Players showing up in person
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Dec 08, 2008 
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One of the interesting dynamics of these Winter Meetings is how many players are here to meet with teams personally. That is usually not the case.
CC Sabathia met with teams Sunday and again today. Francisco Rodriguez is here along with Ben Sheets and Brian Fuentes.
There are various reasons. But the main one, I would think, is that we are in Las Vegas. What better place to do a little business and have a little fun?
Let’s hope B-Cash shows up with something good for our stockings!
That’s awesome that a lot of players are heading into town. If I still lived in SD, I’d be there this weekend. Imagine sitting down to play blackjack and find you are sitting across from someone like Giambi, Omar Manaya, maybe even Hal.
I’m sure a lot of business gets done during the day but anyone that’s spent some time in Vegas know there’s no place like it, and the reasons are obvious. It would be interesting to see who’s out and about. CC in the VIP room at Ghostbar?
I find it interesting that Pete Rose is banned from Baseball for life for gambling yet the MLB meeting are in Vegas.
I guess no one is the Casino, right?
Any Giambi sightings yet?
Sabathia is now basically begging the Dodgers to make an offer.
Like I said and others he obviously doesn’t want to come here. And as a fan I’m not sure do I want a player on my team that doesn’t have his heart in it.
**JAYS TO MEET WITH PAVANO’S AGENT!**
In their quest to add depth to a depleted starting rotation, the Blue Jays will consider some reclamation projects this winter. Case in point, Toronto plans on meeting with the agent for free-agent Carl Pavano within the next few days, according to the pitcher’s agent, Tom O’Connell.
http://hotstove.mlblogs.com/ar....._agen.html
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LOL hahas, good luck with Pavano.
CB,
The interesting question is should the yankees give CC an opt out if he asks for it?
As you made the case, I find it hard to believe that CC will sign anywhere else given what’s at stake, but I believe he is angling for a better deal. This is the only time he will have this much leverage. So, how should the Yankees respond if he asks for more, either cash or more goodies in the contract, e.g opt out?
People will be gambling I’m sure, but no one will be placing bets on baseball games.
Sabathia is using us… we are the ugly prom night date. He will only come here when he has no choice, but if he holds out long enough, the Angels WILL make him an offer.
The only reason he even arranged a meeting was to try and suck up to Cashman so he wouldn’t retract the $140mm dollar offer. His agent got the sense that we were annoyed and going to move on, so he told Sabathia to keep his poker face on and pretend to be interested in us to buy some more time. That’s all it was.
I’d give CC an opt out, primarily because of our pitching situation on the farm. Sure he could exercise it after a career year like A-Rod, but if we have Brackman, McAllister and Betances among others knocking on the door, it wont really be a big deal will it?
I think it was very honorable of Pavano to paint a positive review of the Yankees for us. He could have easily trashed the organization and fans and told him to stay away. He knew he stole money from us so he felt he owed it to us to give us back something.
Does anyone else wonder if maybe CC is hesitant about the Yankees cause he’d be the man here in a way he wouldnt with, say, the Angels?
If thats the case….I thought he welcomed such challenges?
**SHEETS MET WITH YANKS**
In addition to meeting with CC Sabathia today, the Yankees met with his former Brewers teammate and fellow free agent, Ben Sheets, late this afternoon.
Sheets, 30, who started the All-Star Game for the National League this season, won a career-best 13 games, posting a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts. It was the first time in four years the injury-plagued righty started more than 24 games in a season.
Sheets has spent his whole career in Milwaukee. He’s represented by Casey Close, who also has Derek Jeter in his stable.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12.....143256.htm
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Wonder what’s the offer would be like?
Reggie didn’t want to play for NY also but he did because of the money and I think it worked out. All this west coast stuff is BS. He’ll take the money. He can live the rest of his life on the west coast but he will make his money on the east coast, and not to mention his fame! Plus, he is on the road half the time anyways!
I’d go as far as giving CC the option to DH once a week. I’d also offer him a family plan like Clemens got.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
“I’d give CC an opt out, primarily because of our pitching situation on the farm. Sure he could exercise it after a career year like A-Rod, but if we have Brackman, McAllister and Betances among others knocking on the door, it wont really be a big deal will it?”
100%
one person who gets it
Yank1; How do you know Pavano didn’t just give AJ a positive review of our rehab facilities and of Cashman’s tolerance for his injured uselessness comparing favorably to JP Ricciardi’s?
I’m just sayin, after the Cash/CC meeting, that is the no. 1 offseason convo I’d love to have been a fly on the wall for. What did AJ really ask Glass Carl.
Trip to Vegas that’s a legit tax write off.
BBB,
I think it is lifestyle more than anything else, not unwillingness to want to face pressure. It’s the city, not the team.
I think Ben Sheets is really good but he seems to be very fragile. Has he ever played a full season?
^^^ Team Sheets all the way. Awesome news about the meeting and about him sharing an agent with Jetes.
If we sign Sheets and AJ… who goes on the DL first?
Here’s my theory…It’s all about the money. CC needs a WC team to bid on him to raise his Yankee offer. Either that or the Red Sox to bid on him which would make the Yankees go crazy.
CC’s camp knows the Yankees will/can go higher than 140 million.
The Yankees have no incentive to offer him more money until someone else gets in the mix with real dollars and I think he and his agent believe someone will get closer to the Yankee offer which will bump the Yankees up to 150 million or higher.
If that’s not his tact, then he doesn’t want to be a Yankee. I don’t want to believe that Cashman and Girardi are so clueless that they couldn’t see through a facade like that in a meeting face to face.
If they did see even a hint of that, they have to pull the offer and let him go work for about 40 million less than he could have.
If that’s what he’s doing and he’s pulling a Maddux on us it’s going to hurt. In that scenario Cashman could have had Johan last year and couldn’t bring home CC this year and the Yankees start looking like a red headed step child to all but the greediest players in the game.
Sign Sheets and keep him wrapped in Bubble Wrap?
“If we sign Sheets and AJ… who goes on the DL first?”
Yes.
No to ben sheets. He is another Pavano. Lowe would be better choice.
I’d imagine 3/$36 would be the offer to Sheets, maybe some kind of team/vesting option as well.
“And as a fan I’m not sure do I want a player on my team that doesn’t have his heart in it.”
Exactly. I didn’t believe that “CC spoke to Colletti” stuff until Pete repeated it. Forget about CC. Cash should pull the offer and start talking to people who *actually* want to be Yankees.
CC is too expensive.
Next year, or in 2010, we will have the worst economy since 1940.
You think CC will only cost $140M?
THINK OF THE BUFFET COSTS!
They just want to get into high stakes poker games with you Pete.
“Sign Sheets and keep him wrapped in Bubble Wrap?”
either skip his starts every 3 weeks, or platoon him with another starter?
Sheets and AJ together could be a Prior and Woods for a new generation… *our* generation.
Damon didn’t want to be a Yankee either but he took the money
“The interesting question is should the yankees give CC an opt out if he asks for it?”
No. Absolutely, positively not. The yankees are offering 22% more in terms of real dollars than anyone else.
Why in the world should they extend additional non-monetary value into the deal.
No way.
All of those opt out deals – ARod, Drew, Burnett – have turned out badly for the clubs because they gave those players both max money and the future option.
If you are offerring the most money that’s good enough. I’d like to see the player that’s going to walk away from 22% more than the next best offer because he can’t get a future option to opt out.
Clubs only do that becasue they are acting dumb or panic.
There’s absolutely no need for that.
I think in the end the yanks will go up to a little under $150M and that will be that.
If CC seriously wants to turn down a 6yr/150M deal then I’d call his bluff.
No player in history has turned down that kind of monetary difference.
Laura, remember this is a business not little league! They are trying to get as much money as they can, just like a union for their workers. Threaten a strike unless you get more money!
Hmmm
Who to root for in this TB/Carolina game?
MLBtraderumors is updating by the second
7:26pm: Dan Graziano says Sabathia requested both Yankees meetings, the second of which took place at the pitcher’s room at the Wynn. Sabathia’s left Vegas, and didn’t give the Yanks a timetable.
Yankees interested in Nick Punto.
Good player, switch hitter, batted .286, littele power, but stole 15 bases in 21 tries and 336 at bats.
At this point were looking at CC and maybe Lowe (or Sheets). Would we be better off with Tex, Lowe and Sheets? Send CC money to Tex and we’ll see if he wants to play for us or not.
“At this point were looking at CC and maybe Lowe (or Sheets). Would we be better off with Tex, Lowe and Sheets? Send CC money to Tex and we’ll see if he wants to play for us or not.”
Think Teixeira would be very interested in Yankees, but 6 years, don’t know if Boras will bite even though the annual salary would be higher.
Not a Lowe fan, a year younger than Pettitte, and looking for 17-18 million/year. Pettitte will think he deserves the same for one year.
Sheets-If he has a clean MRI and physical, a 2 year contract with club option for 3rd year with some incentives would be OK.
Should we take a chance on Brad Penny?
“Threaten a strike unless you get more money!”
Well, then that’s offensive, Thomas. More money than 140mil? Especially when the other offers aren’t even close. CC is good, but he ain’t that good.
MLBTR: “7:35pm: Brian Cashman spoke about Cano, Ian Kennedy, and Phil Hughes. He doesn’t seem likely to trade any of them.”
Woo Hoo!!! Just say no to selling low, Cash!!
THINK OF THE BUFFET COSTS!
Any sightings of the Big-G given its his home turf?
I can relate to this really easy, thank you. I have subscribed to your RSS.