Girardi ready for free agency
-
- November
- 13
Yankees manager Joe Girardi conducted a conference call with reporters today. There were some technical glitches at first but it got rolling after a bit.
Here is the audio. It starts with his responding to a question about Damaso Marte:
The key points of the call: Girardi is prepared to help recruit free agents and if the Yankees don’t get CC Sabathia, they’ll just have to move on. He is OK with letting Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera compete for the job in center and doesn’t plan to use Johnny Damon there. He also talked about the danger of signing pitchers with injuries in their history like Ben Sheets and A.J. Burnett.
——————
Girardi also did the call to promote a charity event on Wednesday. He, Michael Kay and Jim Nantz of CBS will be at the Grand Central Oyster Bar to benefit several charities for research into Alzheimer’s disease.
Tickets are priced at $250 per person, while tables of 10 are priced at $5,000 and $2,500. There are 30 tickets remaining. Cocktail hour begins at 6:30 p.m. with the dinner and program starting an hour later. For information and ticket purchase, contact (212) 490-7108 or (800) 622-7775 or e-mail info@oysterbarny.com.
My grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease before she passed away in 2005 and was tragic to see such a bright and funny woman change the way she did. So if you have it in your means to help out this event, I urge you to do so.
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on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 12:05 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Realistically CC won’t sign tomorrow but he’s just delaying the inevitable. We’ll blow any offer out of the water so if its really about the money then he should start his housing search in the tri-state area
starting tonight at 12:01 AM will be really hectic. gonna feel sorry for you Pete, with all the rumors posting.
Is it 12:00 EST? Or could CC go to Fiji and get a 12 hour jump on this…..
Tom,
since CC lives in Cali, I’m guessing he will go by Cali time. Making the GMs anxiously waiting.
With our luck this time it wont be about the money. C.C. you have to feed your children. Go for the quan.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees will “aggressively extend a proposal” to C.C. Sabathia tomorrow. He believes the Yankees will go to “a financial region that no other franchise would even consider” to lure the ace. Sherman’s guess is an initial bid in the six-year, $150MM range (and that may not be the final offer).
love reading the great posts here on a daily basis
But I have one request, I am flying into the city
The day before thanksgiving with my mom on her
60th birthday and the rest of my family, we only have about 4 hours before we have to fly back
Out…..where would you guys/gals suggest for
A great lunch and maybe a great touristy experience? Tia.
if Jim Nantz doesn’t show up, the charity event may be worthwhile.
“Yanks have interest in Varitek”
These rumors are seriously getting ridiculous. Next we’ll here Schillings name floated around.
I’m sure CC’s agent told him to say that he would prefer to stay in Cali, just to make the Yankees think they have to go all out in order to get him. Not like they weren’t going to anyway. But now they have to give him an offer that he won’t even have a choice to refuse, even if it means he is farther away from his hometown and family.
SOS
Where does it say the yanks have interest in Varitek?
Newark star ledger
http://www.mentalfloss.com/quiz/quiz.php#quizDesc
this quiz is hard (but fun)
i only got 3 of the 10 right
CC will be snoozing happily at that hour. So will his agent, who has flunkies to keep people ‘anxiously waiting’ on his convenience.
It’s a sellers’ market. No need for them to disrupt their schedules. Buyers might feel the need, but not them.
the yankees do have interest in Varitek. they’re interested in the red-sox signing him for 3/45
Sorry didn’t see the new thread. This was picking up on KRod and the save statistic being over rated:
“Most overrated stat in baseball is the SAVE.â€
It really is. Last year you could basically break relief pitchers into two groups. Mariano Rivera and the rest.
There was simply no comparison between Mariano and anyone else. None.
If you adjust for the defense and ball parks each pitcher pitched in, Mariano’s predicted ERA based on the number of line drives, ground balls, strikeouts, etc. they gave up was around. 1.11. No one else was even close. Second best was Kuo – 1.75. For comparison, Papelbon’s was 55% higher (2.03). KRod’s was 350% higher at 3.59.
If you factor in how important the situation they pitched in was and their performance (i.e. the leverage of the situation) Mariano looks even more impressive.
Mo saved 60 runs compared to a league average reliever. The next highest was Brian Fuentes – 44 runs saved.
KRod – only 29 runs better. (Papelbon only 36 runs better).
So that means if Mo and KRod had pitched in identical situations last year Mo would have saved around twice as many runs as KRod.
Mo was as valuable to the Yankees last year as Jonathan Broxton and Kuo were combined to the Dodgers. That is just amazing.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2008/11/12/659296/mariano-rivera-is-crazy-go
—Where does it say the yanks have interest in Varitek?
In a newspaper published in the Twilight Zone.
Im going to play the devils advocate here. We are going all in on C.C. What if he starts his first 4 games as bad as he did last year? What if he stinks it up in the playoffs like he has the last 2 year? Is he worth spending our life savings on? Is he really our savior? I wonder if the boos would come out after his first 2 bad starts?
I know alot of what ifs. But its not like it hasnt happened before.
If the Yankees go after Fairy I will stop being a Yankee fan.
“Where does it say the yanks have interest in Varitek?”
Source: The Scott Boras Tribune.
As usual cb. Awesome stuff.
Let the off season games begin!!
Best 5 80’s cartoons
1.Thundercats
2.Voltron
3.Transformers
4.He man
5.GI Joe
“Is he worth spending our life savings on?”
huh?
unless you are spending your life savings on season tickets next year, i have no idea what you’re talking about
Boston Dave,
I was exaggerating. My point was is he worth a blank check even though he has shown some kinks to his armor in the recent past?
SoS:
don’t know about 80’s. My list.
1) Bugs Bunny/Looey Toons
2) Histeria!
3) Woody Woodpecker
4) Hanna Baberra Laff-olympics
5) Hong Kong Phooey
correction:
Tom & Jerry (remove Hong Kong Phooey)
all-time cartoons:
South Park
The Simpsons
Bugs Bunny
Road Runner
GI Joe
vinny,
never heard of 2,4,5.
I feel like today is Christmas Eve
SOS—-
In his “recent past” CC’s one of the top pitchers in baseball. The Yanks need one (or two) of the top pitchers in baseball. Of course he’s worth a major deal.
Johan Santana got about $ 23 M a year. Common sense says that’s the starting point. Yanks can start by offering a record six years @ $ 24 M and see what the reaction is. That’s about what they spent on Mussina and Pavano last year.
What pitcher anywhere doesn’t have questions about him? CC has fewer questions than the rest of the FA pitchers on the market this year—Sheets, AJ, Lowe, Perez et al.
By rule all MLB deadlines are Eastern Time.
vin,
Southpark
Simpsons
But no Family Guy?
S.o.S. That’s been one of the problems in recent years. Every player that has been bought in-Alex, Johnson, Hughes, Joba, ect.-in recent years have been regarded as a savior.
The fact of the matter is that this is a team sport. CC would be a piece of the puzzle. A healthy Wang, Posada, Matsui, Joba, ect. and rebound seasons from Jeter and Cano will help this team return to October.
SoS,
What’re you talking about? CC has never gotten off to a bad start.
O/T, but Selig needs to implement something similar to the NBA rules about fighting.
MLB needs to fine/suspend players that leave the bullpen and maybe even the dugouts.
Just let the principals get their frustrations out and let the coaches break it up to protect the outnumbered guys. If guys know they’ll be outnumbered maybe they won’t be chirping so much.
Stern took a lot of heat for enforcing the rule during the playoffs 2 years ago, but it worked. The benches never cleared in the Rockets/Suns fracas last night. The assistant coaches and refs were able to de-esculate it pretty quickly because it was manageable.
No Dangermouse\Bananaman?
My fav 80’s cartoons (I have more than 5)
-CareBears
-Voltron
-She-Ra
-Rainbow Brite
-He-Ma
-Strawberry Shortcake
-Smurfs
-My Little Pony
-M.A.S.K.
-G.I.Joe
-Muppet Babies
-Thundercats
-Transformers
Oh, and The Simpsons is the greatest T.V show of alltime.
SoS:
‘Histeria’ was unbelievable. It ran 2 seasons (circa 1998). Basically, it recounted events in history (the Vikings, Revolutionary War, the Renaissance, famous inventors etc) It was done via Warner Brothers (a Bugs Bunny type of style).
Never thought the day would come when I actually missed these conference call operators. Leshawn unfortunately not one of the better ones we have heard lol. Looking forward to a few more of these conference calls moving forward.
I’m surprised noone asked about Andy….I wanted to hear Joe speak on Pettitte
vinny-b:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcsknr1Komo
mar 31 5.1 inn 5 earned
apr 5 5.1 inn 4
apr 11 3.1 inn 9 earned
apr 16 4 inn 9 earned
oct 2 playoff 3.2 5 earned
2007 playoffs
5 inn 3 earned
4.1 8 earned
6 4 earned
Im all for going after him. Who ever said that they all have question marks and risks. I agree. He is the best free agent pitcher. But these rumors of over paying by 30 to 40% is scary.
SoS,
I always watch Family Guy when its on… its pretty good, but not all-time good. I get the feeling that they try a little too hard sometimes.
Anyone remember Wheeled Warriors or G force?
Tom:
lol.
didn’t know Histeria was on youtube. I have viewed the cartoon (entire episodes) for free on AOL video. Had been hoping it would be released on DVD.
Glad to see M.A.S.K. getting some well deserved recognition.
take it easy, Francessa
the AFC isn’t ‘that’ wide-open. Tennessee is strong
Anyone remember Dino-Riders? Awesome 80’s cartoon.
Tennessee is a scary good team. Francesa needs to try and remember that
I cant believe no one has mentioned GO BOTS and Pac man.
This is going to be a CRAZY winter
Giants and Jets both very good at the same time, Yankees and Mets expected to be very active in free agency.
anyone here interested in sheets? can the yanks offer him an incentive heavy deal, maybe a 2 year deal? or do the injuries make him carl pavano-esque and should be avoided like the plague? Thoughts?
1.CC
2.Wang
3.Pettitte
4.Joba
5.Sheets
6.Hughes
etc
“He also talked about the danger of signing pitchers with injuries in their history like Ben Sheets and A.J. Burnett.”
Thank God that Girardi has some perspective. The players can want AJ all they want, it is not a smart investment.
Get Lowe instead.
I see I’m not the only one who has spare time for other forms of entertainment once baseball season is over. Have you tried looking for your favorites on Netflix? I don’t know what they carry in terms of cartoon DVD’s because that’s not my fix, but November is the time of year when I update my queue and the postal traffic between Netflix and my house approaches gridlock after being pretty dormant April-October.
“Im all for going after him. Who ever said that they all have question marks and risks. I agree. He is the best free agent pitcher. But these rumors of over paying by 30 to 40% is scary.”
I wonder a little bit about the 30 to 40%. If the Yankees go 6/$150M, that’s $25M per. Santana is at $23M per and was not even a free agent when he signed the deal. $25M is less than 10% greater than Santana’s salary and as I think about this realistically, can any team legitimately expect him to sign for any less than Santana? To me $23M has to be viewed as the low water mark. I suspect a few teams come in around $20M-$21M per and the Yanks come in at $25M. That’s only a 25% bump up, but I’m not sure $20M-$21M offers can be viewed as serious in light of Santana’s contract.
Caveat here is what if the Angels come in at Santana money and years? Does topping that offer by less than 10% enough to get CC to the Yankees? Or do they have to go higher?
Mike,
If Sheets actually will accept a 2 yr deal, we should be all over that. That is a low risk, high reward move.
But some idiotic team like Houston will give him his 4 years when the market dries up. If he is willing to take 2 years though, then sign me up.
“Giants and Jets both very good at the same time”
Giants are light years better than the Jets. Giants are very good. Jets are decent.
T-rock:
Agreed. Someone will offer Sheets better than 2 years. Probably a lot better.
All 80’s cartoons
http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/cartoons.htm
in no particular order
-simpsons (best show ever, hands down)
-southpark
-woody woodpecker
-heckel and jeckel
-looney tunes
-tom-n-jerry
-jetsons
-ren and stimpy
-beavis and butthead
p.s. – either none of you took the quiz i linked to, or you did but did worse than me and are too ashamed post your score…
The question is
Should we really go after a player who will only come here if we pay 30-40% more than the next highest bidder?
I mean, not even Boras is that crazy to demand that. He will take his client to the highest bidder, even if its by a dollar, he won’t say a team has to pay 30% more to get a certain player.
Seems like a very shady strategy. Desperate is an understatement.
saucy –
The link isn’t working for the quiz; I tried it earlier.
saucY-your quiz link isn’t working for me.
Which quiz is it n that mental floss site..I’ll take it!
I like Sheets. They could get Sabathia and Sheets and still make a play for Tex.
If Mussina comes back (which I think he’s leaning towards now)you could have some real options. You’d have Sabathia, Wang, Mussina, Sheets, Pettitte and Joba. You could bring Joba along slowly as a starter because one of those guys is sure to spend some time on the DL.
As has been said, high risk, high reward.
I like Sheets at less money then Burnett. I’m not a Lowe fan either, just something about him.
“If Sheets actually will accept a 2 yr deal, we should be all over that. That is a low risk, high reward move.
But some idiotic team like Houston will give him his 4 years when the market dries up. If he is willing to take 2 years though, then sign me up”
yup.
to tell the truth, i’d prefer Sheets (only at 2 yrs) over a long-term contract to Burnett/Lowe.
all for not. Like you said, an idiot team will offer Sheets 4yrs
my prediction – Sheets will get 4 yrs / 75 mill… from an NL team.
Mr. Exceptional:
understand, you cannot sign Sheets long term however.
a 4yr deal to Sheets would not be exceptional
Burnett knows the AL East cluhouses, so I’m leaning towards him…Sheets has tremendous upside if he can stay out of the nurses office…...
oops. here’s a link that should work
http://www.mentalfloss.com/quiz/quiz.php?q=480&p=1
saucY, good call on the beavis and butthead. Love the frog baseball and couch fishing.
Hong Kong Phooey! Great cartoon. Haven’t thought about that in years.
Used to love The Wacky Races and SchoolHouse Rock too. They weren’t really cartoons but the Sid and Marty Kroft shows- HR Puff N Stuff, The Banana Splits, The Bugaloos, Sigmond and the Sea Monster- were fun as a kid and probably would have been even better viewing if you were older and in a slightly altered state.
Fredo,
Once you are in that universe of Santana money, then the offers are interchangeable for the most part. He will have his $150 million or so and might be more inclined to take a discount. Then we might need to go to the $175-180 plateau to get him to reconsider us.
If LAA offers $145ish and we offer $160, I don’t think that is enough for him forgo the WC and come here.
Of course, this is all highly speculative. Does he really love the WC as much as portrayed or is it a plot by his agent? Will he come here if we give him an extra year rather than more money?
So many smokescreens at this time its hard to know whats really up.
Futurama is just a great show. Sealab 2021, Space Ghost.
Korgoth of Barbaria only had 1 episode, but, it was great.
Just get me CC and Tex and my team is set..
Damon-lf
Jeter-ss
Tex-1b
A-Rod-3b
Matsui-Dh
Nady-rf
Cano-2b
Posada-c
Gardner-cf
Molina-c
Ransom-if
Cabrera-of
You name him…
Sabathia
Wang
Joba
Pettitte
Hughes/Aceves
Rivera
Marte
Bruney
Veras
Giese/Aceves
Coke
Ramirez/Robertson/?????
Before we start fitting CC for pinstripes, keep in mind that CC could be that rarest of players who will leave money on the table so that he can play where he wants to play (i.e. NL or Cali team). Now, I would be shocked if he leaves 20mil or more on the table, but it could happen. So don’t start partying just yet!
Yeah, no 4 years for Sheets. But I would go high dollar for 3.
lol
4 out of 10 on that quiz
6\10
7 out of 10 on the quiz… looking for uni numbers and lefty/righty-ness is helpful. I got screwed on 2 of them.
ok maybe an other starter aka Garland or Lowe but not on a long term deal,
Something else to keep in mind is what happened to Randy Johnson. He wanted to come to the Yankees, got here, didn’t like it and was shipped back to AZ. If CC comes here and doesn’t like it, he will be stuck as no other team will be able to pay his salary. That’s something else he has to take into consideration.
How about bring Abreu back? and let abreu hit 3rd and let tex bat behind AROD….. that will be a sick line up. I like Abreu. I love the way he bat. abreu Arod Tex…. that will be crazy~~~~ but if we bring abreu back, Defense might be a problem for outfield. Nady,Damon, and Abreu??
Laura,
CC doesn’t seem to be the cranky old man that RJ is. How could a young, wealthy man not love living in NY and playing for the Yanks?
pat:
ever check Laff-olympics?
the same dog from Wacky Races, is in the cartoon. And i love to hear him laugh
6/10 and feeling foolish over missing Damon.
saucy, I got 4 right, passed on 3 and got 3 wrong.
Those pictures were very difficult to figure out.
pat –
It didn’t look like him at all! 
I missed Damon too.
Ah! SchoolHouse Rock
Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?
i only got bonds, sheff, and damon
confession:
I purchased the SchoolHouse Rock CD, a while back.
you may take my man card
If you can get guys to sign for two years good for you.
I think Sheets is very risky long term as is Burnett although both are tremendous talents.
Lowe just isn’t good enough long term, I’d rather take a chance on superior talent rather than hope Lowe will be good coming back to the AL when his last two AL seasons were ugly until some great starts in the ‘04 post-season.
Fredo is right on the money. If the Yanks go $ 2 or 3 M a year more and guarantee one more year than the anti-Yankee pseudo socialists who write about baseball can claim they paid 30 % or 40 % more than the next best offer.
Six years
$ 25 is $ 150 M. Five years$ 23 is $ 115. Thus the six year offer is 30 % higher even though the annual salary is just 9 % higher.However if he’s still good that last year it turns out to be a great contract, though none of those blowhards would ever acknowledge that.
I got 9 out of 10 on the quiz. I only missed #8.
vinny-b
Muttley had a great laugh.
I don’t remember Laff-olympics.
Laura,
I’m sure CC is considering that as well. Does he really want to commit 7 years to a place he may not like when he can stay in his comfort zone and still get paid enough to set himself up for generations?
Sure, he may not get the $170-180 that we could offer, but $140-150 is more than enough especially if it enables him to be with his family in an environment he enjoys. And unlike in the past when our selling point was our ability to win…. the Dodgers and Angels can offer that as well and can offer even a better chance to win considering the weak division they play in.
Mo finished 5th and Mussina 6th in the Cy Young voting. Lee, Halladay, K-Rod and Dice-K finished ahead of them in that order.
Jhonny Boy Thats exactly my problem i relly think Abreu is a valuable offensive player, but than you either have a weak outfield, or one has to sit.
I still know all the words to The Preamble to the Constitution because of SchoolHouse Rock but I have to sing it.
Jermaine Dye is available . . . .
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/chi-13-white-sox-chicagonov13,0,7366873.story?track=rss
so where should we place dye?
“I still know all the words to The Preamble to the Constitution because of SchoolHouse Rock but I have to sing it”
lol
the yankees do not need an other corner outfielder nor a DH,
the only positions they should be looking at is 1st base and maybe Center field
“I still know all the words to The Preamble to the Constitution because of SchoolHouse Rock but I have to sing it.”
Hahaha
Same with me
RJ was old, cranky, and stubborn. He didn’t get along with anyone and hated the spotlight. He just wanted to ride our cottails to a title for his own satisfaction.
I don’t think CC has “disdain” for NYC, I think he just prefers to go West. If he comes here, I think he would get used to it. He is a guy who loves the spotlight and is revered as a great teammate who will do whatever to help his team win. He looks like he will get along great with the guys, he already has enlisted the help of Jeter.
Not everyone is RJ – Giambi wasn’t an East Coast guy either when he came here but he learned to love it. He fit in the clubhouse well and he became a media favorite. CC reminds me more of Giambi than RJ, IMO.
Pete, you had an AL Cy vote, right?
who’d you vote for? spill it!
Move Nady to 1st and let Dye play RF
Pete spilled it caughed it already several times, he voted for Cliff Lee
i’ll only move nady to first if i miss on Tex
flossy,
I got 2 of the first 3 and it was all downhill after that.
I got Damon wrong, but looking back it did like Damon.
YankeesBen, i know. i’m more interested in who he voted for 2nd and 3rd…
Matsuzaka and K-rod got votes? What a joke…
Laura,
If the Yankees had Pedroia and Youk in 08, there is a very good chance they would have won the AL East, if not gone all the way. These guys are grinders with great stats who elevate the play of everyone around them. They could easily have fit in with the 96—00 NY gang. Does Pedroia have more talent than Cano?.....absolutely not, is he a better complete baseball player?..not even close!!! He can be on my team anytime. Youk??? He does a fantastic job with limited ability…every AB is a grind..he is top gun also..better than what we had at 1B last year? It’s absurd to even ask the question. I should add that I dislike the Red Sox and virtually everything about them…but these two guys are good, without question and one must give them their just due.
Matsui for Dye makes a lot of sense. With Thome a FA the Chisox need a LH bat/DH and the Yankees could use a better RF and a righty stick. Let Damon/Dye/Nady handle LF/RF/DH.
Okay with you guys? The money is about equal and they are about the same age. If the Yanks don’t get Tex they could pursue Dunn for DH and play Nady at 1B.. at least he’s done it.
I got 9 of 10!! Even though i guessed on ray lankford. Wanted to put Coleman. I did include on my correct list answer #1 of Ryan Sandberg. It wouldnt allow me to change Grace on that. Without that one 8-10. I grade on a curve.
Can we add GUMBY to the 80’s cartoon list?
Cashman already said they aren’t going to put a non first baseman at first. Nady isn’t going to be this team’s starting 1B.
Dye is a really bad fielder but I wouldn’t mind him as a full-time DH. I’m not sure if he is all that much better than Matsui though. If they are both healthy they are fairly equal, Matsui has a higher OBP, Dye has a higher SLG. I doubt the White Sox would do that trade.
Can we please get a real first baseman. Id trade Nady before i put him at first. That experiment has never worked. From Sheffield to Damon to Giambi. Id prefer Tino to grab a first base glove and go back out there before we do that. If all else fails look to bringing back Nick.
For anyone who thought the yankees had overpaid for Marte…
The Cubs just traded Jose Ceda for Kevin Gregg.
Year in and out mediocre relief pitchers become the most over valued asset in the game come winter.
Do you think Jeter will change positions in 2011?
CB,
Can you forsee our bullpen(which is our asset)landing us a center fielder or first baseman? Assuming Tex stays put. What players would you think are doeable?
NY5,
The question i would ask is if Jeters production drops these next 2 years. Will he hang em up? Will the Yankees pay him for who he is and not his present numbers at that time? I still think center field would be a perfect fit for him.
Switching Nady isn’t be first preference. I want Teixiera over there. But there has to be a plan-B.
CB,
What’s Jose Ceda’s upside?
“Can you forsee our bullpen(which is our asset)landing us a center fielder or first baseman?”
No. Not a very good one anyway.
I want Teixiera over there. But there has to be a plan-B.
trading for Garko, Davis, Blalock to say the least. or just give Miranda a shot at 1B.
—CC doesn’t seem to be the cranky old man that RJ is. How could a young, wealthy man not love living in NY and playing for the Yanks?
I’m not saying he’s RJ. I’m just using RJ as an example of a player who wanted to come to NY, but found out later that it didn’t suit him. I find it hard to believe that CC wouldn’t like it here. I’m just trying to add a little something for people to think about. Everyone on here is assuming that CC is going to take “our” money and run. I’m just pointing out that he has more than just money to think about.
SoS,
As part of some kind of package I do think the yankees can use their bull pen depth to acquire a decent CF or 1b. Not a star but an average to above average player.
kd,
Ceda is still very raw but throws very hard and is huge. He’s one of the Cubs top 5 prospects. Now the Cubs system is horrible so top 5 is relative.
But he’s got potential. Throws in the upper 90’s.
Kevin Gregg is just not very good.
“Can you forsee our bullpen(which is our asset)landing us a center fielder or first baseman?â€
It would have to be a package deal. 1-2 bullpen arm(s) and SP prospect or two to get anything of real value.
Bullpen arm on its own will likely net a non-tender candidate-a Chad Tracy type player.
I scored 9 out of 10 – was surprised as I had guessed on a few – cute quiz…thanks for posting it.
No interest in Dye. You can’t keep taking away lefthanded hitters from this team. The new ballpark will have the same dimensions as the old stadium.
The Yankees can’t be too righthanded a ballclub. If you lose Abreu, Giambi and Matsui, it becomes very unbalanced offensively. Not the way to go.
Not everybody that hits the market is suited for the Yankees.
You have to look at the overall team before fitting everybody into pinstripes.
CB:
Not sure I agree. Suppose it depends on how we’d identify an abaove average 1B or CF. I don’t believe, for example, that the Dodgers would trade James Loney for bullpen arms. Nor would the Reds with Joe Votto or Bruce. What level of 1B or CF are you talking?
CB,
Laroche? Dejesus?
—I should add that I dislike the Red Sox and virtually everything about them…but these two guys are good, without question and one must give them their just due.
I know what you are saying, but I think I dislike the Red Sox more than you do so I can’t be so generous. The Hobbitt gets more credit from me than Pukelis. I think that Pukelis is a whiner. I’m looking foward to more Joba/Pukelis confrontations next season.
Lee named Cy Young. No surprise there.
“You have to look at the overall team before fitting everybody into pinstripes.”
Yeah but SJ. If we buy everyone in the league. It will finally gaurantee us that #27 thats been evading us. You cant beat em. Buy em.
BREAKING NEWS!!
I just took the quiz for ONLY the second time and scored 100%!! I wonder if it is linked in some way to I.Q. test?
“Not sure I agree. Suppose it depends on how we’d identify an abaove average 1B or CF.”
Fredo,
I’m not speaking about someone on the Votto/ Loney level. No way. Forget about Bruce.
I’m talking about a Mike Cameron, Hank Blalock, Chad Tracey type. Something along those lines.
Do you really think Kevin Gregg is better than Veras? And Gregg was in demand as a closer on the trade market.
Kevin Gregg’s career walk rate is 4.5/9. Kyle Farnsworth’s career walk rate – 4.0/9. Think about that. The Cubs gave up their 4th best prospect – a guy who profiles to be a legit bull pen arm in the very near future (perhaps this year) for Gregg.
Relief pitching gets grossly overvalued every winter.
the voting results are up at mlb.com. i’m glad to see only lee and halladay got 1st place votes…
“I think that Pukelis is a whiner.”
So was Paul O’Neill. If they bring talent to the table, who cares? Kind of like Bill Laimbeer, Isiah Thomas and Danny Ainge from 80’s NBA. Bunch of whiney bastards who people loved to hate…....unless they happened to be on your favorite team.
Francesa actually remembers the TV Show Providence? I am shocked
“Do you really think Kevin Gregg is better than Veras?”
I think “Gregg” translated to Spanish probably is “Veras”.
I don’t think either of them are anything special. Don’t much like that trade for the Cubs. Don’t think it means the end of Wood as a Cub as much as it means the end of Howry as one. Still a pretty iffy deal though. You’d think they could have paid less.
Yeah as much as I dislike Youkilis he’s the exact kind of player I wish the Yankees had at first base. Good fielder, good OBP, some power, grinds out at-bats, etc.
wonder how many times Francessa uses the word “I”, on any given day ?
9,000?
You guys are going to love this article:
Yes, baseball’s free agent supermarket officially opens Friday, but that’s true only in a technical sense.
No one—not a player, not another team—is going to do much until the Yankees are finished. Once general manager Brian Cashman is done, every other team can get to work.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=485774
—Bunch of whiney bastards who people loved to hate…....unless they happened to be on your favorite team.
Much truth here…except that I’m 100% that I would still hate Pukelis if he were on the Yankees. I’d pull for him to succeed, but I wouldn’t enjoy it.
And for the record, I don’t see Paulie as a whiner. He’s just very opinionated.
—Once general manager Brian Cashman is done, every other team can get to work.
So let me get this straight: The other teams are just sitting around on their hands, waiting around for us to grab up CC and Tex so they can get a crack at what’s left over? Are we really the center of the baseball universe? Somehow, I doubt it.
Pay CC the big bucks.
Pay AJ big bucks for 4-years tops. If not, look into Sheets for a 2-3 year deal.
Stay away from Lowe. He has the heart of a Champion. However, he does not have the stuff to win consistently in AL East. He is also 35 now.
If Yankees are serious of playing Gardner in CF, Yankees must sign Teix.
Paulie got mad/whined/threw fits… but it was more directed at himself than anyone else. I don’t see that in Mr. Yuk
It’d be a rough transition for Yuk to play in NY. But once he gets over being mad about the case of Ex-Lax left in his locker by an anonymous teammate, I think it’d work out just fine.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/11/12/2008-11-12_mike_mussina_still_mulling_return_to_yan-1.html
“I’m still kind of up in the air,” -Mussina
—Pay CC the big bucks.
Within reason. This 30-40% more than the next guy talk is ridiculous!
—Pay AJ big bucks for 4-years tops. If not, look into Sheets for a 2-3 year deal.
Here’s where you lost me. No way should we even look at Sheets. The guy is a walking Disabled List. He finished the season injured. Didn’t we just get rid of Pavano? We don’t need to fill his spot on the DL.
—Stay away from Lowe. He has the heart of a Champion. However, he does not have the stuff to win consistently in AL East. He is also 35 now.
Lowe should be a “we can’t get anybody else” option. He wants to play for BOS. Let him go there.
—If the Yankees are serious about playing Gardner in CF, Yankees must sign Teix.
The Yankees must sign Tex regardless of who is playing CF if they are letting both Giambi and Abreu go.
“wonder how many times Francessa uses the word “Iâ€, on any given day ?”
Possible drinking game for tomorrow? Though, I might run out of alcohol..
“So let me get this straight: The other teams are just sitting around on their hands, waiting around for us to grab up CC and Tex so they can get a crack at what’s left over? Are we really the center of the baseball universe? Somehow, I doubt it.”
CC and Tex are setting the market for the FA’s this season. No others will sign before these two.
“Lowe should be a “we can’t get anybody else†option. He wants to play for BOS. Let him go there.”
Laura, it will be interesting to see where Lowe ends up. I know he has indicated he would like to go back to Boston but in my opinion I don’t see that happening.
I do expect that your Yankees will eventually get CC even if they have to back up the Brink’s truck to do it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Boston pursued Burnett to keep pace.
In any respects things will get interesting soon.
Nick Swisher traded to Yankees?
Nick Swisher to the Yanks?
Where have I been?
Yankees acquired Nick Swisher?
The New York Yankees have acquired center fielder-first baseman Nick Swisher in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, a baseball source tells ESPN.com.
Minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez is headed to Chicago in the deal, the source said. It’s uncertain if any other players are involved.
Swisher, 27, hit .219 with 24 home runs in 153 games with Chicago this season.
Jerry Crasnick covers Major League Baseball for ESPN.com.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3700869
What?! links?
Bye Bye Jeff Marquez
nick swisher!
honestly, i love the move
Wow. What a deal.
Swish!
Wait, we had to give something up for Nick Swisher?!?
Wait, we had to TAKE Nick Swisher??!?
swisher is a solid move..
not a bad contract either. i dont think so anyways??
can play some first, can play some outfield…
has some pop.
lol @ the Giambi-type stats.
How good is he in CF?
swisher ?
what an underwhelming choice
Swish Nicker a Yankee?
Looks like it. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3700869
I like it in that he’s a hard-nosed player.
Anyone know what he looks like without the beard?
Awesome deal for the Yanks. Great buy low move an an off year for a very good player. Marquez has no future and Swisher can fill either the 1B or CF vacancy, whichever we need.
Even as a Cashman hater, I have to give him his due here. Heck of a job. This could be a huge steal.
So, he’s a role player guy? Bench guy? What does this deal mean?
I bet it was Marques and Melky
swisher hit .208 last year.
i guess marquez was below alan horne on the depth chart, but if swisher is the 5th outfielder, backup 1st baseman, then good. if they intend him to be a starter, we’re in trouble
“Anyone know what he looks like without the beard?”
Chuckie.
not bad. I’m liking the trade.
Eh, good bench player.
He’s insurance against Brett Gardner sucking and the Yankees not being able to find a 1b, but beyond that, he hardly thrills me.
His greatest virtue is that he walks, even when like last year, he can’t hit.
sorry, .219
So basically you guys have filled your first base needs?
Right? Right?
Good, then the Sox can pick up Tex!
Man the anticipation of the free agent signing period is now about the same as the anticipation of opening day. Let’s hope the Yankees fill their needs and get the team back where we all want it go.
The best thing about him is his girl friend.
Definitely an insurance move. I like it.
I know Kenny Williams gets a lot of credit for building that WS club. But since then, his moves have been puzzling to say the least.
“I guess marquez was below alan horne on the depth chart, but if swisher is the 5th outfielder, backup 1st baseman, then good. if they intend him to be a starter, we’re in trouble”
what this person said ^
I’m told that Swisher wears a zinc thong for good luck.
Jeff Marquez. damn!
Good bye Wilson Betemit.
that’s a great deal for the yankees. last year might have been an aberation. giving up marquez isn’t very much
yea.. swisher didnt swing the bat great last year..
but he was solid in years with oakland..
hopefully it was just him trying to get used to new teammates.
swisher is an everyday player.. and im surprised the sox would trade him already.
swisher will hit 20+ hr.
switch hitter..
mel –
He’s got a website
http://www.nickswisher.net
Cashman has his backup plan in place if he can’t get Tex at his price.
Swisher is sgined thru 2011 folks. He’s coming here to play.
Is he the guy who cut his hair and donated it while he was with Oakland?
I think Swisher is plan B just in case they failed to acquire Mark Teixiera.
Nick,
No, it’s a Phiten thong. They use platinum in their material.
The best part is that it keeps everyone guessing.
Let the games begin!
YANKEES GOT SWISHER PER FAT MIKE
“The best thing about him is his girl friend.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RsON86DWss
For Marquez.
Doreen,
Yes. Swisher purposely cutted his hair for charity.
How about a shot of his girlfriend?
Sends a message to Boras tho I’m not sure what.
The Sux will not be making any deals of significance. John Henry’s hedge funds are in dire trouble.
I’d still prefer to see Teixiera at 1B and give Gardner a shot at CF.
Acquiring Swisher likely means Abreu is gone too, which doesn’t please me at all.
Doreen yes he donated it to locks for love
Oh, Doreen. He loved his granny. Thanks for that.
WOW Yankees landed Swisher ?
Guys, I’m in Chicago and I’ve seen Swisher a few times this year. I have no idea where we plan to play him, but he cannot play CF. He was horrible for the WS out there. Maybe Cash knows that we’re not getting Tex for 1B and this was plan B?
the thing is “blow away” CC with an offer does not make sense when we are talking a hundred million dollar plus contract. how much difference can there be between $130 and $160 million? Is this a blow away offer? how much money can a guy spend in a lifetime? how many houses can a guy live in at one time?
CC is riding a lucky streak, what with his Milwaukee finish, his age; just the right moment for him top cash in. I think he goes where he wants to play and live. if anyone can leave money on the table CC can this year.
a blow away offer in this situation would be 10 yrs / $300 million.
and no one is going there.
Sorry for the caps, I love this deal. Swisher will help tremendously and let’s the Yankees tell Boras they don’t need Tex as much.
Espn reports yanks acquire Nick Swisher
He played 70 games last season as a centerfielder. that means bye bye Melky.
Marquez was traded not bad.
—Good, then the Sox can pick up Tex!
Nice try there, ray!!!
Oh it gets better Wilson Betemit may also be in the deal
Does Francesa give this move his holy blessing?
Deal could include Betemit or another minor leaguer per Heyman
NICK SWISHERRRRRRRRR
22 million owed over 3 years.
Heyman says they’re planning to play Swisher at 1B. Not good, that means no Teixiera.
Also, Betemit is probably part of the deal.
mel –
You’re welcome.
Ed & Gayle, thanks. Ed – did he grow it long specifically to cut it? I seem to remember that.
(Hey, who cares how he plays? :lol:)
Vinny B,
wanna know something funny? I was playing MLB 08, and wanted to create Justin Christian since the Yanks want him to play the infield during winter ball and transitioning him to a super utilty player. As I was browsing through the White Sox roster, and the fake people to see who plays the infield and the outfield. I then decided to take a break, went over to MLBTR, then saw Yanks acquired Swisher. I was like “wow, karma!”
...lol
who says swisher will play CF?
he can play right, he can play left.
this does not mean abreu is gone. nor does this mean we will not go after tex.
we wont be resigning giambi. so why not get swish?
its a bargain for marquez.
Laura – Ready for ‘09
November 13th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
—Good, then the Sox can pick up Tex!
“Nice try there, ray!!!”
Laura….you can’t blame a guy for trying.
Swisher’s contract
09:$5.3M, 10:$6.75M, 11:$9M,
12:$10.25M club option ($1M buyout)
Doubt Swisher is the CF for the Yankees. He’s not very good at it. I think he’s their 1B and that’s that. Perhaps Cashman wasn’t bs’ing people when he said he was looking to bring the ‘09 version of the Yankees in at somewhere around the $180M range.
“No way should we even look at Sheets. The guy is a walking Disabled List. He finished the season injured. Didn’t we just get rid of Pavano? We don’t need to fill his spot on the DL.”
Sheets is a far superior pitcher than Pavano. Pavano has always been nothing more than a middle of the rotation starter, who was signed to a bloated contract after having one good year.
Sheets is a front of the rotation type when healthy, and obviously his health is the big sticking point. In terms of quality on the free agent market, Sabathia is No. 1 and Sheets is number two. Everyone else, the overrated Burnett included, is in the middle of the pack.
The question is, what kind of offers is Sheets going to get. Three years? Four? That’s when you don’t consider Sheets.
If the Yankees can get Sheets on a two or possibly a three-year deak with incentives, that’s something the team should consider.
That’s better value in my mind than signing a pitcher like Burnett to five years.
Swisher struck out 30% of the time in ‘08, but the good news is he only GIDP 3.2% of the time.
Doreen,
no, he had it for a long time.
i don’t like nick swisher as our starting 1b, i’d rather have giambi frankly. i only like him as an insurance policy considering his .219 average last year.
so thats it no tex, since heyman said swisher will play first most of the time?
stupid move if they think Swisher is playing 1b and Gardner is playing CF.
That lineup sucks.
Swisher is not really a centerfielder…more comfortable in either corner. IMO, Cash acquired him for his flexibility and as Plan B….i.e., can’t sign Tex, and won’t re-sign Booby, nor G, of course. He does play a decent first, though not a Tex of course.
Obviously the Yanks would prefer to play Swisher at 1B but I highly doubt this shuts out Teixeira. I think Swisher was acquired for the reason that he can play the OF as well. I believe Cashman/Girardi’s “we’ll give Gardner and Melky a chance in CF” story as much as I believed the “Bubba Crosby is our CF” story from a few years ago. I’d be shocked if one of them is playing CF opening day.
Ok versatile player good plate discipline a blue chipper.. now who’s the other minor league player.
the NYY system will not miss Marquez. Basically, didn’t have room for him.
Swisher for the bench, is ok (if he is able to play CF)
Horne is coming off of shoulder injury. The White Sox probably don’t want to take the risk.
well if the yankees did get swish to play first..
then that does worry me..
with reports that the yanks could offer CC 6 years 150 as a starting point.
i think CC has us right where he wants us.
ha
im afraid we will over pay for Sabathia.. by ALOT
there are other great starters out there.. which.. you would think.. should drive CC’s worth down..
Peavy -thou he wont come to the yanks
but Sheets? Burnett?
they are dominate when healthy
“stupid move if they think Swisher is playing 1b and Gardner is playing CF. That lineup sucks”
royally.
(even tho i like Gardner)
“stupid move if they think Swisher is playing 1b and Gardner is playing CF.
That lineup sucks.”
KS:
Name me three better lineups in baseball.
Hint: You won’t be able to do it.
Can’t really judge the Swisher move in isolation, but I hope those other shoes to drop are good ones.
Maybe we’ll find out that Swisher is buddies with CC?
Great deal, very low risk. Swisher a high OBP guy despite low average, and only 27 and a reasonable contract. No lose, let Texeira and his $200M contract go somewhere else.
If this means they are not going after Tex, and are not going to re-sign Abreu, they are still lacking that one big, big, bat to provide protection for A-Rod. So who does that leave? Care to speculate?
Were people still holding on to the belief that Bobby and Giambi were coming back?
We’re trying to trend younger and better defensively.
“The Yankees have acquired first baseman Nick Swisher and Class AA right-hander Kanekoa Texeira from the White Sox, according to major-league sources.” – Rosenthal
This is a Boras deek. Swisher is going to play CF.
“Ok versatile player good plate discipline a blue chipper.. now who’s the other minor league player.”
Somewhere, Brandon sits and bites his nails until it’s comfirmed that Wilkins De La Rosa is NOT the other minor leaguer.
“Name me three better lineups in baseball”
well, i’ll take Boston and Tampa’s lineup. The only 2 which matter.
Swisher saw something like 4.5 pitches per AB last year and he’s a decent not great first baseman. Maybe Long can fix him. If Swisher even hits .260 his OBP will be close to .400.
It’s a gamble but aren’t people here always wanting Cashman to trade minor leaguers and take some gambles?
I know Swisher used to be a big time name for Oakland, but his numbers don’t jump out at me at all. Is this Cashman’s trying to lower Boras’ asking price for Texeira? Is this the Yankees waving Melky goodbye? Is this a sign of the Yankees signing a Girardi-type player?
A lineup with Swisher, Nady, and Gardner at the bottom may be the worst in baseball.
I seriously hope Cashman isin’t going to war with that lineup.
WE GOT TEX! Kanekoa Texeira
Hmmn-
1) The Red Sox
2) The Phillies
3) The Chisox (Quentin healthy)
4) The Angels (with Teixiera)
5) The Tigers
—Sheets is a far superior pitcher than Pavano
I was comparing them in terms of their injuries, not their pitching talent. Clearly, Sheets is better than Pavano on the mound. In the injury department, they are pretty close. But so is Burnett so there ya go!
So long, Wilson.
I mean, Fredo-
1) The Red Sox
2) The Phillies
3) The Chisox (Quentin healthy)
4) The Angels (with Teixiera)
5) The Tigers
Swisher could also slide into RF, but that would mean Damon in center. Not sure how most people feel about that. If we land Tex, I don’t think too many people would care.
Just looking at his stats, Swisher does walk a lot – but he doesn’t steal bases. He has played every outfield position, plus DH and 1B. I’m assuming he’s not fast. What happened to more athletic? I guess he’s more athletic than Betemit or Giambi.
I don’t mind Swisher at 1B. Agree with Francessa… we cant have him and Gardner in lineup. But with him at 1B we definitely do have payroll flexibility which I like
Kill Schill:
add Tampa to the list. At least, i would
“The Yankees have acquired first baseman Nick Swisher and Class AA right-hander Kanekoa Texeira from the White Sox, according to major-league sources.â€
there goes our Texeira. lol, seriously im guessing he’s like a C prospect?
“Kanekoa Texeira”
So we got Swisher AND a Texeria
Swisher will make $5.3MM in ‘09, $6.75MM in ‘10, $9MM. Cost effective (cheap) and versatile? Good move.
yeah.
damon/melky/garnder – cf
jeter – ss
arod – 3b
nady – lf
damon/me