Today in The Journal News
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- November
- 18
As the Yankees wait for Mike Mussina to make it official, they scheduled two exhibition games against the Cubs.
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on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 7:59 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
The Yankees, according to several industry insiders, spent yesterday preparing an offer – perhaps a five-year deal worth about $80 million – for Toronto righty A.J. Burnett.
NY Post
What a horrible deal…someone please stop Cash from handcuffing himself with another inconsistent pitcher with an injury history
If 9 injury trips to the DL since 2000 doesn’t scare Cash, I don’t know what will
Wow Peter, hope you’re right about Mike’s retirement, or else, your credibility in going to go south.
Is******* sorry
Maybe Cash feels he will go on the DL and Joba will fill in the blanks. Or maybe that Burnett has recorded 10+ wins for his team now for the fourth year in a row.
Yanks in 2010:
100% agree. Just an awful deal if it’s as suggested in the Post. King’s stories tend to straddle the fact/fiction fence. I hope this is BS. This is a guy who is a 4 ERA pitcher in the AL, puts a lot of guys on base and has a nasty injury history.
Nice article today by Tyler
Mussina’s Decision: Leave on High Note, or Go for 300 Wins?
By TYLER KEPNER
November 17, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/sports/baseball/18mussina.html
Maybe Cash feels he will go on the DL and Joba will fill in the blanks. Or maybe that Burnett has recorded 10+ wins for his team now for the fourth year in a row.
_
Two points, first Joba will also be in the rotation…now, I love Joba…but HE has to prove to us that he can start and stay healthy for a full season…so it behooves Cash to find starters that complement bringing him (and Hughes) along at their own pace
Second, since when did only winning 10+ (I know he had 18 last year) become such a high priority that we offer a premium of 5 years and 80 million…16 mil per for them
Every year pitchers come out of nowhere and produce the same results and are paid the league minimum
I want solid and consistent pitching in the middle of a rotation…and rotation that grinds through the regular season…not one that you have to check the injury report every day for
CC
Wang
Lowe
Pettite
Joba
Will get it done…
No way do I give AJ that deal. That is just insane! Also I will seriously hurl if they sign Lowe. I can’t stand him.
My last post didn’t show up.
Tyler wrote a great article about Moose on nyt.com
“Or maybe that Burnett has recorded 10+ wins for his team now for the fourth year in a row.”
Seriously? Javier Vazquez has recorded 10+ wins for 9 years in a row. Would you give him $16M for for 5 years?
“Just an awful deal if it’s as suggested in the Post. King’s stories tend to straddle the fact/fiction fence. I hope this is BS. This is a guy who is a 4 ERA pitcher in the AL, puts a lot of guys on base and has a nasty injury history.”
unfortunately, as so many people here are clamoring for him to be in NY next season, realistically this is the type of deal its going to take to sign him.
so if someone really wants him to pitch in NY, they better be ready to support the contract its going to take to bring him here.
People, the Yanks have to make him an offer, if CC don’t sign with the Yanks and they dont offer AJ and Lowe a contract, were SCREWED!!! Think logically please.. and if AJ signs, so be it. He’ll go out and give us his all, he’s a gamer..
unfortunately, as so many people here are clamoring for him to be in NY next season, realistically this is the type of deal its going to take to sign him.
so if someone really wants him to pitch in NY, they better be ready to support the contract its going to take to bring him here.
__
I understand the market for him is driven up by demand…but why try to blow away the market on a pitcher you don’t necessarily need…
I can see “overbidding” for CC…but lets not make a habit of it
If they sign CC and Burnett, would Burnett be #2 or #3 (Wang – Burnett or Burnett – Wang)?
I would think that Burnett at #3 would provide some good match-ups. I know there is a huge concern with Burnett’s injury history. I suppose that since he’s just finished one of the healthiest seasons in his career, it could either bode well or be a reason for caution – will he maintain his health after having pitched so much more than in his more recent past?
Pitching and pitchers are risky to begin with.
I’m surprised the offer could be 5 years. I doubt Burnett would accept less than 4, and perhaps the Yankees want to guard against another team swooping in with that 5th year (a la Posada last season).
It’s not an easy decision. And while 5 years seems too much for a pitcher with so many questions, one of the things the Yankees really do have going for them, at least next season, is their bullpen. So, for both CC and Burnett, you wouldn’t need them to go more than 7 innings on a regular basis, which could save their arms. Also, in years 4 and 5, perhaps Burnett moves to #4 or #5 in the rotation, which could be a good thing – much like Pettitte and/or Moose moving into those positions now.
Don’t envy Cashman, that’s for sure.
King’s story is true. That’s been the scuttlebutt in the agent community for a week. It may not be 80 million but, its going to be pretty close to that number.
As King’s story suggests, Dempster is going to get 13 million a season from the Cubs. That puts AJ in the 15 million per catagory because he is a much better pitcher than Dempster.
If the deal is 16 per, the extra million is probably the Yankees way of saying, “don’t even try to top us” with AJ.
Look at it another way. Andy Pettitte made 16 million last year. At this stage of their respective careers, AJ is a better pitcher than Andy. In essence, AJ’s money slot would replace Pettitte’s.
The term is obviously longer but, he is only 32, younger than Andy.
A gamble? Name me a free agent pitcher than isn’t a gamble.
They are ALL gambles.
Yet, AJ is a guy with top end ability, as we have seen in the last couple of years.
I’d do this deal in a heartbeat and take the risk. His stuff is the deciding factor to me. Its so good, with a good bullpen behind him, you don’t have to overuse him (as they did in Toronto at times) to get the desired result.
Right now the Yankees do need Burnett and/or Lowe. Probably not both. Because right now, the Yankees have exactly 2 starting pitchers, maybe 3.
Turn Two:
I don’t think Burnett needed to be overpaid to get him here. He’s has talked about liking the idea of pitching here. It’s close to his wife’s Maryland hometown. Toronto offered 4 and $54. Yanks go 4 and $64 and they’re in the lead.
FWIW, I’ve never been an advocate of signing Burnett for reasons enumerated in an earlier post. I’m even less so if the terms King mention are legit.
Fair points on being able to limit his (and CC’s) innings with the bullpen…I still see him as a risk…and we have been burned by many pitchers like this in the recent past
But don’t tell us you can’t get pitchers and Tex…and then you want to turn around and overpay for AJ
I’d rather see CC and Tex…than CC and AJ…if the decision is to pick 2/3
“I don’t think Burnett needed to be overpaid to get him here.”
i dont think its overpaying… i think thats what it’ll take, no matter who signs him.
he’s gonna get 5 years somewhere… and if you figure what pitchers like Carlos Silva get, he’s every bit worth $15 per season on a market, talent and ability wise.
We finally get Roger Clemens out of the news. And this has been (very long ago has been) Mindy has to apologize a year after the news broke about her affair. Let me guess, she has an album to promote?
Fredo,
Once free agency starts, the top end guys aren’t taking discounts.
4/64 probably gets him to the Orioles. It won’t get him to NY.
Basically, we are talking about adding an extra year to the deal in order to flesh out the competition.
If you are the Yankees, would you let the one year (if that’s what it takes to get the deal done) stand in the way of signing him? If I was the GM, I’d have to say no.
Doreen brings up two great points. First, they do need him. Bottom line, as we speak today, they have TWO starting pitchers in the rotation and BOTH are coming off injuries.
Two, if he does sign here, he is the #3 guy in the rotation. Assuming of course, CC signs with the Yankees.
If that’s the case, he’s in the perfect position because on most nights, he is going to have the advantage in his matchups. There will be games that he will be the deciding guy in order to win a series. With his stuff, that’s a great position to be in if you are the Yankees.
Obviously, my assumption is based on CC signing with the Yankees. Even if CC doesn’t sign with the Yankees (unlikely, IMO), they need a guy like AJ on this staff.
Health? All these guys have health concerns. However, IIRC, AJ has made more starts than Wang the last 4 years.
If he is healthy enough to make 28-30 starts, its a deal I believe the Yankees have to get done.
Jennifer,
No, reality show. Been shopping it for months and I believe she now has a buyer.
I’ll take a rotation of CC, Wang, Burnett, Joba, Pettitte/Moose any day. No complaints. If Burnett gets injured then bring up Hughes or someone but you still got 4 solid pitchers.
Doreen
November 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am
If they sign CC and Burnett, would Burnett be #2 or #3 (Wang – Burnett or Burnett – Wang)?
I would think that Burnett at #3 would provide some good match-ups. I know there is a huge concern with Burnett’s injury history. I suppose that since he’s just finished one of the healthiest seasons in his career, it could either bode well or be a reason for caution – will he maintain his health after having pitched so much more than in his more recent past?
__
With the quality of the ptchers like Sabathia, Wang and Burnett, I doubt that assigning numbers 1, 2 and 3 is really necessary. There isn’t that much difference in the three, only in how they go about doing the job.
“There isn’t that much difference in the three, only in how they go about doing the job”
There’s also RESULTS to consider. Burnett doesn’t post #1 or #2 numbers.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:05 am
“There isn’t that much difference in the three, only in how they go about doing the jobâ€
There’s also RESULTS to consider. Burnett doesn’t post #1 or #2 numbers.
He missed a portion of 2006 only because of complications from the TJ Surgery when scar tissue tore. When he pitched, he put up good numbers. The fact that he pitched on carpet and in a place where balls fly out is not of his doing. He hasn’t exactly been pitching for the best teams in baseball. Unlike others, his medical history doesn’t concern me.
trisha’s daily plea:
PLEASE COME BACK MOOSE!!!
Y’all have to admit that it isn’t ironclad that Moose is retiring, the way many have said it is ironclad, or he would have retired by now. At least there is still a chance.
Anyone who heard his interview with Kim Jones would have felt there was a chance he was coming back. Perhaps people who heard “other” interviews would have thought he wasn’t. Makes sense though doesn’t it, seeing he is having trouble making up his mind? Both interviews were accurate depictions of his reality at the moment.
Have a good day y’all.
I was just listening to John Heyman on WFAN with Boomer and Carton. For whatever it’s worth, he expects the Yanks to get Sabathia and confirmed the Yankee offer of 5 years/$80 to Burnett and expects him to sign with the Yanks. He also said that the Yanks have more of an interest in Manny than Texiera.
Playing in Toronto on turf has actually skewed Burnett’s era numbers.
Home: 4.49
Away: 3.65
Turf: 4.37
Grass: 3.72
He has #1-2 talent imo, just has bad luck on turf.
I guess I’m one of those who has been “clamoring” for Burnett, but I too would have concerns about guaranteeing a 5th year. Would rather see it as some sort of vesting option, but it’s not my money.
Yes, he has a lengthy injury history, but he did make 112 starts the last four years and 131 the last five. He’s also averaged more than six innings per start in each of those seasons so it’s not like he’s in the same category as Carrie Pa-guano.
If he gets the $$$ Pettite got and CC gets what Mussina + Pa-guano got then the only increase in cost is whatever Pettite agrees to… likely $ 10-12 range. If he doesn’t agree to that, then you can open up the # 5 starter competition for Hughes, Aceves, Kennedy and possibly Coke and save that $$$.
They’ve spent very little of the $$$ coming off the books from Giambi, Abreu and Pudge so there should be plenty of cash to make these deals and still upgrade the lineup AND reduce overall payroll. I’m still predicting that’ll come when Abreu accepts arbitration.
I believe it is really pathetic that we have to overpay players to come here and play…what does that say about our team? our city?
Furthermore, what kind of negotiator starts the negotiations at higher than the market…there is always room to up the ante…
A pre-emptive strike…...
If the Yankees sign both CC and AJ, I sincerely hope Yankee fans don’t fall under the whining spell of the national media when they opine about the Yankees “buying their way” back to the playoffs.
When the Red Sox paid over 100 million dollars (counting the posting fee) for Dice-K, gave a 5 year, 70 million dollar deal to an oft-injured OF (Drew), and paid Julio Lugo more than anybody would even consider paying him, all we heard was how “smart” the Red Sox were in these transactions.
We never heard about the Red Sox “buying their way” back to the playoffs. Yet, when the Yankees spend money, they are “buying” their team. The double standard applied to both teams always humors me.
Fact is, the Yankees greatest asset IS their cash. They have a lot of it. In fact, they keep a third of the teams in the league going with the amount of money they pay into the luxury tax/revenue sharing pool. Why shouldn’t they use it for themselves?
If the national media doesn’t like it? Too damn bad.
They take the risk, they should have the reward.
If they want to spend their money on their roster, that’s on them.
They don’t need to apologize to anybody.
Hopefully, the fan base doesn’t get swept up in that nonsensical debate if they do bag a CC and AJ.
If you think about the 08 rotation – Wang (injured), Joba (injured), Pettitte (shoulder issues – BIG second half fall off), Ponson (drunk), Rasner (Japan), Moose (Retired), Phil Hughes/IPK (ineffective – needs AAA time), Pavano (Idle)... I think it’s worth the risk to get a pitcher with more upside than any of those not named Wang or Joba and still under 30. Just my opinion.
It’s been how many days since 6/140 has been offered to Sabathia? No one else has matched that. Patiently waiting for an answer from him…
“When he pitched, he put up good numbers.”
More or less, but he hasn’t posted GREAT numbers. He’s about to be paid as though he has.
“The fact that he pitched on carpet and in a place where balls fly out is not of his doing.”
Actually, yes it is. He signed with them as a free agent. FWIW, playing in Skydome or whatever they call it these days did not impact his numbers much. He was better there in ‘06 and ‘07 and better on the road in last year. Overall it pretty much evened out.
“He hasn’t exactly been pitching for the best teams in baseball.”
No he hasn’t, but he has pitched for one of the 2-3 best defensive teams, efficiency-wise while he was there.
“Unlike others, his medical history doesn’t concern me.”
Bothers me a little, but not near as much as the inconsistency he’s displayed over his career and that he puts too many men on base.
I see him as a good #3, but the notion that he’s anywhere
near Sabathia’s class is a little crazy to me.
Yanks in 2010 –
Working in NYC in almost any business nets you more money. Whether it’s to partially compensate for added commuter costs, more expensive lunch costs, or whatever, many companies their employees more in a NYC office than in other offices around the country.
It’s a different arena here in NYC. It’s simply more stressful. It’s not anonymous. More is expected of you. It’s not unreasonable that the Yankees have to offer more.
That, and, well, they NEED these players.
If you think about the 08 rotation – Wang (injured), Joba (injured), Pettitte (shoulder issues – BIG second half fall off), Ponson (drunk), Rasner (Japan), Moose (Retired), Phil Hughes/IPK (ineffective – needs AAA time), Pavano (Idle)... I think it’s worth the risk to get a pitcher with more upside than any of those not named Wang or Joba and still under 30. Just my opinion.
_
The fact that Wang, Joba, and Pettitte (probably) will be back next year makes it imperative that they have a low risk signing instead of a high risk high reward signing…IMO
Thus, Lowe makes the most sense
If our strength was starting pitching…and you wanted to add a high risk player like AJ, then I’d say do it
But the Yanks can’t afford to roll the dice on the rotation next year…
Yanks in 2010 –
Working in NYC in almost any business nets you more money. Whether it’s to partially compensate for added commuter costs, more expensive lunch costs, or whatever, many companies their employees more in a NYC office than in other offices around the country.
It’s a different arena here in NYC. It’s simply more stressful. It’s not anonymous. More is expected of you. It’s not unreasonable that the Yankees have to offer more.
That, and, well, they NEED these players.
_
On the flip side…a NY athlete also has more access to media outlets, advertising, book deals etc
The cost of living argument doesn’t fly…because most players dont choose to actually live in NY
with the exception of Melky and Robbi who want to ball in a penthouse in Manhattan
Can someone please explain to me why we’d have an interest in Manny? I just can’t wrap my brain around it. Don’t tell me about what a great hitter he is. I know that. Other than that, why would we sign a 37yr spoiled brat to a contract for at least 20mil a year when we could get Tex for the same dough and he’s much younger?
First off, folks have to deal with reality. Just because we are Yankee fans, doesn’t mean everybody sees NY as their first option.
Why? Traffic, taxes, lifestyle, team under the constant 24/7 microscope, are just some of the reasons.
You have to find ways to eliminate the reasons a player (and more importantly, their wives) will use about coming to NY.
One way to do it is to blow everybody out of the water with the initial offer. The goal is to make the player see how much you (the Yankees) really want him and use it as a way to get other teams out of the bidding.
That’s the biggest weapon the Yankees have so, why not use it?
no one on here will argue with a rotation of CC,Wang,AJ,Pettite/Moose,Joba
Please come on, you all know you’ll be crapping your tights if we pull that off.. and sign back Abreu, and were all set.. and when matsui and damon walk next yr we make abreu our DH!
if we were scoring this like around the horn on ESPN, Id be giving SJ44 points left and right
Can someone explain to me their concern with contract lengths and pay outs? Pavano’s deal didn’t work out, but it didn’t hand cuff the team from making other deals. I think that we all see the new trend in baseball and it is run prevention, not run production. Thats why you trade for a guy like Swisher or offer the sun and moon to FA pitchers.
If you build off offense you might find yourself outside the playoffs looking in and even if you make it, you will have trouble winning.
And the Phillies aren’t and example of the opposite. Yes their starter were not great, but their entire releaf corp was.
Even if we get CC, AJ, Lowe..
We are still in dire need of offense. How many 2 run games did we lose last year?
I think it’s great that the Yankees are ‘spending’.. but where are we focused on offensive upgrades.. please don’t say Swisher..
Seriously, I am very curious to see what else the Yankees “bag”.
NYC area salaries are always much higher than just about everywhere else, California comes close in their metro areas, so why is it a surprise that it costs more to get players to NYC?
Yanks in 2010 –
As far as not living in NY – they have to commute home, don’t they? Whether that’s driving out to Montoursville, PA, or flying down to Tampa or out to Vallejo, CA – that’s a cost of their living, isn’t it?
Laura,
Heyman is one of Scott Boras’ favorite media mouthpieces.
Who do you think fed him the, “Arod is opting out” story he broke last year? Boras.
Boras LOVES Heyman and gives him quite a few “scoops”.
So, Heyman is going to do Boras’ bidding when it comes to his clients.
It makes sense for the rumor to be out there that the Yankees have “interest” in Manny because it helps Boras in his negotiations with the Dodgers and Angels.
How much “interest” do the Yankees have in Manny? One way to look at it is, whom have the Yankees made offers to thus far?
Two guys….CC and AJ. Two “blow’em out of the water offers.
That should tell you how much “interest” they have in Manny. Which is, not very much.
Overpaying for risky players is a poor way to run a team…and it leads to signing Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa to long term deals, when no one else will
Now, it doesn’t damper our ability to spend…it just makes us look like fools
another point
YANKS IN 2010
November 18th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I believe it is really pathetic that we have to overpay players to come here and play…what does that say about our team? our city?
Furthermore, what kind of negotiator starts the negotiations at higher than the market…there is always room to up the ante…
_
Part of what it says is that New York, both the state and the city are expensive places to live in.
Yanks 2010 –
The Yankees weren’t the only ones to bid on Igawa. They were just unlucky enough to bid the most.
And Carl Pavano also had other offers besides from the Yankees.
And Carl Pavano took less from the Yankees than he was offered elsewhere.
Yanks in 2010 –
As far as not living in NY – they have to commute home, don’t they? Whether that’s driving out to Montoursville, PA, or flying down to Tampa or out to Vallejo, CA – that’s a cost of their living, isn’t it?
__
You are making the argument that we should overpay players to compensate them for travel…when every other player in every other sport/team has to travel
It makes no sense!
Normal people are compensated for cost of living…because the marginal difference between 65K and 75K makes a dramatic affect in their lives…
Offering 5/80 million for a player has nothing to do with that…it has to do with the Yankees being soo desparate that they are letting the market dictate to them how much to spend…EVEN BEFORE THE MARKET HAS MATERIALIZED
How does it make the Yankees look like “fools” to sign (if it turns out that way) the best TWO FA pitchers in the marketplace?
A rotation of Wang, Sabathia, Burnett, Moose or Pettitte and Joba is the best in baseball! How is that foolish?
Think about it for a moment. If that comes to pass, Joba Chamberlain is the FIFTH starter! Let that sink in for a moment.
That’s a HUGE upgrade from this season.
A whole lot different than 3/5th’s of the rotation consisting of Ponson, Rasner and Pavano.
Just because you disagree with the strategy doesn’t make the Yankees look like “fools”.
Yanks 2010 –
It is what it is. The Yankees ARE desperate for pitching this year. And next year’s crop of FAs isn’t very good, so you can’t just wait ‘til next year. Plus they have a fan base that’s none to happy that they didn’t make the playoffs this season.
“Even if we get CC, AJ, Lowe..
We are still in dire need of offense. How many 2 run games did we lose last year?”
You can make the argument that part of the reason the offense struggled last year was due to the hitters trying to do too much at the plate, because they knew they probably weren’t going to get a good performance from the starter – Rasner, Ponson, Pavano, Kennedy, Hughes, etc. A complete rotation of capable starters should improve the offense.
-That should tell you how much “interest†they have in Manny. Which is, not very much.
I hope you are right.
Just because you disagree with the strategy doesn’t make the Yankees look like “foolsâ€.
I was refering to the Pavano and Igawa signings
We paid a Japanese team for the rights to sign a 4/5 starter….the reason…because the Red Sox had their own Japanese player…and we wanted in on the action
How did that turn out?
Signing CC makes sense…he is the unquesitoned cream of the crop
Signing AJ makes LESS sense (I’m not saying it doesn’t make any sense at all)....given his injury history and what Cash want to pay him
Instead, the Yankees should sign CC and Tex…if we can only sign 2/3
I hope this report from George King on Burnett’s offer is wrong.
This was from John Heyman yesterday:
“It’s not known what the Yankees are offering Burnett and Lowe. My guesses of $75 million for five years and $56 million for four, respectively, were said to be incorrect, so they are being secretive about those proposals.”
I thought there was a reasonable argument for signing Burnett and Lowe.
But a 5 year/ $80M would be a mistake, IMO. That kind of long term deal for a guy with Burnett’s injury/ performance track record is just a bad idea.
If nothing else, opening up at 5/80 seems like the yankee’s bidding against themselves. Sure Carlos Silva got a 4 year deal but that doesn’t mean AJ has to get a 5 year deal. Silva’s deal does mean AJ’s market value is $15-16/ per. But it doesn’t set a floor for the years on the deal for a 32 year old pitcher.
I’m going to hold off on making much of this as King is just wrong all of the time. King also said that the Hendrick’s are refusing a pay cut for Andy – which I find very difficult to believe. He wrote that even if they sign AJ and CC they still would go after Lowe. Again, hard to believe unless they are trying to drive up the price on Lowe for Boston.
But if true this is really concerning.
AJ has great stuff – he’s always had great stuff. AJ’s fastball/ curve combination is very similar to Josh Beckett’s.
But the performance over the long haul of a season has never matched the stuff for AJ. And he’s no longer a kid.
Let’s see. But this is not a good use of resources.
vin November 18th, 2008 at 9:50 am
“Even if we get CC, AJ, Lowe..
We are still in dire need of offense. How many 2 run games did we lose last year?â€
You can make the argument that part of the reason the offense struggled last year was due to the hitters trying to do too much at the plate, because they knew they probably weren’t going to get a good performance from the starter – Rasner, Ponson, Pavano, Kennedy, Hughes, etc. A complete rotation of capable starters should improve the offense.———————————————————-
1000 % agree
2010—-
Why all the love for Lowe? Other than innings, where does he excel? His last season in the AL showed an ERA of 5.42 and a WHIP of 1.62 and he’s 3 1/2 years older than Burnett. His numbers with the Dodgers were very good, but that’s pitching in a pitcher friendly park in the weakest division in the game. His home/away split last year was an incredible 2.30/4.42 and over the last three years it’s 3.00/4.25.
Some of you need to undertand that FA pursuit is not an auction. You don’t just raise the latest bid, in fact you rarely if ever actually KNOw what the next best offer is. If you really want someone, you make sure you make a major statement with your first move. That’s how the Yankees got Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage and others. My guess is the offers to both CC and AJ are their final offer or darn close to it.
Burnett is risky, but his superior talent is not debatable nor is the fact that he’s much younger.
CB …perfectly said
3 points
People get off Teixiera. Since 2001, we have tried signing the best hitters on the market, and since 2001, we have NOT won a world series. We need good hitters, not the BEST hitters. We won titles with Bernie, Brosius, Tino, Paulie… Great players but none were the BEST at their position and none even hit 30 homeruns in a season besides Tino in two seasons.
“Just because you disagree with the strategy doesn’t make the Yankees look like “foolsâ€.”
I still think they’re going too far on Burnett, but I agree. The Yankees arguably looked like fools last season with the unsuccessful gamble on the kiddie corps in the rotation. Recognizing they were wrong and throwing their resources at fixing it cannot possibly be viewed as foolish.
The love for Lowe stems from his consistency (starts and innings pitched) and his playoff performances…although he was not great this year in the playoffs
Since our rotatation will feature Joba in it…I want 4 other settled starters…
I don’t want to see CC, Wang, Pettitte, Hughes, Ponson…because AJ and Joba are hurt in July
Now of course any pitcher can get hurt…but why take even more of a risk by signing a guy who has been on the DL nine times since 2000!
Thank you CB! Signing Burnett for 5/80 would be an AWFUL signing. I don’t want to hear about how he has great stuff. Last year in his “breakout year” he pitched to a 105 ERA+. Since when is slightly above league average worth a massive contract to a pitcher on the backend of his prime???
I would give Burnett no more then 3 yrs. And he doesn’t get a NTC. Making his contract movable if a prospect or 2 emerges in the next 1 or 2.
“I was just listening to John Heyman on WFAN with Boomer and Carton. For whatever it’s worth, he expects the Yanks to get Sabathia and confirmed the Yankee offer of 5 years/$80 to Burnett and expects him to sign with the Yanks. He also said that the Yanks have more of an interest in Manny than Texiera.”
Fran, I could be extremely happy with everything up to the Manny/Tex part. I could care less about either of them.
If I were the Yankees here is what I would do (or consider doing…)
I’d go with CC and Burnett.
I’d stay 5000 miles away from Lowe. I wouldn’t bother with either Tex or Manny.
I’d be in constant contact with Mike Mussina sending him lots of Yankee love.
Here’s hoping the Yankees appreciate my armchair management!
“The love for Lowe stems from his consistency (starts and innings pitched) and his playoff performances…although he was not great this year in the playoffs”
And those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Lowe in the AL: warning! warning!
It’s hard to imagine why Sabathia, Burnett, or Lowe would want to go elsewhere, career wise. None will face being overused with the bullpen the Yankees will have in force to extend their careers with more young arms to come.
None of the 3 have the mental makeup of a Carl Pavano figuring that if they get hurt, the paycheck is still there.
And those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Lowe in the AL: warning! warning!
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He also pitched in the worst ball park in the AL…so he stats are somewhat misleading….
Ty, I like you analysis on AJ. For the sake of risk, I will take AJ over Lowe going forward. AJ is 4-years younger than Lowe. AJ has top end stuff. If Yankees can sign CC, AJ’s spot will be a #2 starter along with Wang. The strength of the Yankees staff will be in its quality depth such as that of Red Sox. Go and sign CC and AJ. If Moose retires, take an incentive filled 1-year contract to Penny to see if he would sign. Yankees have Hughes, Aceves and others in AAA to step in and provide additional security. I read some where that Hughes’s velocity has gone up in recent starts due to a slight change in mechanics.
Fenway is not the worst park in the AL, not even close.
His home/away split in 2004 (last AL season) was 4.55 / 6.21. in 2003 it was 3.21 / 6.11
When you don’t know what you’re talking about it’s best to stay quiet.
And please, enough regurgitation of nine trips to the DL. 112 starts and 180 innings/year in the last four years may not be perfect, but it’s more than adequate. Derek Lowe simply isn’t very good and he’s looking for similar $$ as Burnett. If AJ gets hurt again, the Yanks can find lousy innings like the ones Low offers virtually anywhere.
Wow. People now suggesting Varitek was so bad last year due to divorce (FWIW, he upgraded) and a viral infection? Boras truly does believe there’s one born every minute.