It’s all coming together now …
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- November
- 14
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Thanks to a few alert readers who found NickSwisher.net, it turns out that Nick pals around with CC Sabathia.
Ah ha! As always, Brian Cashman is a genius.
Meanwhile, check out Nick’s site. He certainly seems committed to charity and helping out kids. That’s always a plus.
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on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 1:02 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
(third attempt at posting this)
Love these comments from… a White Sox site:
“anyway, i don’t know what to think
maybe cashman wanted to have a 1B so teixeira’s price stays low and after he gets tex he’ll give us swish back
I know it sounds kooky, but that the only thing i can come up with
it’s better for my sanity…”
“and I was for trading Swisher…but shit i thought we could have gotten more than a worse utility man than Uribe and 2 guys I will be playing against next season in the SouthSide Wooden bat league. Doesn’t make sense to trade him before Texiera signed. Also doesn’t make sense that we included the better pitcher of the 3 in the deal. [DARN] YOU WILLIAMS!”
From the Daily News -
Swisher “was ecstatic” about the trade, according to his agent, Joe Bick.
this would b greatttttttt if both are teamates this seasonnnnnnn
Now get Cam’ron for CF and then the stage is set for CC
Love these comments from a White Sox site:
“anyway, i don’t know what to think
maybe cashman wanted to have a 1B so teixeira’s price stays low and after he gets tex he’ll give us swish back
I know it sounds kooky, but that the only thing i can come up with
it’s better for my sanity…”
“and I was for trading Swisher…but [fudge] i thought we could have gotten more than a worse utility man than Uribe and 2 guys I will be playing against next season in the SouthSide Wooden bat league. Doesn’t make sense to trade him before Texiera signed. Also doesn’t make sense that we included the better pitcher of the 3 in the deal. [DARN] YOU WILLIAMS!
Seems like Brian Cashman has it all figured out. He’s playing chess while all of the other GMs are playing checkers.
Seriously, it usually is the lesser moves that serve as a set-up to big moves. The money saved on bypassing Teixeira can be used to break the bank on pitching. CC Sabathia, come on down!
CC and Nick’s connection is Barry Zito. I want CC but not enough to want to take on Zito’s contract.
I have to keep reminding myself that nothing will happen until atleast after Thanksgiving with the big FAs, but I’m still compelled to refresh MLBTR and check SI.com/Daily News/Newsday sites hourly
Maybe we can trade for Zito and play him at 1st base.
CC sure has a lot of friends.
***********
Swisher nickname: St. Nick
***********
Ramon,
We can’t accomodate all of CC’s friends. Unless they’re named Pujols, Tex, Santana.
mel
November 14th, 2008 at 1:00 am
GB7,
lol. SS prospects must dread getting drafted by the Yankees. Dead end position. Jeter will play until he’s 80.
_
Nah.. Jeter will be gone by 2030. NYY first round draft pick in 2028 will move right in. I’m only concerned that Jeter will leave his little black book in his roster and the kid (Derek Jeter Jr.) gets a date with 75 year old Minka Kelly.
CC and Friends in the Bronx.
I hear CC is great friends with Labron James.
Honestly, I’d rather have Teixeria instead of Burnett/Lowe (assuming we get CC). Chances are we can’t afford CC, Burnett or Lowe, AND Teixeria. So, I’d choose Tex over the 2nd pitcher.
We can just plug Coke into the rotation and we’ll finally have a real 2-way 1B to add to the middle of the lineup.
“I hear CC is great friends with Labron James.”
He’s got the wingspan to be effective at 1B but can he hit a curve ball?
Maybe Brett Favre should give CC a call too.
It all makes sense now. The Nick Swisher trade is to help lure Lebron to New York.
LIKE WE NEEDED HELP.
Lebron in the outfield would bring a lot of balls back into the park. To challenge himself, he could take off from the edge of the warning track.
While discussing Cliff Lee’s CY Young award on SportsCenter, every game in the background was him striking out Yankees (in that game in early April).
Melky, Duncan, and Ensberg were among those shown.
The pic with CC is cool.
Here’s nick with another “C.C.” only its not nearly as cool.
http://www.nickswisher.net/pho.....ash_4.html
WOW, CC looks really young in that pic and skinny too. When was that taken?
He looks kind of like Coco Crisp lol
I’m sure someone’s posted this already, but I thought it was fitting lol
http://img524.imageshack.us/im.....hiaiz9.jpg
wow this is great cc coming to da bronx i see it all ready with the yankkee fitted in that picture
http://img524.imageshack.us/im.....hiaiz9.jpg
ROFL!
If Cashman can get a red-headed batboy and box of sunflower seeds for Igawa..then we will realize his true genius.
jeez, i just did the “current” lineup. kind of mediocre:
Damon
Jeter
Matsui
A-Rod
Posada
Nady
Cano
Swisher
Gardner
this lineup needs another bat – losing Abreu and Giambi in for Nady & Swisher would be stupid. well, hopefully that’s not the plan.
Whats going on? Why hasn’t CC signed yet?
“While discussing Cliff Lee’s CY Young award on SportsCenter, every game in the background was him striking out Yankees (in that game in early April).
Melky, Duncan, and Ensberg were among those shown.”
LOL – I could strike those three out while using a baloon istead of a baseball….
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....f_w-1.html
Omar Minaya wants a fight !
Seriously there is no prospect blocking this one Omar like the Yankee source said BRING IT ON !!! BRING IT !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgZi-zaOshQ
“this lineup needs another bat – losing Abreu and Giambi in for Nady & Swisher would be stupid. well, hopefully that’s not the plan.”
Disagree. Abreu and Giambi are LOSERS. If they are the two best OPS guys on the team, then that stat is useless. Looks like the Phillies really missed Abreu – dumped him in 06, playoffs in 07, champs in 08. and Oakland didn’t win a playoff series til they got rid of Juice-ambi.
Good riddance to a pair of overpaid guys with nice stats but no guts.
yeah nady and swisher are serious winners!
- yanks traded for nady = missed the playoffs
- white sox traded for swisher = hits for .210 and white sox outed in the first round
that video is great. I think Nick hates Beckett almost as much as I do lol
Anyone who doesnt think Bobby Abreau can impact a pennant race in a positive way needs to review the 5 game ‘06 Boston Massacre. All Abreu did was go 10-for-20 with seven walks, four doubles, three RBIs and five runs scored. What a loser.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
Back to CC.
Why do so many mainstream reports continue to mention how CC wants or *desires* to bat?!!
you get what, 80-100 ABs for the year? Right! I’ll give up US$20 million less so I can have 80 swings.
Do CC’s agents even need to use the AB’s and the Cali preference to drive up his price?
Does Swisher know that the beard must go?
–Anyone who doesnt think Bobby Abreau can impact a pennant race in a positive way needs to review the 5 game ‘06 Boston Massacre. All Abreu did was go 10-for-20 with seven walks, four doubles, three RBIs and five runs scored. What a loser.
Drive, ignore the misguided fans that like to hate on Abreu. They’ll be missing him next year when he’s making a difference over in Citi Field.
I suspect CC doesn’t like hitting as much as he likes pitching to other pitchers instead of DH types. Hmmm, Manny Ramirez or Barry Zito, who would you rather pitch to?
I agree with those who feel this lineup still needs another upgraded bat… sure the returns of Posada and Matsui should help and other guys could bounce back from off years, but they can’t be done with the every day lineup.
Damon
Jeter
Matsui
Arod
Posada
Nady
Cano
Swisher
Gardner
Not sure on the order, but this still a Top 3 lineup in the AL and Top 5 in all of baseball. Wouldn’t shock me if they traded for Cameron once Sabathia signs, but beyond that, I think building a more versatile bench is going to be it so far as the non pitchers go.
With Abreu almost certainly gone, who do they plan to put in the critical 3rd spot? It can’t be Nady; he whiffs too much. My guess is Jeter. I think he’s got good numbers there. Matsui should bat behind A-Rod. A healthy Matsui is a threat so maybe that gets Alex some protection.
Fredo -
It’s not a terrible lineup at all. And Swisher adds some pop at the bottom of the order.
As with any team, though, you hope every player has a season that’s in line with expectations or above. And I’m praying for speedy and successful recoveries for Matsui and Posada.
Yankees have what, 75-80 million dollars tos spend?
Swisher-5 millinon
CC-25 million
AJ\Lowe\Mussina-15 million
Pettitte-11 million.
that’s “only” 56 million bucks….
Cashman says he wants to build the farm system and then gives up 2 picks in the first 2 rounds and Jeff Marquez for Damaso Marte and Nick Swisher.
Cashman says the offense scoring 200 less runs is why the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs and then replaces Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi with Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher.
Even if Matsui, Cano, Posada, and Swisher all go back to having career average years without any serious injuries, the Yankees aren’t scoring many more runs than they did last year
If the Jets didn’t just take over 1st place in the division I’d be pretty angry right now.
Arod shouldn’t need protection. He should be providing it for others. I keep Damon/Jeter as 1-2. Best 1-2 in the league still. I like Matsui as a #3. He’s every bit the bat Abreu is. I like a healthy Posada at #5. Good bat, hard to pitch to and gives the Yankees the alternating left/right all the way down the lineup thus making bullpen decisions a little more difficult for the opposition.
One quick point on Arod and the misguided notion he needs protection. Last year he was one of the best offensive players in the AL. While he missed 25 games, which obviously affects his totals, his season as a hole was slightly above average based on his career numbers. People need to remember that ‘07 was his career year rather than the norm. His career OPS+ of 147 is the 5th highest among active players. His 2008 OPS+ was 150. He wasn’t the problem.
I suspect CC doesn’t like hitting as much as he likes pitching to other pitchers instead of DH types. Hmmm, Manny Ramirez or Barry Zito, who would you rather pitch to?
Wow! How many lineups have a Manny type bat in the number 9 position. In reality, how many teams number 9 hitter are far and above a pitcher. I’m guessing a 9 spot in the AL probably brings you about a .250 AVG. on most teams. Good pitchers should get them out most of the time.
If this blog was around in ‘92 people would have killed the front office for trading away an allstar CFer in Roberto Kelly to the Reds for some guy who hit .249.
“Cashman says he wants to build the farm system and then gives up 2 picks in the first 2 rounds and Jeff Marquez”
no 27: I know you’re not dissing Cashman for trading Jeff marquez. At least, i really hope you not
Catcher Yankees OPS-.625 (League Average: .713)
Center Field: .711 (LA: .744)
Second Base: .702 (LA: ..747)
The Yankees got nothing from these three spots last season, yet, they still scored more runs then half of the teams in the playoffs.
I don’t really care about Marquez, but how can Cashman think that Nady and Swisher can replace Abreu and Giambi? Counting on Matsui and Posada to be healthy and Cano and Swisher to have good years is a lot of ifs in a lineup that has Gardner starting everyday and Molina starting once a week.
Tom-
are you comparing Nick Swisher to Paul O’Neill?
Wow.
“If this blog was around in ‘92 people would have killed the front office for trading away an allstar CFer in Roberto Kelly to the Reds for some guy who hit .249.”
or when they acquired a 3B from Oakland who hit .203 the season before.
The draft and minor league zealots really need to learn about both before whining about what Cashman is “giving up”.
Jeff Marquez is not a highly rated prospect. In fact, I would say he is one of the most overrated Yankee prospects to come along in recent years. Brandon Claussen type overrated.
He is what the industry calls an “organizational arm” and nothing more.
They traded him, another non-prospect, and one of the worst bench players in baseball for a guy who two years ago was thought highly enough by the White Sox to trade two of their best 3 prospects.
He had a bad year last year. Which is why he was available at such a minimal cost.
He gives the Yankees numerous options in the event they don’t upgrade first base any further.
Isn’t giving your team more options something you want from your GM?
For the perennial miserable on here who complain about EVERY move the Yankees make, at some point, you lose credibililty. Not every move is wrong.
Sometimes, you need to take your heads out of a stat book and think like a scout.
The goal here is for them to have a solid first baseman (which he is) and hope they can get him back to 2006-2007 form. If they can, its a great trade.
If they can’t, it cost them NOTHING, in terms of prospects.
One other point……
They aren’t going to spend every dime coming off the books this year. If that’s what some are hoping, be prepared to be disappointed.
St. Nick is just in time for the holidays!!!!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GREAT BASEBALL SEASON!
This is the lineup and rotation I propose us have coming into opening day 2009:
1. CC Sabathia
2. Chien Ming Wang
3. A.J. Burnett
4. Phil Hughes
5. Mike Mussina
Lineup like this for the 2009 season:
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Xavier Nady, CF
3. Manny Ramirez, RF
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Ken Griffey JR, DH
6. Robinson Cano, 2B
7. Hideki Matsui, LF
8. Nick Swisher, 1B
9. Jorge Posada, C
Let Giambi, Abreu and pettitte walk.
Move damon for draft picks
and then you have this masterpeice, and you keep joba as the setup man.
i should be GM
No I wasn’t comparing Nick Swisher to Paul O’Neill. I was comparing the circumstances behind each trade.
O’Neill was a 29 year old middling OF with the Reds. He hit .249 the season before he became a yankee. Those weren’t exactly great numbers. Maybe I should have used Brosius as an example. Or letting Mike Stanley go and replacing him with Girardi.
Nady can’t play CF and Joba is going to be in the rotation, not Hughes.
Matsui has two bad knees. He can no longer play the OF on an everyday basis. That’s why, if he returns, it will be as DH.
Ken Griffey Jr. has nothing left in the tank. He also has two bad wheels.
You can’t trade baseball players for draft picks. This isn’t the NFL.
Thank God you aren’t the GM.
“are you comparing Nick Swisher to Paul O’Neill?”
Before being traded to the Yankees, Paul O’Neill was a .259 career hitter with a .340 OBP and less pop than Nick Swisher.
Cashman says you’re nuts if you think he can pull off Tex, CC and Burnett/Lowe. He just said it nicer.
“A Yankees official said the club has no plans to spend all of the approximately $88 million coming off the payroll. The expectation is the $209 million 2008 payroll will be sliced to the $190 million range or lower.
Cashman refused to state his budget or his wish list beyond “starting pitching.” But he was revealing in saying, “There has been speculation that we can pull down two or three of the top [free agents], and people are just getting carried away. That is not feasible. That is completely unrealistic.”
nypost.com
This years draft class is supposed to be “weak” right?
“Cashman says you’re nuts if you think he can pull off Tex, CC and Burnett/Lowe. He just said it nicer.”
its also called posturing.
I don’t see him taking the payroll north of 200 million. Nor should he.
He can fix this team without going that high.
As far as the O’Neill and Brosius comparisions on the Swisher trade, they are spot on.
Folks forget O’Neill rep prior to coming to the Yankees.
Can’t hit lefty pitching. No pop. Bad guy in the clubhouse.
Lou Piniella, his manager at the time, didn’t give Stick (one of his closest friends in baseball) a glowing recommendation on O’Neill. Yet, Stick had the onions to make the deal.
Same can be said for Brosius. He was replacing a Hall of Famer (Boggs) and hit .203 the year prior to coming to the Yankees.
We always hear about guys who don’t want to play in NY and whose games suffer when they come to NY. There are other guys whose games go to another level when coming to NY.
The hope is Swisher is one of those guys. He certainly won’t be awed by the stage. Not the way he is wired.
He also brings a plate discipline that has been missing here the past few years. As well as youth and athleticism. All things the Yankees have prioritized this off-season.
Anybody who figured that Jeff Marquez or Wilson Betemit would open up the 2009 season as part of the 25-man roster is delusional.
Cashman has stated more than once that he wanted more flexability and the Swisher deal is the start of it.
“Yankees have what, 75-80 million dollars tos spend?
Swisher-5 millinon
CC-25 million
AJ\Lowe\Mussina-15 million
Pettitte-11 million.
that’s “only†56 million bucks….”
Tom:
Shortly after the postseason, the scuttlebut was that the Yankees wanted the ‘09 payroll to come in in the $180M range. Assume Sabathia, Lowe/Burnett and Pettitte/Mussina along with Swisher eats up about $57M. Not sure how many arbitration cases the Yankees have, but there’s at least one in CMW. That’s probably puts you at about $60M and around the $180M discussed earlier. I still think they do something with centerfield (Cameron) which may bump them up to $190M or so, but that’s as far as I see it going. The notion that shaving $80M+ off the payroll gives them $80M+ to spend is speculative at best and not consistent with what they were talking about after the season.
Good trade for the Yankees. Got proven major league talent and didn’t have to give up anything to get it.
Last year was an aberration. Swisher will do with the Yankees what he’s done most of his career…20 bombs, 80 RBI, a good OBP.
Interesting that his BABIP was .249…I know I’ll get killed for being a “stat-head” but the number is a good indictator of a season of bad luck.
The biggest thing he brings to the team is personality. Yankee fans are going to love this guy…he’s active in the community, good with the media, doesn’t take himself too seriously and brings a lot of energy.
I was a huge proponet of bringing Teixeira here but I suppose that dream is done…oh well…this is a good plan B. It also makes the Yanks the strongest player in the CC sweepstakes.
SJ44 -
I had heard the opposite regarding Piniella’s recommendation of O’Neill. I had heard he told Gene Michael he would be a good fit for the Yankees and not to hesitate.
Other than that, I agree with your take on this deal. It does not preclude the Yankees going after Teixeira, yet it makes that move a lot less pressing. I had always wanted the Yankees to go after Tex, but the number of years he is looking for is a lot, to say the least, and you’d have to hope he wants to play for the Yankees enough take fewer years. Plus, there are a number of teams he would be open to, and it was never a guarantee that the Yankees could get him.
It’s not a guarantee that the Yankees can get ANY of the guys they are targeting, including CC. I will not be shocked if CC leaves money on the table to play closer to his roots, and I suspect with CC we’ll find out sooner rather than later, since he has said he doesn’t want this process to drag out.
I wonder what the Yankees’ opening bid will be, and whether they will be first or let someone else begin the festivities.
Here is what I think Cashman’s rationale is with Tex.
He knows Boras isn’t getting a deal done right out of the gate. Its not how Scott works free agency with his clients.
He also knows he has no intention of going 10/200 for him.
If he can get the pitching done quickly (or prior to Tex signing), he knows Boras will come to the Yankees looking for an offer.
What if Cashman shows Tex a revamped rotation consisting of CC, Burnett (or another top end arm), Pettitte or Mussina etc? Does that get Tex’s competitive juices flowing enough to make a deal that makes sense from both (his and the Yankees) perspectives?
If the answer is “yes”, I think they will make a run at him.
If its just about getting every buck left on the table, they will pass and go with Swisher at first. Not a bad fallback position.
Cashman has set the correct priority with the team. Upgrade the rotation.
If he does, and they don’t get Tex, they are still better off than they were at the end of this past season.
Doreen:
I think the Yankees will come out with guns blazing on Sabathia and won’t screw around. I see them going 6/$150M off the bat. I think they’d like to see it done as fast as Sabathia would. He’s been their top target from the get go.
We are pretty excited here in Columbus for Swisher. We can’t help but remeber the last Columbus guy O’neil and the impact he had. We can only hope it is close.
Very true Fredo. I do think that the payroll is going to be closer to 180 million. Somebody like Cameron would be a good addition. Having league average (or better) players at every position is the way to go. Cameron (or somebody similar)in CF would be a smart move.
Jim—
Do you not know baseball? The “9″ hitter in the AL you referred to is an “8″ hitter in the NL. The DH replaces the PITCHER in the lineup. Your comparison is dead wrong.
Trading for Swisher and retaining Marte are good, solid first steps. Those two combined will cost less than Pavano this past year. Obviously CC is next followed by another FA starter or Pettite/Mussina. Then the Yanks can start fine tuning the everyday lineup and evaluating where payroll stands. I bet there are several moves still to come.
SJ44,
Do you envision the Yankees going with a Melky/Gardner platoon in CF, or trading for a stopgap, ie. Mike Cameron?
SJ I agree. I have a feeling Cashman is shoring up the team to make it more attractive to FA’s. I think keeping Marte was partially done to keep the bullpen extremely attractive to CC. And by the time Tex is ready to decide on a team the Yanks could look really good after a few starting rotation signings.
Doreen,
Piniella’s recommendation to Stick was peppered with “if’s”.
“If you can fix his horrible attitude”.
“If you can find somebody to platoon with him”.
If the “ifs” worked out, then Lou thought he would be a good fit for the Yankees.
Lots of “ifs” though! lol
Sometimes, you make deals like this hoping to catch some lightening. Its a no lose deal for the Yankees.
It also adds some attitude to the team. Something that is DEATHLY needed around here.
The big thing now is wrapping up the Big Guy (CC) before Thanksgiving.
If they can do that, everything else falls into place.
Fredo -
I hope CC will appreciate that the Yankees want to just get down to business, and sign up quickly!
I want this to happen before next Sunday – we’re leaving for a Thanksgiving week vacation and I doubt I’ll be checking up with this on anything near a regular basis and I don’t want to miss a thing!
SJ44 -
Never heard about the “if’s”!
(But I think it was Michael Kay telling the story, so, there ya go.)
Did Paul O’Neill ever really have his “horrible” attitude fixed? Or was it merely re-directed? Or, did it just work in NY? It doesn’t matter. We know how the story ended.
When the rumblings about the Yankees signing CC first began (a looooong time ago), I wasn’t so much for it. Now he’s a “must-have.” What a difference a failed rookie experiment makes.
The Swisher deal definately gives the Yankees the upper hand in any future negotiations with Boras/Teixeira…
But I think getting Teixeira now would be more gravy than actual turkey. He’s not a priority and would almost be an afterthought.
Cashman addressed the hole at 1st, made the team younger more athletic and got a guy that can work the count and get on base. Swisher is Teixeira-lite…which is fine.
Now it’s on to filling the holes in the rotation. CC is the biggest target and I hope the Yankees get him.
I also hope Yankee fans can temper their expectations with CC. He’s not going to pitch complete game shutouts on 3 days rest everytime out for the Yankees.
Doreen,
O’Neill’s attitude didn’t change one iota when he came to NY. It was just accepted differently.
Cincinnati is a very conservative place. His tantrums showed a “bad attitude”. In NY, the same tantrums were showed “passion”.
One man’s “bad attitude” is another man’s “passion”, depending on the part of the country you reside.
“The Swisher deal definately gives the Yankees the upper hand in any future negotiations with Boras/Teixeira…”
I think enough teams will be in on Teixiera that the Yankees have no real upper hand in this. Don’t see this as a case where the Yankees can be used to jack up the number elsewhere, but I also don’t see any reason why he’d play for the Yankees for less than someone else, especially if that someone else happens to be Anaheim or Boston. Don’t think the Yankees need Teixeira but don’t think Teixeira needs the Yankees either.
I like the Swisher trade. I don’t think they gave up much value. Getting a halfway decent prospect back from the Sox too flies under the radar, and leads me to believe this was more of a salary dump for Chicago than the Sox coveting the guys they got. Betemit is the type of guy who goes the other way in salary dump-type trades.
Yes, Swisher had a pretty crappy year last year – it’s troubling to me because 27 is supposed to be a breakout year, and he took a step or 3 back. That being said, it’s a pretty high-reward trade for the Yankees. Swisher is still kind of young, and has some talent. And the best part? This is the kind of trade that you can make when you have a deep farm system. There are plenty of guys in the Yankee system that can replace the guys who got traded.
I think more trades are coming for the Yanks…
O’Neill also embraced New York…
I can remember the moment I became an O’Neill fan…I was listening to a pregame interview with him (on WABC at the time) and he was talking about how he and his wife loved the city, spent a lot of time in the museums and at the park and really enjoyed being a New Yorker. He also talked about what an honor it was to wear the uniform.
Keep in mind, this was at a time when being a Yankee was not the ‘greatest thrill’ (a rehearsed response these days IMHO).
So it was nice to see a player who enjoyed being here and enjoyed being a Yankee. Fans could sense that and knew it was real. That’s why they were drawn to him…despite his tantrums and, at times, selfish attitude.
If the Yankees dont get Manny or Tex in that lineup, the Yankees are in trouble and thats with CC or any other pitcher they get. I know its early but i really cant stand Cashman and he better not ruin this off season. I see his quotes in all the papers this morning. The Yankees with a 190 million dollar or less payroll. How often do this many free agents come along in 1 off season? They have 80 million dollars coming off the pay roll and the money they will be making with the new stadium, there are no EXCUSES.
If the Yankees dont get Manny or Tex in that lineup, the Yankees are in trouble and thats with CC or any other pitcher they get. I know its early but i really cant stand Cashman and he better not ruin this off season. I see his quotes in all the papers this morning. The Yankees with a 190 million dollar or less payroll. How often do this many free agents come along in 1 off season? They have 80 million dollars coming off the pay roll and the money they will be making with the new stadium, there are no EXCUSES!
Oh no !
Does this mean that the Wilson Betemit Fan Club is disbanded ?
No more Betemit shirts on the shevles at Stan’s ?
Reasonable expectations from CC would be about 220 innings, 25+ quality starts and an ERA around 3.33. His innings could be lower since this is by far the best bullpen he’s ever had. I always saw him as a must get, at least from the moment the Yanks dropped out of the Santana talks.
I agree completely with SJ on Cashman’s strategy. You jump right on Teixiera and you are dealing form weakness. Call him after adding two start pitchers and a legit 1B alternative and you are dealing from strength with leverage.
I have felt all along 7 years @ $ 18 was the right price for Tex… if that doesn’t get it done, I’m okay.
If that works you have Nady, Matsui, Damon, Swisher, Cabrera and Gardner for four jobs, leaving two capable players on the bench.. You are also paying Swisher and Teixiera a helluvalot less than you paid Giambi and Abreu.
Believe me, Boras/Teixeira lose bargaining strength if the Yankees are not invovled in the bidding. That is why he always tries to draw them into the mix….
Remember Beltran a few years ago…
The Yankees are the ones that can make one best final take it or leave it offer for Teixeira.
Whenever you can walk away from a negotiation without hurting yourself, they you have the upper hand in that negotiation. The Yankees have the upper hand in this case.
NYPost:
“Cashman refused to state his budget or his wish list beyond “starting pitching.” But he was revealing in saying, “There has been speculation that we can pull down two or three of the top [free agents], and people are just getting carried away. That is not feasible. That is completely unrealistic.”
Personally, I think Brian is thinking outside the box here.
Great moves in salesmanship for him. He’s got everyone fooled. I mean, what is he supposed to say after Hank said that the he has the banks vault door wide open?
Swisher?
Well yes he is more valuable than Betemit, but heres what it does, it prevents the Yankees from getting a real first baseman who can hit. If the Yanks feel Swisher is an everyday player we are in trouble
Bring back Giambi
If the Yanks sign 3/5 of these guys: CC, Lowe, Pet, Mussina, Burnett then there is no reason why the Yanks couldn’t give away some top pitching prospects for a guy like McClouth. You already have Wang and Joba on the cheap.
Joe29:
Don’t crucify the innocent before proving him guilty.
There is a reason why your reading all that in the papers today. Cashman has “tactics” and trust me when I tell you, he knows how to do his job.
With that said.. You’re right. If we land CC and one more, that does very little to improve the offense. Brian knows this, he is not blind or dumb.
Patience my friend..
“I agree completely with SJ on Cashman’s strategy. You jump right on Teixiera and you are dealing form weakness.”
He’s dealing from weakness on Sabathia and Burnett/Lowe too. Probably why he’s saving money by getting Swisher instead of Teixeira.
One other point:
With Swisher landing 1B, that makes bringing back Abreau more of a priority if the decide not to go after Tex. You can’t afford to lose Bobby if you are not going to add offense.
Yes they are risking losing Bobby, but Bobby has made it clear that the Yankees are his first choice.
It’s already gearing up to be an unpredictable off-season.. I’m for one excited to see how this all turns out.
This is a great trade IF they put Swisher in CF (or trade a corner outfielder to make room for Texeira)
Swisher has NO BUSINESS playing 1B. Texeira is a switch hitting gold glover with power, you don’t pass up on him! We already passed on Beltran and Vlad.. and now its time to not pass on Texeira.
What is the point of having a large financial advantage and $75 million coming off the books if you’re not going to SPEND IT on the ABSOLUTE BEST PLAYERS.
There is no 1B as good as Texeira on the market and there won’t be for a long time. He’s still in his prime and he fills a need.. SIGN HIM
If Swisher is our 1B then we have NO UPGRADE in CF, and an AVERAGE 1B.. great move!
Swisher’s RISP isn’t too impressive over the last 3 seasons at .223 but his OBP is .376.
His bases loaded #’s are real sweet though.
Personally I think he’s going to be a popular player given his grit and attitude. A Damon type.
The issues between Piniella and O’Neill was mainly because O’Neill thought he could hit right and left handed pitchers and RA because Piniella didn’t think he could.
The funniest incident with O’Neill’s temper came when felt that he should have caught a fly ball and missed it. He kicked the ball on the fly to the first baseman and kept the runner from advancing. The problem was, that was an illegal use of equipment on a ball in play and the runner was advanced to 2nd base on the error. Actually, O’Neill’s temper was the same temper that Mantle showed.
swisher?
November 14th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Swisher?
Well yes he is more valuable than Betemit, but heres what it does, it prevents the Yankees from getting a real first baseman who can hit. If the Yanks feel Swisher is an everyday player we are in trouble
Bring back Giambi
______________________________________________________
Little Swish, getting Nick Swisher has no part in getting Teixiera. All Swisher is, is a backup incase NYY can’t sign Teixiera for one reason or another. At least with Swisher, NYY doesn’t appear to be in desperate need. If the sign Teixiera, Swisher can be moved to right field and NYY could trade Nady for something else that’s needed.
Fredo—
I partly agree. The Yanks are dealing from weakness until they sign CC or AJ. Then, they are dealing from strength.
Sure Cashman is using tactics and strategy in his approach. You don’t want the agents for the big three (CC, AJ, Tex)thinking the Yanks are going all in this off-season. Make them think they may only sign one FA. It doesn’t hurt to try and create some sense of urgency.
Will… why complain about a worst case scenario before it plays out? If Cashman screws up the rest of the off-season there will be plenty of time to bitch and moan.
Another thing Cashman has to wait on where Tex is concerned is finding out whether or not Abreu accepts arbitration. I think it’s a real possibility and that would close the door on Tex most likely.
I could live with this lineup… IF they sign pitching
Damon 8
Jeter 6
Abreu 9
A-Rod 5
Matsui DH
Nady 7
Cano 4
Posada 2
Swisher 3
Cabrera, Gardner on the bench offering late inning defense.
I usually agree with you, except, are you saying Swisher is any where near as good a hitter as Nady? not a chance
On the hitting depth chart Swisher right now is the only a better hitter than Gardner- I will take Melky over Swisher
Usually agree with you Green, but not this time, I hope you are not saying Swisher is near Nady as a hitter, no chance. Swisher is only a better hitter than Gardner and I`d take Melky over Swisher right now because Melky has played in the bright lights and Swisher has not
I think the big thing will be Posada’s health. How can they know how he’ll hold up? An upgrade in center will be needed if he can’t go behind the plate, because there’s really no way to replace his offense there. I think Nady and Swisher’s defense gains back some of what’s lost by Abreu and Giambi leaving. They can get a veteran bat to pinch hit for Gardner or Melky in the 7th. Perhaps if Nady or Swisher start out ugly, that player gets more work.
Some people here represent every reason the Yankees don’t win anymore. “Get the best players available for the most money”. This is a horrible policy. Team Chemistry is important. I doubt in 1998 people were overly excited to see Brosius and Knoblauch. Or in 1996 when Mattingly left and Tino came in. None of these were the best at their position, but were gamers (minus Knobby), and the yankees went on a roll. We already have A-Rod, we don’t need Tex. We need pitching, and that will make the hitting better. People wont be swinging for the fences and grounding into DPs or outs so much.
It all starts with the Pitching.
Knoblauch was one of the best 2nd baseman in baseball when the Yankees got him. I guess you weren’t happy when the Yankees brought in Tino Martinez?
Yanks need to shore up defense. Get Cameron for center, trade cano for a lesser bat but a passion for defense. Add Tex at first. Spend all the wad on Tex, Manny, (DH) CC, Lowe. Those two bats alone would make up for any weak hitting defenders.
Dameon
Jetter
a-rod
Manny
Tex
Cammeron
Posada
Cabrara
2nd Base