The ’stache is proving to be pretty durable
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The standard question when I go on a radio show is “What has surprised you about the Yankees this season?”
Here it is: Jason Giambi has played 474.1 innings at first base.
His recent history in terms of playing in the field:
2007: 121 innings
2006: 480 innings
2005: 560 innings
2004: 375 innings
2003: 742.2 innings
2002: 781.7 innings
2001: 1176.3 innings (with Oakland)
At 37, The Big G has managed to turn back the clock. He is on a pace to play his most innings in the field since he joined the Yankees. Two things:
1. Being in a contract year is the greatest motivational tool ever.
2. This is not exactly a ringing endorsement for Balco. Presumably he is doing this the old-fashioned way.
Giambi isn’t exactly Don Mattingly around the bag. But he catches most everything that is thrown to him and he doesn’t get in Robbie Cano’s way when he goes to his right. That’s about all you can ask.
Plus don’t forget he’s at .268/.403/.562. You’d like to see the RISP numbers go up (14 of 71, .174) but that should happen. All in all, it’s quite remarkable.
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on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 3:04 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Is there any way to find career splits with and without facial hair for Giambi and other players? There might be something here.
Cha ching Cha ching Cha ching Cha ching
Pretty amazing for the Big G, but like Pete said, being in a contract year does wonders for a player.
pete- we need some a-rod news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let’s make a list of bigger surprises for the Yankees than Giambi playing a half season mostly in the field:
“You’d like to see the RISP numbers go up (14 of 71, .174) but that should happen”
Yeah, it should, and in fact I think it is starting to happen already. Last time I saw his BA with RISP, which was maybe a week or 2 ago, it was something like .138. Hopefully it will continue to rise. Keep it going Big G!
Dan Giese has started multiple games.
I was ready to dump him earlier this year. First to admit I was wrong and maybe he will be back for one more year. Also how he handled himself under the microscope has been tremendous.
Chet
Girardi said the ’stache would play. You didn’t believe him?
anyway, I am copy/pasting my comment from the previous thread since Pete started a new entry just when I posted it. Question for all:
was just reading the comments in the previous post and saw some talk of trades for SP’s, so I am gonna carry that over here and ask, what does everyone think about maybe trading for Jarrod Washburn?
I think it could work. We could get him for almost nothing, he only has a year and a half left on his contract, he has poor numbers this year but if you look at month by month splits it was May that really killed him. He was average in April and really solid in June, where he put up a sub-3 ERA. And he has great numbers at Yankee Stadium. Even in May when he was struggling and came in with the Mariners, he pitched well here. Plus, he has pitched in big games down the stretch before.
Good for Giambi that he’s been able to stay healthy.
But there’s no chance on Earth that Cashman is going to pick up his option for next season.
Giambi will be gone next season and they will get a draft pick as compensation.
i say walk manny every single AB
Guiseppe-
You are probably right that the Yanks won’t pick up Giambi’s option, but there is a scenario where they may. If they don’t win the Teixera sweepstakes, or don’t want to get into what will be a very rich, long term contract, then there’s not much in the way of options at first base. I could see in that circumstance the Yanks picking up his option.
Washburn is awful
I don’t think they will pick up Giambi’s option either, but there is something about that I find potentially worrisome.
I do not want to re-sign Abreu unless it’s on a one year deal. I think he will get far better offers on the open market, so I suspect he and the Yankees will also part ways after this year. I’ve long advocated Xavier Nady to take Bobby’s place, and I still want him. But Nady is no number 3 hitter. So if Abreu and Giambi both leave, who bats in the all important 3-hole? At first I thought maybe Teixeira if we signed him too, but he doesn’t walk often enough either. Anyone have any suggestions on this?
“Giambi will be gone next season and they will get a draft pick as compensation.”
another surprising thing is nobody thought we would be getting any draft picks from losing him. at least a couple months ago nobody here thought so…
Don’t forget that giambi also hits better when playing 1B, so that’s some good news for him.
BEHOLD, THE POWER OF THE STACHE!
If the Yanks were to sign Teixera, he would probably bat third.
The Yanks are going to have a LOT of competition for Teixera, beginning with the other team in New York.
IMO the Yanks can’t let Giambi go unless they sign Teixera or trade some of their minor league talent to land a right handed hitting first baseman. Too much production will disappear from the offense otherwise.
Trouble with that, Wave, is Teixeira won’t be decided till later than they would have to sign Giambi or pay off his walking papers.
Its hard to get a good idea what the Yankees are going to do with the players they go after this year. A lot could depend on what, if any real trades they make.
I don’t see us making a big trade at the deadline much less in the offseason. The farm is much improved but we don’t want to trade the thoroughbreds it would take to land a star. The rest of the system is good but we all tend to overvalue them.
Wave Your Hat,
One thing to keep in mind that is that Cashman himself has looked into voiding Giambi’s contract as recently as a year ago because of the whole steroids revelation.
Of course, make no mistake about it, if Giambi had been raking and putting up all- Star numbers since 2002, Cashman would have done no such thing.
But I don’t think there’s any question that Giambi has been a huge disappointment over the last several years and I think Cashman will throw a kegger during the offseason when Giambi’s contract is officially off the books.
And to think they’ll get a draft pick as compensation is all the more reason why Cashman isn’t going to pick up his option. That’s just icing on the cake for him.
Pete, I love the site (regular visitor) but the adult entertainment ads on the front page are killing me… I’m at work!
Old Goat-
I hear you on that. It’s going to put the Yanks in a tough spot for sure.
Guisseppe-
As to Cash’s views, I suspect the old saying of “then was then and now is now” may have some applicability.
I would have agreed with you as late as mid-May. If Giambi keeps up what he has been doing since the end of April, though, I suspect Cashman may have a change of heart or be tempted to.
A lot will depend on whether they think they can land Teixera for a price they are willing to pay.
As for the draft pick, it’s not as cut and dried as it was with Vizcaino. That was a no brainer. He doesn’t let Giambi walk without a viable option for just a comp pick.
Wave, you make a good point but Big G’s revival at the plate is more than just the ’stache. It is a contract year, and players always miraculously find their Babe Ruth side when its a contract year.
The problem with G is that his body of work in NY just doesn’t justify another multi-year deal. Also, with so many players waiting in the wings in the minors, I think his time is up. He’s been great for this team over the years, but you gotta let a ship sail.
If the Yankees let Giambi go, they’re not getting draft picks. They’d have to offer him arbitration to get picks. Arbitration rules say a player’s salary can’t be cut more than 20% from the previous season.
‘08 salary – $21 million
‘09 option – $22 million
‘09 buyout – $5 million
So, if the Yankees decline Giambi’s option and then he accepts arbitration, the minimum they’d be paying him for next season is:
$21 million * 80% + $5 million = $21.8 million
I think the odds are EXTREMELY likely that Giambi would accept arbitration if the Yankees offered it, so the Yankees won’t offer it. They might as well just pick up his option at that point, as they’d only save 1% by declining it.
bb77-
My guess is, if the Yanks don’t lock The ‘Stache up by exercising his option, Giambi will be able to get a multi-year deal somewhere, so I don’t think the Yanks will be able to bargain with him. They did with Moose, though, so maybe.
My other guess is, this time next year, Teixera will have the second richest contract in baseball. Can the Yanks afford that?
We will not be getting any draft picks from the ‘Stache. I am pretty sure that if you offer arbitration and the player accepts his yearly salary can only decrease like 10%, meaning at a minimum Giambi would be making 18 million, which is just insane. The yankees will opt out of the last year of Giambi’s contract (giving him something like 4 million) and then sign him to a one year deal for say 8-10 million. The yankees do not want to be giving a 38 year old, who is has had his fair share of injuries, and troubles in the last few years 18 or 20 million to play 1st base part-time (we will be looking for a better option see: Mark Texeria), and part-time DH. Giambi is valueable to the yanks just not at that price. It is in the yankees best interest to opt out, not offer arb, and sign him to a cheaper deal, because then they dont just save 5-8 million on his deal they save another 6-8 million they spend in luxury tax for a grand total of 12-16 million in all.
Plus The ‘Stache doesnt want to play anywhere else he wants to be here and he has said so before, no one else will be offering him anywhere near that kind of money.
Was at the game last night. Guess I picked a good night to go.
Grand slam stroke: http://www.flickr.com/photos/m.....962461813/
Ed is right about the contract rules… best chance to keep Giambi is payoff the $ 5 mill and offer him something in the $ 8-10 range, nothing more. There will be a very limited market for him at age 38. Abreu is younger and will want more $$$ and more years and I wouldn’t do either.
The free agent OF market next year is awful, unless you want togivew Vlad $ 100 mill, so someone will have to be pursued in the trade market.
I am a Teixiera advocate because I love great defense and he would not only dramatically improve the defense a 1B.. he makes 2B, 3B and SS better as well and that makes your pitching better. If you have Tex and Giambi you might be able to get by with a combo of Damon, Matsui, Gardner and Cabrera in the outfield… a Nady or Guillen in RF would be a real plus.
FAMOUS MOUSTACHES:
http://www.newsday.com/enterta.....otogallery