money is used for an insurance pot that would allow a player in Zumaya’s situation, for instance, to get some benefit.
I do think there’s got to be a better way. Some compromise system that no one is willing to look at because someone at the top of the chain would stand to lose money.
Good riddance Rodriquez, you were a New York wannabe that failed miserably in an Apple you could NEVER have because of being so ME oriented. Now the Yankees can admit they made a mistake of ever bringing you to a city that’s too much for you to handle and move on to be a real team again.
You’ll never be accused of delivering in the clutch and instead, spending too much time looking in the stands to see who’s looking at you….
The Hardtimes aren’t saying that the Rasner, Melky, Duncan, and whoever else will get Santana, but those are the players that they would offer to get Santana. That trade isn’t out of the realm of possibility considering those players would fill holes that the Twins have.
Did anyone read that Foxsports.com article by Tracy Ringolsby on baseball rumors? He said the Giants have made Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez available for a quality bat. I find that hard to believe that Lincecum is available. Would ya’ll trade for Lincecum? If so, who would u trade?
Don’t understand all this talk about brilliant Theo. Lowell? He was forced to take his salary in order to do the Beckett trade. The bosux did not want him. It was sheer luck. Ramirez is a 5 tool player who will be an All-Star for the next 10 years. And Beckett, who had been on the DL 10 times in his career has managed stay healthy somehow. Sheer luck. Schilling was a hold up job. They wanted precious gems from us and a pile of sh*t from the bosux. Trading for Crisp was brilliant too, as was extending his contract when there was no need to do so. And signing Lugo was brilliant as well. And, of course, Nancy Drew. And the Renteria trade.. and Sanchez. Yeah, Theo is a genius. I’ll take Cash thank you (who also happens to be honorable as opposed to the cheat that Theo is (Drew opting out, breaking rules to claim Millar, etc.)
E-ROC, that surprises me as well that the Giants would make Lincecum available. In fact, someone on ESPN had mentioned Schilling going there as a possibility to mentor Lincecum and the other youngsters.
Cindy Rodriquez dumps Alex after calling him a philanderer. Anna Benson ready to move in to Alex’s apartment and accompany him on a whirlwind free agent tour for mega greenbacks.
More later on the 6:00 PM report.
J-Dawg: But Nadal is so much better looking than Federer!
Anyway, I can speak Spanish. Not Italian, French or German…
I can’t see Schilling in a San Francisco uniform, but you never know. He did get his start in the NL, maybe he wants to finish there…
Schiling spent most of his career in the NL. And he’s getting old. I think if he pitched for any other AL team other than the Red Sox, he may not have had as many wins.
J-Dawg, I can understand why they would make Lincecum available though. They have no position players at all. Lincecum might give them a good return. Maybe two, possibly three MLB ready prospects. The Giants look like a minor league team. I don’t think they’ll trade Lincecum in the end. Zito will probably get traded.
I read where Sabean said he would listen to offers for Lowry or Sanchez but it would have to be a deal that would blow him away. There was no mention of Lincecum in the article I read.
Phillies and Cardinals have interest in Schilling.
Well, at least now that the Giants don’t have the whole Bonds thing they can, y’know, focus on winning games…
The Barry Zito contract, yikes. I am thankful that Cashman has led the Yankees away from going after those kinds of players for the most part. There was a time several years ago when a free agent Zito definitely would have been in play for the Yankees. But last year Brian Cashman had the wisdom to say no to Zito. In a way the Carl Pavano signing has been a blessing. It has taught the Yankees to spend more time on developing their own players than to look for everyone’s free agents. Come to think of it, that would be the only possible blessing out of that signing!
Schilling won’t play for San Francisco based on his politics alone.
doreen-
there would still be the stability of players who sign long term contracts. in any free market system it takes time for the balance to settle in.it’s interesting to me that there is an artificial baseball market going on so many levels. it’s not just player contracts,it’s also revenue sharing,luxury tax,etc. any gm or organization that understands the ramifications and loop holes of the system has an advantage on the teams that don’t. the yankees are being impacted hugely by subsidizing small market teams. a lot the money you and i spend on the yankees goes to these other teams. they then get to hold on to their players so we can’t find a bullpen catcher for 6 months let alone a starting third baseman. the problem with this is a team can be bad and still be rewarded. think if all the good restuarants in new york had to send part of their profits to the bad ones to even things out. there would end up being a lot more bad restaurants and a lot less good ones. baseball is the same way. it brings down the quality of the overall game because being bad gets rewarded.
The Zito deal was more of a PR move, albeit a terrible one. There is no way they trade Lincecum, along with Cain they are all the Giants have.
Rebecca- LOL! That’s definitely true about the Giants. Where does the Bonds circus lead to next?
I’m sorry, I’m really bitter with San Francisco. I’ve only had bad experiences.
Like when my family took a road trip up the California coast, and we got to San Francisco, and I had drunk an entire HUGE bottle of water on my own, and then Dad got lost…
And, more recently, when I went to Italy, I went with a guy who was from San Francisco, and he abandoned me in Florence. Long story, but the point is, I have no real love for that city.
San Diego, on the the other hand, San Diego and I might be able to talk.
Randy 1 -
I absolutely agree with the luxury tax issue, or revenue sharing. I’m nor sure which is the one that is spread over to the “smaller market” teams. I know a lot of people out there like parity, they like that so many more teams are involved pennant races up to the end of the season and that teams like the Rockies can have real aspirations towards the post season. I really am not sure how I feel about it, but I’ll be honest and admit that that’s probably because I’m a Yankee fan. If I was a fan of one of those other teams, I’d probably love that my teams gets a chance to hold onto some of the players who would normally go looking elsewhere for their big payday. Actually sounds like communism or socialism to an extent (especially with your restaurant analogy), even though huge sums of money are being made.
As long as the teams benefitting from revenue sharing spend the money to improve their teams, or hold onto their key players, then they’re at least holding up their end of the spirit of the rule. But unfortunately, there’s no way to insure that a team will do that. Anyway, it is less than a free market economy situation.
Rebecca: no love for San Francisco? Then it’s only fitting Schiling go there.
Andrea: Very, very true!
Rebecca
Ok, so take out having to wait to pee forever & some jerk that probably didn’t deserve you anyway, SF is really a great city to live in, though the cost of living is comparable to Manhattan, which sux. I have lived here for over 6 years after living in NY my whole life. I miss Pizza, Bagels & the Yankees, not necessarily in that order. The quality of life is really great out here, so much so I wouldn’t move back to NY.
San Diego is a really great city, awesome weather.
Isn’t Zito a Boras client?
Buddy–Mmm, I’ll take your word for it, but I’m determined to end up either in NY or England. If I’m in NY I get my Yankees, if I’m in England I get my Tudor history!
E-Roc
Boras is his agent, he switched to him in his last year with the A’s
Not to mention some quality English Premiership Footy.
Keeping Bobby Abreu leaves the outfield intact unless Melky is part of a package to get a 3rd baseman or Johan Santana which will then mean Cashman would need to sign the top CF free agent available …. Aaron Rowand.
Cashman will need to act faster than normal offseasons with the urgency involved in other necessary transactions (Mo, Jorge, Molina, Vizcaino).
Even with A-Rod gone, the payroll will be close to the same unless Cashman can find suitors for Giambi, Mussina, and Farnsworth.
D-train
They do need to act fast but they can stand to wait too.
Every agent and player knows the Yankees can spend top dollar.
So even if a player gets another offer from another team, they’ll wait to see what the Yankees bring to the table.
Just popping back in here for a minute…
Two things…1) Sanchez is recovering from an arm injury, so I took that into account when I rendered my analysis. Yes, he could turn into the next John Smoltz, but he could also turn into the next Mark Prior/Kerry Wood. Until a guy makes a successful recovery from arm surgery and stays healthy, I think it’s a crapshoot.; and 2) Criticize what I’ve said about the Sox trades all you want…The unassailable truth remains that this year’s Cy Young (not crowned yet, but does anybody really want to bet against Beckett?) and World Series MVP, as well as the “myth of the Bloody Sock” all came to the Red Sox in trades. Again, the other fact is that, as of today’s date, the only prospect that the Sox surrendered for these players that is burgeoning into a “star” is Hanley Ramirez.
Buddy: Indeed! I’m a Man U girl myself.
Well this is good news. I couldn’t imagine why Jorge would have a problem with Girardi anyway, but I’m happy to hear it seems to be yet ANOTHER thing that was blown out of proportion by the media in the past few weeks. I fervently hope he comes back because I do NOT want Paul LoDuca on the Yankees. He’s a bitch (can I say that here? I hope so cause I just did :))
ARSENAL!!!
Chicago Dave-
I agree with you on that, especially the crap shoot part. Trading with prospects is usually a coin toss.
Chi Dave–I spent January-May in London, and I can tell you everything was all about Chelsea…Arsenal didn’t stand much of a chance!
Rebecca - Back when I lived in England (the early 1980s), the biggest/best teams were Arsenal and the Tottenham Hotspurs. So, those are the teams I remember (along with Watford, for some reason…maybe because they were owned by Elton John?).
I don’t want Paul LoDuca either. I’d rather have Jose Molina as my starter instead of him. I think the Mets will probably offer Posada an outrageous contract. And Posada will leave us. It’s a gut feeling.
So my brother’s going to school in Orlando, so I was joking with him that he should try to sneak into the GM meetings, and I think he was taking me a little too seriously…
Still though, if you could sneak into the GM meetings, what would you do?
Rebecca: just plant a bug in Cashman’s combover. Everyone’s trying not to stare at it, so they won’t notice it.
“Cashman would need to sign the top CF free agent available …. Aaron Rowand.”
Why would that mean he’d “need” to do that? And how is Rowand the top CF? He’s had two good seasons, and one was a contract year in a tiny stadium. If Melky goes, and ARod winds up on the Angels, I’d look at Chone Figgins in trade, since he’d no longer have a spot to play in Anaheim. If not him, I’d look at Mike Cameron. His numbers are similar to Hunter’s, but his age and his suspension should mean he can be got cheap and on a one or two year deal.
Trades can be crapshoots in many cases. Sometimes, MLB teams get on a roll where most of their transactions turn out positive. That generally leads to good results - like the current Red Sox success.
The NY Yankees had some success with trades in the 90s that helped their 1996-2001 run, too! Remember:
Roberto Kelly to the Reds for Paul O’Neill?
Jim Mecir, Sterling Hithcock, Russ Davis to Toronto for Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson?
3 MiLB pitchers (Janzen,Jarvis,Gordon) for David Cone?
(None of those pitchers made a MLB appearance)
Kenny Rogers to Oakland for “a player to be named later” - who turned out to be Scott Brosius.
By the way, Curt Schilling was originally drafted by the Sox and traded with Brady Anderson to the O’s for a then 31-year-old Mike Boddicker. Boddicker was mediocore in his two years with the Red Sox while both Schilling and Anderson blossomed.
RE: Austin Jackson’s nickname
Isn’t Ajax the name of a bathroom cleaning powder or something?
Action Jackson is a great nickname… that’s what it’s gotta be…
hey you guys, what do you think about trading for Garrett Atkins to play 3rd. What do you think we’d have to give up??
Brit: Like Lowell, Atkins home/road splits are a concern, BUT, I think if we did do that it’d take a Melky + Ian sort of deal.
well last year(2006) he hit .314 on the road, so I don’t think his stat indicate anything.
also the Rockies’ top prospect in a 3 baseman and is ready to be in the majors but Garretts’ blocking him. I think we might be able to get him little cheaper than that.
I read that Hardball Times article.Crap.No way that offer for Santana is even close.
what hardball times article? can you give me a link?
Ah, I thought I remembered seeing Atkins hit worse on the road, but I might be confusing him with Lowell.
While I did originally want Lowell, I saw a spray chart, and basically Lowell will suck if he plays anywhere other than Fenway.
Yah I also don’t consider Rowand a top CF.
He’s also going to end up being overpaid this year by whoever signs him
Scroll through the comments, it’s up near the top.
Heh. Ohio State is losing.
Brit-
Sorry I meant to address you in my post.
Rebecca Atkins did have a bad average on the road this year, but more power, but in 2006 he had a average over .300 so I’m not sure how to judge his stats.
but I think Garrett Atkins is worth looking into since the Rockies are looking to move him, we might be able to get him for a lot, lot less than Cabrera.
I’m surprised that he has come up much in trade rumors, hes one of the better available 3rd baseman this off season( besides A-Rod and possibly Cabrera).
Rebecca- you were correct.
Brit you are quoting Atkins Day avg of .314
His home stats Avg .349 OBP .409 SLG .527
His away stats Avg .254 OBP .327 SLG .446
He also hit 5 more HRs on the road than at home.
The Rockies have Ian Stewart as the heir apparent at 3rd, which is why Atkins may be traded.
Okay, thanks for clearing that up!
I would definitley go for Atkins over Cabrera, at least from a defensive standpoint…does anyone know how he hit against AL pitching in 2007?
I’m not talking about this past season, I’m talking about 2006 when he had a road average around .314( I think)
btw thanks for telling me about the link.
To add the the earlier discussion about revenue sharing and luxury tax:
All teams have to contribute 31% of their revenue dollars into a fund that then gets split up equally among all the teams. For the teams that have the higher revenues, they will get a smaller amount back than what they contributed.
The interesting thing is for the next year or so the Yankees, Mets and Twins are building new stadiums. Teams who build new stadiums are not required to contribute to revenue sharing or at least not at the same rate. The Yankees also seem to be making a concerted effort in reducing payroll which will untimately reduce luxury tax dollars. In doing both of those things in unison, the amount the Yankees will be contributing to other teams will be greatly reduced and the money they can keep for themselves greatly increased.
If teams had been using those dollars for player salaries rather than owners pocketing the money, the free agent signings of smaller market teams is going to be less profitable for them.
Nobody has ever lost money owning an MLB team. MLB has been enjoying record attendance and are receiving nice change for television rights. The next CBA expires after the 2011 season. The Players Association has made concessions in the drug testing policy in the last 2 years for “the good of the game” and I’m sure Donald Fehr will be sure to remind someone of that when it comes time to negotiate.
For all the talk about the $20 or 30M dollar contracts, the average MLB player salary is less than $3M. Not exsctly pocket change but for every player who makes $10M, there are 3-4 making leaugue minimum. The Players union wants to get their players the biggest payday possible so league minimum could be the big negotiating point in 2011.
E-ROC: I’d much rather have Jorge back, but if push came to shove I figured we’d be okay having Molina as the starting C too. But then I saw per baseball reference, he’s never played in more than 78 games in his career (that was in 2006.) Does anybody know why this is? Is it because he’s always been considered nothing more than a backup or does he have durability issues? I love Molina, he works great with the staff especially Moose, plays superb D and came up with more clutch hits in half a season w/us than Wil Nieves has had regular hits in his entire career. But I’m not so sure I’m eager for the Yanks to upset the apple cart of how he’s been handled his entire career.
But then again, anything’s better than LoDuca. He had some ridiculous beef with El Duque in Queens - an unforgivable offense as far as I’m concerned! He’s AJ Pierzynski with less talent…a total cancer.
I guess my last Post got lost somehere in cyberspace.
Anyway, I agree that trades can be a crapshoot. Boston has been on a fairly good roll with their trades lately which has led to their success.
The Yankees experienced good fortune with many of their transactions in the 90s which helped them to their 1996-2001 run of success. Remember:
Roberto Kelly to the Red for Paul O’neill?
Jim Mecir, Sterling Hitchcock, Russ Davis to Toronto for Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson?
Three MilB pitchers (Janzen,Jarvis,Gordon) to Toronto for David Cone. (None of them threw an inning in MLB)
Kenny Rogers to Oakland for “a player to be named later” - who turned out to be Scott Brosius.
Fernando Sequonol to Montreal for John Wetteland?
Free Agent signings: David Wells, Jimmy Key, Mike Stanton?
By the way, Curt Schilling was originally drafted by the Red Sox and traded along with OFer Brady Anderson to the O’s for 31-yr old Mike Boddicker, who had two mediocre seasons with the Sox while Schilling and Anderson blossomed.
….2011?
‘94 still feels like yesterday.
Rebecca: in 18 games of interleague in 07, Atkins hit .261 with an .819 OPS. In his career, .283 w/a .795 OPS. Not awful, but not exactly much to write home about either. I think we could get Beltre for less (mostly cause Bavasi’s dumb, but also b/c Igawa has more value to the M’s than any other team) and he’s far more familiar with AL pitching, so I think I am starting to lean in his direction.
Thanks, Trish.
Yanks need to make sure Pettitte is back before they can trade any pitchers for anyone. With 3 rookies a strong possibility in the rotation, innings are going to be a factor at some point. There was a lot of talk that Eiland worked well with Igawa in AAA. Yanks need to see if that will translate to the majors.
Yesterday Michael kiss-up-to-FO Kay said he had inside information that the Red Sox were definitely interested in A-Rod for SS. Then MLB.com’s Seth Everett said he had information that the Yankees were looking at Morgan Ensberg. I know Michael Kay is more likely than not being used by YES to create this type of propaganda but while I am not sorry to see A-Rod go I don’t want him heading to Boston (ah, maybe just to hear the boos for a year would feel ok). For now let’s stick with MKay’s propaganda - I can’t go through an off season thinking about that. Now, with Everett it is different because Ensberg(SD)is an arbitration eligible 3rd baseman — his #’s don’t look great to me. Anyone here know anything about him?
Well if we are naming EPL clubs…
TOTTENHAM!
Rebecca-
Atkins was 13-48, so he hit about .271 against the AL
Pettitte has to decide by November 7. I don’t think Cash will be trading away any pitching before then.
We need to have Posada back. There shouldn’t even be any question or debate.
We need to sign him.
Pettitte only needs to decide by November 7th to come back under the same contract. He could also say it’s too soon to make a decision, become a free agent and make a decision in December like he did last year.
Trish-
Yup he definitely can do that too. I believe him when he says its the Yankees or retirement. So he can take as long as he’d like.
Trish: Good point. But the way Pettittte is, I am wiling to bet he’ll either come back by November 7 or announce retirement, based on that announcement he made. I could be wrong, but I tend to believe things that come out of his mouth.
The only way that I think that Posada leaves will be if the Yankees show a hesitancy for bringing him back. I really don’t think that would happen. I would be really surprised to see Jorge go anywhere else. The Yankees will try to lock Jorge and Mo up, get Pettitte to come back, and then work on the 3rd baseman situation.
I am anxious to see which way they decide to go with 3rd base- try a trade option like Beltre (great choice), Atkins (good choice), Cabrera (a high risk), or that White Sox third baseman whose name I won’t mention (I hope not) , or if they use Wilson Betemit (small chance).
Though Pettitte said he wanted to take October to think about his decision, it will be almost 6 weeks since the season ended. I think he will make his decision on Weds if not before.
ARod, for all his selfishness, would put up some serious offensive numbers in THAT Whiffle Ball Park!
ARod’s failures in the post season would not be so crucial because Boston has several big-game performers right now.
( sadly, what the Yankees have lacked since 2001).
I would love the Yanks to get a new 3b before A-Rod signs with anyone else.
So are we all pretty much in agreement that Beltre would be the best 3b trade choice? (If anyone thinks someone else would be better, make a case for them, maybe you know something I hadn’t thought of - which is what I love about this blog, but I digress.)
Here’s another interesting question: IF Cano does move to 3rd (which I would rather not have happen, dont wanna mess with his mojo) who would everybody be interested in for 2b? I heard from a friend that Orlando Hudson is available, which kind of intrigues me. Then I also thought of the possibility of trading for Mark Grudzielanek and one of KC’s better relief pitchers…he is getting up in years though, and has so little power.
Whatever decision Pettitte makes I think I’ll be able to support–the way he’s handled the situation portrays him as the anti-A-Rod!
Buddy–not sure that can happen because of the whole arbitration thing, but correct me if I’m wrong
BBB–I don’t think Robbie goes to 3B just because he is probably the best 2B in the league, except MAYBE for Chase Utley.
Did someone say something one day about Eric Chavez? Or was that someone just babbling? I dont’ really know anything about him, but doesn’t he have a couple gold gloves?
Mike Lowell would still be my choice for 3B, but for not more than a 4-year deal. I also saw the spray chart on Lowell, but that is only part of the story. That is Lowell’s spray chart at Fenway - of course he’s gonna pull the ball at that “bandbox” what right hand hitter wouldn’t?
Check out his spray chart at Yankee Stadium and you’ll get an idea of how much more Lowell has matured as an all-around hitter.
I know FA can start signing with new teams starting on Nov 13. If the Yankees traded for an arbitration eligible player, they would begin that process on their own.
Andrea- Eric Chavez is a good, solid player. The only thing is that he is a left-handed hitter. The Yankees really need to work on getting more right-handed power into their lineup. There are times when the lineup is too loaded with lefties and vulnerable to left-handed pitching.
Buster Olney is the one that started that PO/Giradi Rumor.
J-Dawg: Got it. Lowell it is!
LOL, Theo didn’t have 1 thing to do with the Lowell & Beckett trade. That trade was pulled off during the period when he left the team and was running around in the Gorilla suit.
Yanks should re-sign Po.
The Yanks could easily have a 3rd baseman before A-Rod signs a contract. Arbitration isn’t until December and I’d be shocked if A-Rod accepted it. He’d get paid more than his current deal but it’s only for 1 year.
The timing of the Mitchell Report release could be the biggest factor of this off season. Implicated players could lose value and if GM’s have doubts about someone, they may choose to wait. If they sign them before, including language to void the contract could also be a possibility.
Well, just got home from my daughter’s running in a race for charity. It was for the Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan. The race was in Central Park. Jorge was there with his wife and kids! We even got a photo of him with my daughter after the race!
I thanked him but was too embarassed to ask him to PLEASE re-sign with the Yanks! I sure hope he does!
Joel:
I don’t remember anybody crediting Theo with the Beckett/Lowell trade - we were discussing Boston Red Sox trades.
For those that read the Hardball Times article referenced earlier on this Post, keep in mind that if the Yanks sign Mo and Jorge, they can only sign one more Type A or B free agent in 2008.
“Quoting a little-known rule: “If 39-62 players qualify as Type A and B free agents, no team may sign more than three, with the limits increasing accordingly for higher totals.”
There are 47 Type A or B Free Agents so far in 2008.”
Of course if they lose more than 3 Type A or B free agents, the Yanks can sign as many as they lose - even if it exceeds three.
A-Rod’s not a big guy, and he never really had a sudden weight increase. I would be surprised if he were implicated in steroid use.
If A-Rod thought he was going to be named in any way, he would have been smart to take the extension quick. His value to a team would take a bigger hit than most other players becuase of the records he will be trying to break.
Rebecca,
What were you saying again, about Ohio State losing?
Go Bucks!
A-Rod’s built his legacy on playing clean. Him juicing would be a story 100x bigger than if he fired Boras.
Carson–Hehe, dude, I support Syracuse.
Trust me, what OSU does is the least of my worries. Our coach today benched our starter for a *walk on* in a game we probably could have won…
While I see what you’re saying, Rebecca, A-Rod’s legacy will, unfortunately, be that he followed the money trail. If he stayed with the Yankees, that wouldn’t have been the case. Or if he stayed with any of his teams, but right now I’m saying with the Yankees because they’re bigger on Legacy than the Mariners or Rangers.
Right now his legacy is huge conract. I’m not sure that’s something that will be remembered in the record books. That’s something that will be topped time and again. It took a long time to break the home run record.
I think I might still be bitter about the opt-out.
End rant.
Andrea–there’s no doubt his legacy’s all about the $$$, but in terms of his on-field accomplishments, we all liked him (past tense) because we know/think/whatever that he’s playing clean.
I don’t think ARod will be implicated in The Mitchell Report, either.
ARod is not exactly a “Dustin Pedroia” type. When he came up as an 18-year old with the Mariners, he was around 6″3″/185. He’s now about 6′3 1/2″/225. I’ve seen him in person - he’s built like a linebacker.
Too bad his mental makeup didn’t match the physical gifts.
Latham Joe
Yankees should have 5 Type A or B free Agents: Mariano, Jorge, A-Rod, Pettitte and Vizcaino. Tell me if I’m understandiong you wrong. If Andy picks up the option before Wednesday, he wouldn’t count but Jorge and Mariano re-signing now would count as 2 because they already filed. If the Yanks wanted to sign a Type A/B 3rd baseman (Mike Lowell) they couldn’t sign a Type A/B reliever(Vizcaino) because they would already have 3. Did I get that right?
Dude. I just won a Phil Hughes signed hat.
This just became the best week ever.
Rebecca: so jealous. How?