GM Meetings set to get started
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Nov 02, 2008 
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Flying to California later on today for the General Manager Meetings. They get started on Monday and run through roughly mid-day on Thursday.
There will be multiple blog entries, audio clips and we’re hoping to do a live video chat on location.
Traditionally, the GM Meetings serve as a precursor to the Winter Meetings. But it was in Orlando at the GM Meetings a year ago when Brad Lidge was traded to the Phillies. With players like Jake Peavy and Matt Holliday on the market, there could be some early moves. We’ve already seen Florida 1B Mike Jacobs dealt to the Royals for reliever Leo Nunez. The penny-pinching Marlins could make a few more such deals.
George King of the Post reported today that the Yankees would not pick up the $6 million option on Damaso Marte. As he is a Class A free agent, Marte would net them two draft picks. The Yankees also could sign Marte back at a cheaper rate.
I’m a little surprised by this given how difficult it is to find left-handed relievers. Rookie Phil Coke pitched well, but September statistics for a team playing out the string are difficult to quantify.
So check in tomorrow for all the chatter.
wow! i cant beloieve theyre not picking up marte! this could come back to bite them!
shopping list:
CC Sabathia
Matt Holliday
Hank Blalock
Mark Loretta
and Pat Gillick to the front-office (advisor to Cashman)
I don’t understand why they aren’t picking up this option. This makes no sense to me. It’s relatively cheap, for a decent left-handed reliever, which like you said are hard to find. It’s definitely an advantage to have more than one lefty in the pen to go to in certain situations.
I’d rather overpay for 1 year of Marte (considering he is 33), than give him a 2-3 year deal, even if it is for less money.
Cashman’s game plan has always been to overpay for 1 year (or a short term deal) rather than commit long term. Why is it changing now?
penny-wise and pound-foolish
If Phil Coke is the reason they don’t bring him back, then they are even more delusional than we thought and clearly don’t know a thing about evaluation.
How many times do they need to be burned by guys coming out of nowhere in September to put up good numbers to realize it is a SSS and no guarantee of future dominance? Marte has a proven track record of being a dominant reliever. If nothing else, he is lights out against lefties and can be a shutdown LOOGY primarily who can also pitch full innings from time to time (a la JC Romero this year– look at how valuable he was for the Phillies in the playoffs).
Why would we want to sign this guy long term anyway? I’d much rather take it year to year even if we overpay.
“If Phil Coke is the reason they don’t bring him back, then they are even more delusional than we thought and clearly don’t know a thing about evaluation”
lol
anyway, your entire post was perfectly stated.
Weren’t they talking about developing Phil Coke as a starter? Even if they aren’t, marte is more than a shutdown loogie, he is one of the best 8th inning guys available and aside from one slump induced by Girardi leaving him out there for 40-whatever pitches, he threw well for us.
Also, don’t we still get the picks next offseason if he leaves then? This really makes me wonder if there isn’t some other reason the contract isn’t being picked up.
You mean Phil Coke isn’t the real thing?
Is he the new Kennedy?
I don’t care what they pay Marte for the season — it’s chump change when this team has been struggling for a decent LH reliever for the past umpteen seasons.
If Cashman is seriously going to tempt fate and make the same mistake with Coke he made with IPK and Hughes last season and decide he has his lefty in the pen, he’s an idiot and the Yankees are officially penny pinching.
If Marte walks, I fail to see any logic in the deal he made at the deadline unless that deal was all about dumping as many potential rule 5 draft eligible players at the same time as possible for something.
I understand we can get 2 1st round picks or picks for Marte depending on the record of the team that signs him, but then this bullpen is once again weakened.
1 year at 6 million is nothing to the Yankees who are paying Igawa 4 million to pitch each season in triple A.
I hope King is wrong or Cashman has some deal lined up with Marte for a multi-year deal with a lower annual salary…otherwise this move sucks.
What other quality LH reliever is there on the market?
Yankees being cheap on certain players/positions as usual, outsmarting themselves..see Jeff Nelson, we could have used him in 2001..wonder if Rivera would have been just a little better had he not had to pitch so many 2 inning saves and we had to trade for Witasik, who was awful….Cashman has been trying to get Marte for years, now he lets him go, stupid!!
we have been trying to get this guys for the past 6 years. we haven’t had a quality lefty since stanton.
we’ve gone through the likes of henn, hitchcock, nitkowtzki, myers, darrel may, gabe white, traber, choate, heredia, orosco, graman, franklin, embree, villone etc.
and now we finally have a legit lefty and we’re just going to give him away?
lets not kill ourselves over not picking up marte’s option
we’ve been trying to get marte for 6 years. we haven;t hard a real lefty since mike stanton.
since then we’ve gone through henn, choate, hitchcock, groom, traber, heredia, darrell may, gabe white, myers, orosco, franklin, nitkowizki, graman, embree, villone, etc.
now we finally have a legit lefty and we’re going to get rid of him??
Those that are getting a heads up on jumping all over Cashman regarding Marte…
I know many think they have all the facts available and are privy to all the latest evaluation reports, confidential organizational rankings and planned maneuverings. Even if you have all that, which you of course don’t, do you think it is remotely possible the Yankees might possibly have a plan and their dealings with Marte up until this point are part of that plan?
I agree Pete. Its strange that they wouldn’t pick up the option on Marte considering how long it took them to finally get him. If they re-sign him, its not going to be a 1 year deal. He’ll get a multi year deal somewhere.
I chalk this up as another Cashman blunder. He’s too wrapped up in these draft picks now and isn’t playing smart with the major league team’s best interest in mind for 2009.
As much as I care about the bullpen, and after watching the 08 Mets, I do care, it matters naught if your starters can’t give you length in the first place.
Jets 24 Bills 20
The fact he is a Type A free agent makes him less appealing on the open market. Is it worth losing a draft pick for a middle reliever who showed signs of decline last season? The Yanks are banking on the market for Marte to be affected by his status as a Type A, and think they can sign him for a better deal than the 1 year 6 million option. If he signs for more with another team then they end up with picks–not a bad worst case scenario.
well, George King isn’t exactly the most reliable source of info. so hopefully this is just BS.
I hope so anyway, because dumping Marte would be stupid.
IMO it would also make the trade w/Pittsburgh stupid in that Ohlendorf was worth keeping around. Marte for 2 seasons made it worth giving Ohlendorf up; Marte for just 1 season, in a year where the team was fairly far behind, is just wasting Ohlendorf. (unless you value Nady more than i do)
Don’t rush to make a judgment. First of all, even if you guys doubt Cashman, I am pretty sure he will ask opinions from scouts, coaches and front office. Secondly, we have to make sure Marte is healthy. Thirdly, Marte is the main guy Cashman wants in the Nady/Marte trade. I don’t think Cashman will trade away young talents in the farm for two month rental.
If Marte is healthy and Yankees decline his 6 million option, I think Yankees should have multi-years deal in place with Marte. I don’t think Yankees will risk to lose him by letting him test free agent market. If I were Marte, I would be happier to get a 2-3 year deal instead of one-year option. I think Yankees will be better off with 2 year deal at cheaper annual rate with Marte.
This doesnt make any sense … There are not any quality lefty relievers on the market. Marte is the best option. The yanks love high priced short term deals; doesnt one yr and six million qualify? Do they think he will sign for less money and one yr? Do they think coke is better for a month of stats? Do they think two draft picks is better than a stable bullpen? Do they need to vault up every last cent and offer it to CC and Tex? Yankee21, I know we dont have all the facts but think logically here. You can ask yourself almost every possible reason the yanks would do this and none of them make a whole lot of sense. Not to mention, one yr and six million is cashmans favorite kind of contract.
It’s hard to believe anyone could possibly put any credence into what George King is saying right now.
He’s completely unreliable. He just spewing out rumors left and right to fill column space. He’s consistently wrong all of the time.
He’s just throwing things up against the wall to see what could theoretically stick.
It’s kind of funny that a couple of days ago Pete put up a column about how writers generate rumors on hot stove moves based on close to nothing.
And now we’re supposed to take George King seriously?
The yankees may or may not pick up Marte’s options. But I’d venture George King has no clue what’s going on.
Let’s wait and see what happens before jumping out of our skins. They gave up a number of good young players to get Nady and Marte. Cashman at the time said a big reason why he was willing to do so was that both players were under team control.
I’d put much more credence into logic than George King. Very well could be that they sign Marte to a long term deal rather than picking up his option. Let’s see what happens.
jessica – u r wrong. Marte wants a two to three yr deal. The yanks should want to keep him at one at a high rate. This is the best contract the yanks could get and if they decline, they r blowing it.
I love this Lowe is a great option if we cant get CC. I cant disagree more. One, look at his last two seasons in boston – he fell apart. His hits and walks went waaay up. Era went up, strike outs went down. Then, he went t o the NL and revived his career. He pitched well and pretty much 200 innings every yr but the fact that he had to leave the AL to become solid again doesnt bode well for coming back to the AL next season. Despite the injury risks, I like Burnett better than Lowe. I hate getting a pitcher with NL success esp when he wasnt succeeding in the AL prior to that.
I also think its another act of hubris of Cashman relies on Phil Coke to be the lefty reliever.
Its a lot like just handing a job to Hughes and Kennedy.
Another bad example of Cashman planning would be last year when Abreu would have accepted a 2 year 24M deal. Instead Cashman picked up the option. That extra year right now with Abreu would have been really helpful. Instead we’re gonna be minus a #3 hitter.
Exactly CB, it’s very possible the Yanks have a handshake agreement for a new deal. Maybe 2 for $10M? 3 for $12M
george: actually, Olendorf was worth giving up, just to make room for Rule 5.
your point is taken, tho. As Tabata, was also in the trade.
I’d agree with that dave.
Bringing back Lowe to the AL is a disaster waiting to happen. We also don’t need another sinkerball guy. 1 contact guy every 5 days is enough with this defense.
No top echelon deals by Cashman until the free agents and their agents can begin negotiations.
If Cashman comes away from the GM meetings and secures a good utility man like Ty Wigginton, then he comes back to NYC successful.
hearing argument in support of cash not accepting marte’s option reminds me of the arguments supporting the trade of proctor for betemit.
2 names Micheal Dunn and Wilkins De La Rosa, Marte whether his option is picked up is meaningless right now. We had this discussion he’s getting up there and his location was eratic last season, I trust this new brain trust can identify if he is a plus or a negative on this roster in 09′. The direction is clear here they are stacking up to have a big 08, 09′ draft haul if this happens.
CB: I took it, the Post was reporting the transaction as fact. If it isn’t, i will not be suprised. aka George King
This may be just a wrong information from NY post and king.
6 million a year is definitely too high for Marte. If Yankees can get him to sign a two year deal at 8 million, why not go to 2 year deal?
“Another bad example of Cashman planning would be last year when Abreu would have accepted a 2 year 24M deal.”
Where do you get the idea that Abreu would have accepted a 2 year 24M deal?
“Instead we’re gonna be minus a #3 hitter.”
I didn’t realize that Abreu was the only player in MLB that could possibly bat #3 for the Yankees. Stupid Cashman
09′/’10 *
“Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
2 names Micheal Dunn and Wilkins De La Rosa, Marte whether his option is picked up is meaningless right now. We had this discussion he’s getting up there and his location was eratic last season, I trust this new brain trust can identify if he is a plus or a negative on this roster in 09’. The direction is clear here they are stacking up to have a big 08, 09’ draft haul if this happens”
unless Marte is injured. You don’t let him walk. Marte is proven, and the internal options are not.
Oh yeh,
Jets 24 Bills 36
CB,
Im glad to hear that. Cash cannot be this stupid as his first real move under his new contract. This decision would make zero sense to anyone with some logic. Left handed specialist are rare – we have one of the better ones in our control – we like one yr deals – this is a one yr option on him – take the option. What am I missing here? The only way this rumor has any truth behind it is if marte is injured. Highly unlikely that pete would not have mentioned that before …. No?
Speaking of great rumors, the Boston Globe is just a fountain this AM, including:
“Wheeling and dealing…
The Yankees have been very aggressive in calling teams to see who might be available. They called the Astros about Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman and were told they were not going to be dealt . . .”
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....ng/?page=4
“reminds me of the arguments supporting the trade of proctor for betemit.”
Scott Proctor had a WHIP of 1.6 and a 6.05 ERA in the NL and he has a bad elbow. You still want him?
“unless Marte is injured. You don’t let him walk. Marte is proven, and the internal options are not.”
I agree to a point here. You don’t let him walk he is still a big trade piece in the ML.
I really don’t get this outpouring of anger.
“Hubris” Really? People are talking about this in ways that imply that it’s a done deal.
A done deal based on a George King rumor? Really?
This is what King wrote the day before:
“Hank Steinbrenner yesterday confirmed what other organizations told The Post earlier this week concerning free agent Manny Ramirez:
The productive and controversial slugger is on the Yankees’ radar.”
What did Hank actually say:
““There’s nothing we are not looking at,†Steinbrenner said Friday at the Yankees’ spring training complex. “And personally, I like Manny. He’s one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. He’s a free spirit for sure, but he knows how to win. We like some of the other guys, too. We just don’t know yet.—
King is pure tabloid hyperbole. And in the age of the internet and blogging he’s just getting worse. Every absurd throw it out there rumor makes it much more likely he’ll get linked to on mlb trade rumors and then subsequently linked to on every yankee blog in the world.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11.....136267.htm
“You don’t let him walk he is still a big trade piece in the ML.”
Not for 6MIL a year he isn’t.
and Leon Washington contiunes to carry the team on his back.
jessica,
Lefty relievers are extremely volatile as are all relievers in the game. You dont want relievers signing multi yr contracts. Anything could happen to them over the course of a season. AND CASH LOOOVES HIGH PRICED ONE YR DEALS. six million at one yr is a better deal than four million anually for two yrs of marte. He prolly wont be lights out next yr and demand a huge contract but he may be awful and we wont want to be stuck with him. A one yr contract is usually a win win.
“Not for 6MIL a year he isn’t.”
LH reliever w/ 95+ and a nasty slider, yeeeeeah
Marshawn Lynch my fantasy pick for this week on point.
Ray,
Look at his stats in 2007 – how bad did we need relievers? How useful has betemit been to us? And im not looking at this deal in hindsight. At the time, it made little sense but ppls arguments were – cashman has some sort of master plan in terms of getting more relievers – our number one priority at the time. We never got anybody until hawkins last off season… some more brilliance. Im just sayin cash hasnt been too great at pen decisions. This would really just be another mistake in a long line of them.
“RayMagnetic
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Not for 6MIL a year he isn’t”
for 3 million, he is. You know NYY would eat half of it, to get a key player or prospects in return.
straight from King’s column:
“Add Damaso Marte to Jason GiambiJason Giambi and Carl PavanoCarl Pavano as players the YankeesNew York Yankees aren’t likely to exercise options on – which will make them free agents.”"
key words: AREN’T LIKELY…its not fact
“Not for 6MIL a year he isn’t.â€
LH reliever w/ 95+ and a nasty slider, yeeeeeah”
No, he’s not worth 6MIL. Especially if the team who trades for him is using him as a left-handed specialist.
“No comment” on the Marte move/non-move until the appropriate time.
Otherwise, how is everyone on this beautiful Sunday morning?
“No, he’s not worth 6MIL. Especially if the team who trades for him is using him as a left-handed specialist.”
A team in the ML would make him thier CL he can close out games better than 1/2 the relievers in the NL or AL.
“Ray,
Look at his stats in 2007 – how bad did we need relievers? How useful has betemit been to us? And im not looking at this deal in hindsight. At the time, it made little sense but ppls arguments were – cashman has some sort of master plan in terms of getting more relievers – our number one priority at the time. We never got anybody until hawkins last off season… some more brilliance. Im just sayin cash hasnt been too great at pen decisions. This would really just be another mistake in a long line of them.”
In 2007 before Proctor was traded he had a WHIP ofo 1.5, are you kidding me?
The Yankees pen this year was the best it’s been in years also so I have no idea what you’re talking about.
“for 3 million, he is. You know NYY would eat half of it, to get a key player or prospects in return.”
Yeah, that makes sense. Pay 3 mil to get a prospect back in return for Marte. Brilliant! Because you are not getting back a “key player” for Marte.
am well, Mel. Thank you for asking.
the Jets are in for a beating, tho
“I didn’t realize that Abreu was the only player in MLB that could possibly bat #3 for the Yankees. Stupid Cashman”
It was in the press last year that Abreu was willing to take a 2 year deal last year.
You’re right, there is so many quality bats out there to fill his place, like Varitek and his .215 batting average.
vinny-b, giving up on Ohlendorf and his excellent stuff, because in his rookie year he got hit is a tad impatient.
anyway, unless Marte’s developed an injury, i don’t believe Cashman will just let Marte go. it doesn’t add up.
Dave,
You make some great points, but you can’t say that Cash doesn’t know what he’s doing in regards to the pen.
He let Gordon go at the right time and we garnered two good pitching prospects. He let Proctor go at the right time. He picked up Bruney, and stuck with him even when I, who is the definition of patient, would’ve let him go. He overpaid to keep Mariano (not that he was ever going to leave). Omar is the one who doesn’t know how to build a pen.
“It was in the press last year that Abreu was willing to take a 2 year deal last year.
You’re right, there is so many quality bats out there to fill his place, like Varitek and his .215 batting average.”
So because it was in the press that makes it true? Did you ever hear Abreu say he was willing to take a 2 year deal at 24mil per? Do you really think if the Yanks hadn’t picked up his option and he was a free agent some team wouldn’t have given him multiple years at much more than 24mil?
why are the Buffalo Bills players, wearing leg-warmers ??
vinny-b,
Glad you’re doing well.
Can’t believe how good the Bills are.
For whatever reason, though, everytime I turn on the tv on Sunday, I get an eyeful of the Jets or Giants.
At least I get to watch the Pats tonight, but it’s against the split-personality Colts. Hoping it’s the lame Colts tonight.
I think everyone don’t have to overreact. Let us know more information and make sure the information from Cashman first.
I will not mind to keep him for 2 year deal at 8 million. 6 million is certainly high for Marte. Let us wait and see.
I don’t agree on trading Proctor for Betemit at that time. When Betemit hasn’t been good for us, Proctor ends up in DL. Yankees certainly know the healthy status of Proctor than us.
“You’re right, there is so many quality bats out there to fill his place, like Varitek and his .215 batting average.”
This past season Abreu was 7.2 runs worse than a league average right fielder. He was below league average.
Jason Varitek was 8.5 runs worse than a league average catcher last year.
Varitek was about 1 run worse than Abreu last year. Not a lot.
Abreu was 15 runs better than league average at the plate but 22 runs worse than league average defensively. He was the single worse defensive player in all of baseball.
The yankees were very fortunate that they didn’t sign Abreu to any kind of extension last year.
I’m going to err on the side of optimism here and assume that King is full of it and making stuff up. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
Even if the Yankees really do think Coke is the answer (and I think some here may be too quick to assume he ISN’T the answer…has Kennedy now turned us against every guy who comes up & pitches well in Sept.? Just because IPK was bad doesnt mean none of them are for real!) ….but even if Coke turns out to be an effective LHRP you would think the Yanks would want to pick up Marte’s option anyway because he is a very good trade chip. He’s the kind of guy whose inclusion in a bigger package could make it a done deal.
So let’s hope this is a false report but certainly not freak out about it till it actually happens. Some people on here, I think, are just waiting for an excuse to hate on Cash!
I will, however, admit that FA pitching decisions havent always been his forte. Continuing on the topic of Pete’s last post, I would love to see if not Pat Gillick then someone like Buck Showalter come aboard as his assistant to help him out in making some of these calls. I keep reading that Stick has more input this year, but that’s very vague and I’d like a little more assurance than that.
CB,
So, Abreu would be the perfect DH?
mel,
abreu would be a solid DH. that’s really what he is right now.
But they already have Matsui.
“mel
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
At least I get to watch the Pats tonight, but it’s against the split-personality Colts. Hoping it’s the lame Colts tonight”
ok. kewl. Will be interesting to see how Manning plays.
CB,
You mean there’s a stat to verify what our eyes saw?
I joked yesterday to let Abreu go sign his 3 year with another team, then we can trade for him when we need a DH. Sort of how the first time was-a salary dump.
Is this the last year of Matsui’s contract?
“It was in the press last year that Abreu was willing to take a 2 year deal last year.
You’re right, there is so many quality bats out there to fill his place, like Varitek and his .215 batting average.”
So because it was in the press that makes it true? Did you ever hear Abreu say he was willing to take a 2 year deal at 24mil per?
Do you really think if the Yanks hadn’t picked up his option and he was a free agent some team wouldn’t have given him multiple years at much more than 24mil?
Regarding Marte, i honestly just think George King is assuming that the Yankees don’t pick up the option. I won’t believe anything he says until it actually happens
Elam with the pick +6
hopefully Eric Smith doesn’t see the field, for remaining of the year
“LH reliever w/ 95+ and a nasty slider, yeeeeeah”
He’s the only such guy the Yankees have and THEY don’t want to pay him $6M. Why would you expect someone else to trade for him at $6M?
The KC Chiefs-Whoa
Proctors whip was a 1.25 with the dodgers. He also had an era under four and was an innings eater for us. Point is, we desparately needed relievers at the time he traded him for betemit – the most worthless player on the roster.
Anyway, your right. The pen was the best its been in a while. No thanks to free agent signings tho. Cash was good building the pen last yr through minor league calls ups and a trade but not through FA signings. Either way, this marte rumor is hopefully false. This would make zero sense and weaken the bullpen for no reason.
Pete lets not forget who the Yankees faced in Sept! Rays, sox, white sox etc teams playing for the playoffs. Not the Royals of the world.
MLBTR reports the sox all in on Tex. Should the Yanks pursue too?? (moving Youk to 3rd and trading Lowell)
“The KC Chiefs-Whoa”
Bengals too. Even the Lions.
sunny,
Wow. The Sox would have Bay and Tex?
It’s worth it to drive the price up.
Not too sure about the rumor though. The Sox don’t usually go for long, rich contracts. Their needs would be filled with Youkilis and a healthy Lowell, who was their WS MVP just a year ago. I think they need to worry about one more starter, catcher, and bullpen. 1B seems not to be a problem for them.
I think it would serve the Yankees good to keep Burnett out of their hot little hands, though.
I think it would serve the Yankees good to keep Burnett out of Boston’s hot little hands, though.
“The KC Chiefs-Whoaâ€
Bengals too. Even the Lions.
————————————
It’s bizarro day in the NFL
Some of these scores from the 1pm games make me feel like I’m in a parallel universe or something? Detroit leads Chicago by 10? Really? Let’s hope the Giants/’Girls game is more predictable!
One agent said – without any hint of a joke – he would not be surprised if the Yanks signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez. “Beyond having a conscious, there is no reason the Yanks cannot take their payroll to $250 million or more.”
An NL GM said, “The Yankees are the wild card of the offseason. Do they blow everyone away or do they operate like a real team with a real budget?”
courtesy of joel sherman in todays column
“Not too sure about the rumor though. The Sox don’t usually go for long, rich contracts. Their needs would be filled with Youkilis and a healthy Lowell, who was their WS MVP just a year ago.”
Agree Mel. However, Lowell is fairly deep into the back nine of his career one way or another and hip injuries can be brutal. Pursuit of Teixeira may also speak to concerns over Ortiz’s health going forward. They went 5 years on JD Drew. Not necessarily difficult to see them going longer on a better ballplayer.
That anonymous agent obviously hasnt been paying attention to Cashman’s moves the past few years. No way does he let payroll go that high. I think he’s had about enough of funding our competition with luxury tax money. I don’t know exactly how much money someone like Cliff Floyd made this past season, but there’s a good chance that the Yanks’ contribution essentially paid his salary.
Fredo,
Good points. I’m not sure exactly what Lowell’s injury is, but I’m under the impression it’s more muscular than skeletal? It’s not like he’s had a hip replacement.
The Ortiz problem is a problem, I forgot about that.
Texas Tech up to #2 in the AP. Somewhere, Penn State fans are going scooters.
Fredo: am a big 10 guy. But if Texas Tech would’ve played Ohio State last week, they would’ve killed them.
Jonathon,
Do you have a link? I went to look for the Sherman piece, but couldn’t find anything current.
I’m trying to figure out if he really used ‘conscious’ in that context.
Vinny:
Big 10 is brutal this year, so it’s hard to tell how good PSU is. Texas Tech still has to play Ok State at home and visit Oklahoma. I they win those and Alabama beats LSU, then Penn State has no legit gripe.
Fredo,
Why? Did Penn State beat a #1? Did Penn State play?
I know they’re some Penn State fans on this blog, but they wouldn’t be able to beat a handful of those 1-loss teams.
That Big-12 Conference looks pretty good.
Fredo:
very true.
And if Penn State doesn’t like it, let them use their influence to implement a conference playoff game in the future, as the other conferences have to play.
*ie, it would help their strength of schedule*
Wow. Just read the George King thing. You can’t even call that an article. 3 paragraphs? The first is an unsubstantiated opinion. The second is a no-duh explanation.
OT
I am going to get tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The very first row is AA. There are tickets available on stub hub. Is that too close to the stage? I know that when we go to the theatre locally we make sure we are at least several rows back since you kill your heck having to look up at the stage all night. But if the orchestra pit is a large one being in the front row shouldn’t matter. Thanks.
Trisha,
I used to work at Radio City Hall. Which mezzanine it is?
Some fans are overreacting.
Marte might well be re-signed. And his option was far from the kind of chump change that some are suggesting. $6mil. If the Yanks give him a 2yr deal at $8mil, it’d be good for both sides, and they’d have to formally decline his 2009 option to do that.
As for Coke, sure, it was a small sample size. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t really as good as he looked. If he is as good as he looked, he’s a legit setup guy every bit as much as Marte.
I’m hoping they keep Marte, but if they don’t, there are several LH relievers in the FA market this year, unlike years past. Ohman, Reyes, and Affeldt all have value. Mike Gonzales is probably available in a trade. And then, of course, there is the possibility that ‘Lil Hank steps in and offers Brian Fuentes ridiculous money.
Ed, it is orchestra, the very first row in Radio City – not mezzanine. It is the row closest to the stage!
Trisha,
the best I could say is be prepared to go deaf.
LOL. You will be sitting right next to the orchestra, and the seats are diagonal to the stage. did you saw the seating chart on the Radio?
Affeldt is FA this offseason, so he can be an offseason target.
Thanks for the advice Ed. I definitely will not be getting those seats!
Which rows would you recommend if I wanted to sit in the orchestra?
A 2 year deal for $8MM total is smarter then 1 year at a inflated $6MM. If it goes to arbitration Marte may get $4MM for 1 year. Worst case the Yanks get 2 #1 picks for a 2 month rental.
Isn’t one of Toronto’s good lefty relievers a FA this offseason also? I want to say Scott Downs but not sure offhand. The market is not completely barren though.
I don’t care if it’s picking up the option or signing him to a two-year deal, I want Marte back next year. We waited too long to get a viable lefty option out of the pen.
Like someone here said, penny wise, pound foolish.
Trisha,
No problem.
if you want a seat that you could look directly but close to the stage, then I would prefer somewhere between EE to KK.
Ed – looking forward to 2009
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Trisha,
I used to work at Radio City Hall. Which mezzanine it is?
________________________________________________________
Oh! My God….Ed, you wasn’t a Rockette, were you? That’s not a pretty vision at all.
no, Scott Downs isnt a free agent. the only left pitcher from the Jays is a free agent is John Parrish.
GB,
you just had to do that, huh? lol. I was an usher, directing people to their seats. lol
Ed – looking forward to 2009
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
GB,
you just had to do that, huh? lol. I was an usher, directing people to their seats. lol
________________________________________________________
Well, ok, Ed. As long as you weren’t wearing panty hose and stiletto heels.
You guys!
GB,
lol, oh god no..that would decrease the attendence.
LOL. The word association here is terrible.
I’m watching a movie with a cameo by Neil Diamond, but thinking about that creepy song.
Can’t think of an abscess without picturing Clemens’ butt.
Clown hair=Bartolo Colon.
Now, when I see a Lace & Stiletto’s ad, I picture Ed doing high leg kicks?
The Yankees have been very aggressive in calling teams to see who might be available. They called the Astros about Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman and were told they were not going to be dealt.
—————–
at least, Cashman have been busy working the phone.
and with that pick 6, the Bills are back in this game
“and with that pick 6, the Bills are back in this game”
I love Favre. And have had his back all year.
But, you don’t make that throw. In particular, when up by 13
good move by the Yankees in not picking up Marte’s option. the guy was mediocre when we had him and i’ll take the draft picks. we have plenty of younger, better, and cheapter options anyhow.
Ed – looking forward to 2009
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
GB,
lol, oh god no..that would decrease the attendence.
__________________________________________________________
The city could hire you to evacuate buildings and maybe even let you become “The Pied Piper Of NY” to drive out the rats and roaches.
“we have plenty of younger, better, and cheapter options anyhow”
kinda like last winter/spring. Knowing we had Hughes & Kennedy in the rotation.
Ed – looking forward to 2009
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
The Yankees have been very aggressive in calling teams to see who might be available. They called the Astros about Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman and were told they were not going to be dealt.
————————-
at least, Cashman have been busy working the phone.
________________________________________________________
NYY would receive Berkman and Oswalt, but, Cashman wouldn’t give up the major pieces, Betemit and Ramirez.
“we have plenty of younger, better, and cheapter options anyhow”
You’re right on the younger and cheaper. Two out of three ain’t bad.
I think the Yanks sign Marte to a more 2-3 year at a more reasonable salary. He’s the best lefty in their pen by a country mile.
And Despite Wearing Leg-Warmers, the Buffalo Bills Could Not Beat the Mighty New York Jets
“NYY would receive Berkman and Oswalt, but, Cashman wouldn’t give up the major pieces, Betemit and Ramirez.”
LOL. To Cashman’s credit, that’s a smart inquiry. Those guys both average about $15M per for three more seasons each. Never know whether the Stros may be looking to dump salary. Would seem to suggest a willingnes on Cashman’s part to move some assets if it means having a Berkman for three years as opposed to chasing down a Teixeira for 7-8 years. Even though it didn’t work, I like the thinking.
Jose Tabata and a bunch of bums for 1.5 seasons of X-Nady, 1/2 a season of Marte and two draft picks…no way you can call that a bad deal.
Someone’s helmet Jacobs will run over.
riveraveblues just said we declined Marte’s option. Anyone have a link or something that says it is true?
Fredo Corleone
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:56 pm
LOL. To Cashman’s credit, that’s a smart inquiry. Those guys both average about $15M per for three more seasons each. Never know whether the Stros may be looking to dump salary. Would seem to suggest a willingnes on Cashman’s part to move some assets if it means having a Berkman for three years as opposed to chasing down a Teixeira for 7-8 years. Even though it didn’t work, I like the thinking.
——————————————————-
Yeah, I just don’t see much of a match for either of Houston’s players. Houston, with Carlos Lee back next year and Pence having another year of experience is really a 2nd baseman and another starter from closing the gap on Chicago. That’s only if they keep Berkman and Oswalt. It’s either that or they strip the team and start over.
“may” may ! “may decline”
Catch that ball Ward !
THE BOSSMAN !
Ray Rice = 154 yds today
The Legend Killer Returns !
Damn I got to come up w/ a nickname for Smith.
If you’re bored, I’ve done a recap of all the Yankee players in winter ball.
If you’re really bored, I’ve linked the players pages, too.
The Giants are wearing ruby slippers!
Plax ran the wrong route.
Kyle
November 2nd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I don’t understand why they aren’t picking up this option. This makes no sense to me. It’s relatively cheap, for a decent left-handed reliever, which like you said are hard to find. It’s definitely an advantage to have more than one lefty in the pen to go to in certain situations.
————————————————————
6 million is too much to be paying marte for the few innings he pitches.if he was a setup man or a reliever maybe.
they also get a 2 draft picks if he signs elswhere.they could try to sign him for less money.6 million could be better spent elswhere.
if they had bullpen problems it might be a different story but the yankees have tons of bullpen guys and more coming.
it is ok to spend money but i like the idea that cashman is trying to be smart about it.
would it be nice to have marte,yes but is would also be nice if we had a real centerfielder,first baseman,an ace,a solid number 3 and 4 pitcher and an on the verge catcher.
I gotta go with declining on Marte, but I’d like to see him extended.
$6 mil for a setup guy is way over market – there’s only a handful of guys making that in ’09 , and most are bad deals. And for a lefty reliever – though I think Marte is more than that – it’s way above market. As pointed out above, his Type A status negatively impacts his market value, so $4 mil should be a doable deal. How you can view a 2 year $8 mil deal (though I think Marte could possibly do better, at least longer) is worse than a 1 @ $6 mm is beyond me.
It’s possible what King has heard is an indicatio that NY won’t go that number, and again as pointed out above, are angling for an extension at a lower annual cost. You might note that Pitt renegotiated Marte’s prior contract including 2 options at $3mm each to those same 2 years at $4.7 plus this $6 mil option – the option made it look like he got more than he gave. But clearly he’s converted bigger options to a lower annual cost multi-year deal in the recent past. That’s the result I expect and hope for.
What’s the point of 1 year at $6 if you think he’s an important piece and better than what the Yanks have coming as lefties (Coke, De La Rosa, Dunn, Kroenke, with the first 3 still being considered as starters)?
the bullpen is the last of our problems.even before marte they were doing good.
keep in mind they could sign him for 1,2,3 years for 4-15 million and make out in the end.
let cashman do his thing.we are lined up to get several picks.
keep in mind we got joba and kennedy for losing tom gordon.
wait until this plays itself out.
worse case they get 2 picks.they might end up signing him for less money.6 million is a lot of money.2 yrs/10 million is what he might take.
relax everybody.
not many teams will wan’t to give up a first round pick and a sandwich fr/2nd round pick or if a team with the 16th best record or below it would be their next pick or picks.
dave
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
This doesnt make any sense … There are not any quality lefty relievers on the market. Marte is the best option. The yanks love high priced short term deals; doesnt one yr and six million qualify? Do they think he will sign for less money and one yr? Do they think coke is better for a month of stats? Do they think two draft picks is better than a stable bullpen? Do they need to vault up every last cent and offer it to CC and Tex? Yankee21, I know we dont have all the facts but think logically here. You can ask yourself almost every possible reason the yanks would do this and none of them make a whole lot of sense. Not to mention, one yr and six million is cashmans favorite kind of contract.
————————————————————
it would make tons of sense if they signed him for 2 yrs 8-10 million or 3 yrs 12-15 million.
Where is Pete? They have to fix the time on the blog.
dave
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Ray,
Look at his stats in 2007 – how bad did we need relievers? How useful has betemit been to us? And im not looking at this deal in hindsight. At the time, it made little sense but ppls arguments were – cashman has some sort of master plan in terms of getting more relievers – our number one priority at the time. We never got anybody until hawkins last off season… some more brilliance. Im just sayin cash hasnt been too great at pen decisions. This would really just be another mistake in a long line of them.
————————————————————
the yankees have one of the best,youngest,deepest,cheapest bullpens in baseball without marte,it was our bright spot.
Re Marte:
The Yanks had plenty of time to evaluate him this year. I am guessing there is something about him that tells them he is not worth $6M.
Was he really that good after Girardi used him for that 2 inning stint where he got injured?
It also could be that they think he doesn’t have what it takes to pitch in NY. Remember that is always a factor with these guys that are used to pitching on small market teams.
All the above is a guess but I am willing to give the team
the benefit of the doubt on this. Especially since they pursued a trade for the guy for two years before they finally got him.
Personal foul-Tackling the QB with full body weight????
What?
S.A.-Looking forward to 2009 and show CC the money (and food)!
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Personal foul-Tackling the QB with full body weight????
What?
__________________________________________________________-
They’re playing two-hand-touch-above-the-waist.
It’s looking more and more like Payton is becoming ‘The Other Manning”.
***Peyton***
I wonder if Wade Phillips will be coaching the cowboys next game? They have their bye next and Jerry Jones might be tempted.
Joe Beimel is a Type B free agent whose given up like one homerun in two years, is deadly on lefties and made 1.925M last year as a situational lefty, which is what Marte essentially is at 6M. Just another name to add to the list of possibilities if Marte not brought back.
Another name-Juan Cruz- was used as a starter when 1st brought up by the Cubs and his first year with Arizona. Could he be a starter for us, or is he another Edwar Ramirez, 6’2″ 150 lbs?
Anyone know how Phil has done in the AZ fall league? Or Miranda for that matter.
I would think if they decline Marte’s option, there’s a possible offer that’s on the table.
GM meetings already? We are one step closer to the winter meetings
and one step closer to spring training.
I read that Brett is going to get to FLA in January.
“I read that Brett is going to get to FLA in January.”
Good, he needs to. If he could get on base he would be the CF hands down but his futility with the bat is denying his 2 best tools his speed and instincts.
will Cashman make a trade tomorrow? hmm…
AL- But he did get on a good streak at the end of the season. Long changed his stance and he took off.
Jennifer,
Long told Brett to use his legs more and he did, it was Cano’s stance that was changed.
I have restrained hope that perhaps Brett can become a Pedroia type hitter, they have the exact same frame.
Ed- I thought he changed something with Brett as well.
Jennifer- To answer your question Phil hasn’t done so well in the AFL, I’m not sure of Miranda’s stats however.
I know he didn’t do well in the “stars” game, I hadn’t heard what happened in his last start.
Didn’t Phil have 2 crappy starts and 2 pretty ok starts in the AFL?
jennifer,
Funny you should ask. I did an entry today with links to all the player pages.
Phil hasn’t pitched since the showcase.
Miranda’s in an 0-for-14 slump, but he’s still hitting .333.
I wonder why he hasn’t pitched, that is strange. That game was a while ago.
I cannot believe the yare not picking up Martes option, that is a no brainer.. So he is overpaid $3 mill, is that a big deal the ywill over pay at least $45 mill for a few schlubs.
Bad idea unless they resign him for less money but for 2 years…..
“Miranda’s in an 0-for-14 slump, but he’s still hitting .333.”
I guess the first 2 weeks warned him out. lol
Marte was not good with the Yankees. No one is saying Coke is the answer, just that we should not overpay for a guy who has not been good as a yankee.
John Heyman going over the major free agents:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
george
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Marte was not good with the Yankees. No one is saying Coke is the answer, just that we should not overpay for a guy who has not been good as a yankee.
______________________________________________________
he had 3 games out of 25 that were bad. 8 hits, 8 runs and 4 of the walks came in those games. That hardly makes him “not good”.
****make that 5 of 25 games.****
What is it with yankee fans and quick judgements?
Marte had three to five bad outings?
Another crappy Cashman move. Who cares if we spend another year trying out overmatched rooks and has-beens late in games against the game’s best lefties? As long as Cash gets his precious draft picks (which he’ll promptly squander on this year’s CJ Henry, or some 5-year project like Brackman) what’s the dif?
I’d rather have Marte for 1 year at $6M than 3 years at $12M any way. There’s nothing like the last year of a contract to keep a guy hungry and on the field through the little aches and pains.
Tom, I find that a lot of Yankee posters knee jerk and act from paralyzing and IRRATIONAL fear rather than being able to take an objective look at fact. They have a total inability to chill out.
In Marte’s last 10 games he allowed exactly 2 ER. When Marte was used appropriately, meaning when he was used for the purposes the Yankees got him and not OVERUSED, he pitched beautifully. Marte won’t be a Yankee only in the misguided dreams of Yankee fans who just don’t know any better.
In my opinion of course. Which should count for a lot. Read my tagline.
Oops. NOW read the tagline!
(Had to match it with my other computer.)
Belichick is such a tool.
In general.
trisha is such a tool.
in general and in every other way.
“trisha is such a tool.
in general and in every other way.”
WAH WAH WAH!!!
I just love watching grown men whine and pout.
P.S. Marte WILL be a Yankee again. Deal with it.
i know i brought this up a few days ago, but now im starting to get worried. Hughes hasn’t pitched since he threw 3 innings on Oct. 21 and he didn’t pitch this weekend at all either. that’s now 2 weeks since he actually pitched a game and about 17 days since making a full start. Either he’s injured or he’s gone missing, anybody hear anything?
As someone who works in the media I would be thrilled to have an audience as quick to take non information and run with it as some of you folks.
I don’t think anyone thinks Marte’ is a $ 6 M a year pitcher, including his mother. Just because a writer puts out there that the Yankees will likely not pick it up doesn’t mean anything, people!
I fully expect him to sign a reasonable two or three year deal OR accept arbitration so he can be a FA in 2010. The Yanks won’t give him away for nothing and the criticism of Cashman for stuff he has not yet done borders on lunacy.
I can’t believe everyone’s up in arms here about Damaso freakin Marte. The whole lefty reliever thing is way ovverrated. Managers overdo the lefty/righty matchups instead of just pitching your best relievers and letting them get out hitters from each side.
I love the idea of getting two draft picks for Marte. you say CJ Henry, I say Joba Chamberlain. If one of these picks ends up being the next Joba, will all of you come back and admit that you were wrong? Unlikely.
Setup guys are a dime a dozen these days. They’re valuable, but also volatile, esp. from year to year. The Yanks need starters far more than relievers. So I’m fine with letting Marte go and focusing on the rotation.
ML, I am ambivalent about your post. While I agree that the matchup thing is probably overdone, I don’t think it means that there isn’t value to having a lefty specialist in your pen, especially if you have a hitter who absolutely kills right-handed pitching. I don’t agree that set-up guys are a dime a dozen. I think they are a precious commodity. All you have to do is look at the playoffs to see the value of a solid set-up guy.
I love the thought of a solid set-up guy. We were all walking on air when Joba was our set up guy and Mo came in on his heels. As long as there are free agent starters and the Yankees don’t need to find a totally new rotation, I can’t see worrying about draft picks when you have a reliever of value who is a lefty to boot. It isn’t like our farm system is bereft of starting pitching. Just my opinion.
“belichick
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
trisha is such a tool.
in general and in every other way.”
Anyone else find it surprising that Pete would log in as “belichick” and defend his guy in such a childish manner? I guess his love for the Pats knows no boundaries. lol
what does letting marte go have to do with picking up starters? none of the players they draft will pitch for them for 5 years, thats if theyre even signed LOOOOOOOOOL
When used correctly, he’s as good , well above average good…..His contract needs work…..I just don’t see Coke taking over the role as the lefty bullpen option…..Be nice if he keeps coming on though….
I can live with two draft picks if Yankee brass thinks it’s the right way to go. And yes I believe in Coke. The Yankees may need the extra picks if they lose some for signing CC, Manny, Tex or anyone else. And yes, I think Coke can handle the job if necessary, but it would be nice to have two good lefties in the pen.
“As someone who works in the media I would be thrilled to have an audience as quick to take non information and run with it as some of you folks.”
Accurate statement of the century. Americans are led by the the nose by the media. Sports fans, unfortunately, tend to lead the pack.
“So I’m fine with letting Marte go and focusing on the rotation.”
As though 6 million 2009 dollars will make the difference between signing Sabathia and not doing so?
vin – funny but I thought the same thing…
yeah we need to believe in the players more. it will somehow make them perform better.
I would love to have Marte as our lefty specialist and have Coke as a late-in-the-game innings eater. Coke is definitely good for at least two innings. Why not use him that way?
I think Coke should be given a shot at the rotation.
Oooo-eee! Adam Vinateri, former Pats kicker, just accomplished something he hadn’t done in 90 past attempts. NINETY! He kicked a 50+ yard field goal. I just love seeing things like that, you know, the cheating Pats being victimized by one of their former players. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
Ed, I just want Coke in there as something more than a lefty specialist since we have seen that he kicks major butt continually and effortlessly!
Trisha,
I definitely know what you mean. I heard that he could strike out 10+ per game when he’s a starter. We did see a small sample of it when he was called up as a reliever.
Coke is not just a lefty specialist he is a dominant lefty who can get out righties as well, I see him as a guy who could pitch the 7th/8th if need be as well. However saying he should start now is a bit premature lets see how the off-season shapes up.
Al,
you starting your own blog?
I’m not saying he should start. I just think he should have a chance to compete for a spot.
Nice job Colts!
Actually I think the key moment in the game came when they had the taped player introductions and Dwight Freeney was shown with a Yankee cap on!!!
GO YANKEES!!!!!
“I just think he should have a chance to compete for a spot.”
Does no one think that, maybe, he should have a single start in AAA first? You’re all placing WAAAAAAY too much faith in a guy’s September stats. None of the hitters had the book on him yet.
Marte has been a consistently very good major league reliever for six years, and he’s got much better stuff than Coke. And you want to make him a LOOGY? This is a setup guy who happens to be a lefty. They should hang on to him.
I’d love for Coke to get a shot at starting in AAA, don’t get me wrong. If he can’t hack it after several months, THEN move him to the pen and let him force his way back to the bigs.
Coke is not just a lefty specialist he is a dominant lefty
That sure was a dominating 14 innings he pitched last year! Hall of Fame! He’s the answer!
Ed- Ya, I’ve always wanted to start my own blog so I just set it up. Its a good venting zone if nothing else. I plan on doing more in the way of links and graphics however I’m kinda new to the whole thing so I’ll get a handle on my skills first.
Al -
that’s cool. add my blog. i already added you.
Ed- I just added you, man I got alot of work to do your blog looks great.
Al – LOL. thanks, its nothing special. although I need to change the banner soon. lol
Ed- See how I had to mention Garko in my first post
Al, yeah I saw. lol, good job.
Here’s a fun list to play with.
There are 3 ex-Yankees on there, but another 1B is the one that grabs your attention.
http://fantasysource.sportingn.....l-pos.html
* three 1B that are ex-Yankees.
* Hey, how did that happen?
Discovered a cool new trick.
whoa, is the site administrators messing with the htmls?
lol mel, how you did that?
WHERE IS PHIL HUGHES?
Ed,
I put an asterisk in front of my text to note a correction and it blocked the text.
bold
italic
strike
-hello-
testing testing*
!bold!
[i]nope it doesnt work[/i]
hi people
Ed,
What does my 1:39 post look like?
!bold
#test
*?
*?
*It must only work with text. I’ve got block & strike figured out.
-never mind, only the strike works now-
Mel, on your 139 post, I only see an X.
testing testing
Tom,
Mel and I are trying to encode the htmls that has been blocked from this site. lol
Ed,
Me, too. I had the word ‘bold’ bookended by 2 exclamation points.
Just fooling around.
!test!
Mel, its very strange why Pete decided to disable the htmls.
Ed,
Not as strange as people thinking that Pete trolled a certain poster here tens of thousands of feet in the air.
Someone doesn’t want us to have freedom of speech.
We want our tags!
Mel,
“I wonder if Cashman is getting any GM drunk now so he could sucker them.”
if you what I mean…
arghhhh… if you know what i mean..
this is an html formatting test by your local html formatting system:
bold
underline?
italic
strike
*asterisk?
This text is bold
This text is strong
This text is big
This text is emphasized
This text is italic
This text is small
This text contains
subscript
This text contains
superscript
This text should have a line through it
This text should have a line under it
Here comes a long quotation:
This is a long quotation. This is a long quotation. This is a long quotation. This is a long quotation. This is a long quotation.
Here comes a short quotation:
This is a short quotation
With the block quote element, the browser inserts line breaks and margins, but the q element does not render as anything special.
well, html is gone.
*WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Acquire Oswalt and Berkman and cash to offset some of the salary differential, from Houston and NYY sends Ramirez and Betemit to Houston.
I’m just trying to be creative and help out Houston.
GB7,
HaHa. We need to do a 3 team deal with LA, to send Proctor to Houston, too. We end up with Loney.
mel
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:44 am
GB7,
HaHa. We need to do a 3 team deal with LA, to send Proctor to Houston, too. We end up with Loney.
__________________________________________________________
Well, NYY could resign Chad Moeller and then trade him along with Cody Ransom for Loney and Russell Martin.