Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Dec 08, 2008 
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Brian Cashman arrived early and got some business done as the Winter Meetings got underway.
It’s just after 9 a.m. in Vegas, still early out here. We’ll have much, much more later.
Thanks Pete.
Oh, and stay away from the casinos out there in Vegas. The house always wins!
The current situation again demonstrates, appallingly so, the differences between the Yankee and Boston management from top to bottom. Cashman, though he purports not to, lays it all so that his goals are an easy read. And if not, the sound bites from Tampa, fill in the gaps. CC has held Cashman hostage for the better part of 3-4 weeks. Cashman has made it clear that pitching is the number one priority and until CC is resolved, there will be no other significant (read..$$$) offers, certainly not to position players. Hal, the conservative one, says if it takes money to win championships, we will spend money. Hank the blustering one, tells the press, “I like Manny, he’s a clutch player”. Later when asked whether the Yankees will make Manny an offer, he replies, “not now, maybe later”. The proverbial “unnamed sources from within the Yankee organization” feed the spin more.
What are the Yankees, in a collective sense, saying? Obviously, pitching, starting with CC is the the number one priority. Unless and until we have visibility with CC, we cannot address, with any sense of finality our hitting needs which we do have. Scottie, don’t do any thing with Manny now (as if you could) we will be there if we don’t do a deal with you for Tex which we can’t do if we get CC, who, by the way, is holding us hostage.
On the other hand, Boston ownership says nothing. More importantly, Theo does likewise. Does Boston want Tex? Do we really know? We they be players? The press speculates with Tex having many in his corner, but those statements from Tony Mazz and others are their own opinions…no “unnamed sources” from the Sawx here. Does Boston want Burnett or Lowe? Who knows. However, there is one guy we know they don’t want, and in that respect, nothing need be said.
One thing is apparent, however, there is definitely a front office/ownership disparity between the two perennial competitors, and we are on the short end..
Ariel, did you know the Yankees were going to trade for Nick Swisher? Or for Nady/Marte? Nothing leaked on either move.
The Yankees have a pretty glaring weakness at starting pitching so its pretty obvious who they are going after. On the other hand, the red sox don’t really have any glaring weaknesses.
We have what we have Ariel. Wish it weren’t so, you can’t hide needs that are apparent to everyone, so does it really matter if our guys negiotiate more openly than the sox?
Peter, that vid doesn’t present you in your finest moment. Get some rest, or get a cam that emphasizes your youthful zest! We need you to make the week a work of art.
(from the previous post)
GB,
I heard Cashman is interested in Baldelli, so he could platoon with Gardner, and give Matsui some days off in the DH. As for infielders, you not going to like it…trade for Jeff Keppinger? =)
“Getting some business done”
Hopefully that means moving on to Teixeira.
Nothing is that surprising. NYY and Cashman says they have interst in everybody. Like that’s a shocker. It’s not as if other teams can’t figure out what needs the Yankees have.
“One thing is apparent, however, there is definitely a front office/ownership disparity between the two perennial competitors, and we are on the short end..”
You raise a good point. However, I think what you are missing is the fact that *EVERYONE* on this planet (who follows baseball) knew that we were making pitching our priority this off season. We were not giving away any trade secrets by saying that CC was the guy. I agree that I’d like us to play it a little closer to the vest in the future, but in this particularly instance, there was no secret to keep because our needs are so glaringly apparent to the rest of the world that they’d have to be Stevie Wonder not to see our game plan.
“Hopefully that means moving on to Teixeira.”
Hopefully not.
Ed – patience isn’t a virtue to some people
December 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
(from the previous post)
GB,
trade for Jeff Keppinger? =)
————————————————————
“Blood curdling scream”
anyone kinda suprised there haven’t been more buzz/talk/publicity surrounding the 24-7 baseball channel?? I believe it will be airing Jan 1st (if not mistaken)
I think the telltale sign was the $140M offer.
I just hope CC was at the meeting because an agent will tell you anything to ease your mind.
I am opposed to deadlines, but the Yankees have to draw a line at some point…or at the very least they should be getting on with their other plans NOW.
Re-sign Pettitte, entertain Burnett/Sheets/or Lowe, and just wrap it up there to the extend that CC is the only other issue you need to deal with.
My only fear would be that if the Yankees drop out, Boston might swoop in and sign the guy and don’t disregard that as a definite possibility.
I like the article I read about Genske risking his job if he drags this out too long. He’ll look like a bonehead if he loses $40 million.
I mean, if CC hasn’t received a formal offer that even touches what the Yankees are offering from say the Angels and leaving this kind of money on the table, how long do we wait Peter?
Did the Chicago Tribine lay-off fact checkers or editors in a cost saving move to delay bankruptcy? What’s wrong with this story from Phil Rogers in The Chicago Tribune?
“Face-to-face chats: On the eve of the meetings, the Yankees’ staff dined with Sabathia and his agent, Scott Boras, at a Vegas restaurant. The meeting reportedly went well, with Sabathia apparently allaying fears that he was only using the Yankees to drive up his market.”
Dan Graziano is reporting that the Yankees still have interest in Mike Cameron and will consider making a trade for him once the higher priorities are resolved.
The team cannot go into 2009 with Brett Gardner penciled in as their CF. That will seriously hurt their playoff chances.
And it’s not simply an issue of being overly critical of Gardner who would be their #9 hitter.
The problem isn’t that gardner is a #9 hitter – the problem is that there’s a very high probability that he will be a considerably below average #9 hitter.
The yankees could tolerate an average #9 hitting CF who plays good defense.
But not one who could be well below average – and that how Gardner projects right now.
If he gets playing time – he should have to earn it. He’s nowhere near the kind of talent they should just entrust a job to.
They can upgrade CF indirectly by signing a 1b and moving Swisher to LF and Damon to CF. Or they could sign a new LF (Adam Dunn?).
Barring those two moves, Cameron would be a big upgrade over Gardner as Cameron is an above average CF. He’s far from perfect – but he’s above average and probably 30 runs better at the plate than Gardner might be.
Gardner carries too much risk to be given a starting job.
“anyone kinda suprised there haven’t been more buzz/talk/publicity surrounding the 24-7 baseball channel?? I believe it will be airing Jan 1st (if not mistaken)”
It’s not getting a lot of press. The first I heard of it was a commercial I saw on TV the other day.
“anyone kinda suprised there haven’t been more buzz/talk/publicity surrounding the 24-7 baseball channel?? I believe it will be airing Jan 1st (if not mistaken)”
Yeah I know what you’re saying Vinny. I guess its this molasses paced hot-stove and the speculation. I totally agree with your handle that game was amazing, I plan on dusting off the 64 and firing it up at some point.
Brandon,
Thank you!!!
I’m sure we’re going to find ourselves in another “To Teixeira or Not to Teixeira” debate again when everyone knows we need starting pitching.
Offense doesn’t win championships, it only HELPS pitching win championships.
Ed – patience isn’t a virtue to some people
December 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
(from the previous post)
GB,
I heard Cashman is interested in Baldelli, so he could platoon with Gardner, and give Matsui some days off in the DH. As for infielders, you not going to like it…trade for Jeff Keppinger? =)
————————————————————
Ed, I was actually referring to trading Nady for good, young minor league infielders/outfielders for have ready for use over the next couple of years.
Ariel,
The only problem with your post is that, anyone and everyone who knows anything about baseball knows that the Yankees need starting pitching…did you think Ponson, Pavone, Rasner and anyone else that started here last year were in the plans for 2009?
As for the Red Sawx, they are in a position of strength, i.e. they can do nothing and be thought of as favorites in 2009.
That is why they do not have to say anything, also they have a starting third basemen that would be pretty upset, even though he is coming off an injury, if anyone in the front office was talking about Tex.
The Yankees don’t have anyone to offend so they can talk all they want.
Also, to say that there is a disparity in the two front offices is kind of short sited…didn’t Cash sign Johnny Damon, without anyone talking about it, what bout when he traded for Abreu and Lidle (RIP)…or Marte and Nady.
To win champsionships, a team had better have a good combination of pitching, offense and defense, along with a fair amount of speed.
CB,
By 1B you mean Teixeira.
So you’re saying let’s not give Gardner a chance (as a nine hole hitter), drop a $160+ million on a 1B we don’t need, and move a LF into CF and a 1B into RF?
I don’t see the logic in that.
All Gardner needs to do in the nine spot is get on base. If he can do that, Damon, Jeter, Arod should do the rest. We don’t need an offensive machine 1 through 9 and the small sample size we have from Gardner is too miniscule to judge him by. He can play CF and that should be the primary concern for your 9 hitter: defense.
Having said this, I am not opposed to getting Cameron at a very low cost.
Not that he’s not talented but for the longterm I want my SP lined up and there will be other 1B studs. We saw how the Angels w/ Teix were basically schooled in the playoffs he doesn’t change your whole team, does he make you a little better yeah, but we’ve seen how this works out. We’ve seen the reruns over and over, we need to get away from long-terming position players because it’s not that guaranteed.
“anyone kinda suprised there haven’t been more buzz/talk/publicity surrounding the 24-7 baseball channel?? I believe it will be airing Jan 1st (if not mistaken)”
Whenever baseball hypes something up, it usually fails, or maybe, just maybe this baseball network is the reason for the slow offseason. I wouldn’t put it past Bud to tell owners to wait until Jan 1 to do something. Yes, I know it’s a reach, but you never know.
“Ed, I was actually referring to trading Nady for good, young minor league infielders/outfielders for have ready for use over the next couple of years”
You think Nady brings anything more than B-list prospects? Especially only one year of Nady?
“I totally agree with your handle that game was amazing, I plan on dusting off the 64 and firing it up at some point”
kewl. I let my niece have my N64 a while back. Still haven’t found an FPS which match-up with GE
Ariel
No doubt that the Yanees are more forthcoming. Not sure that Boston’s duplicity is a virtue though.
What does seem to be a relative strength for them is the depth in their front office. I don’t get the sense that Cashman has the strong back-up and research support that Theo has. Proof is in the pudding. Cash has made tons of errors. Boston has been lucky, yes (not getting guys they wanted like Contreras and Pavano, not succeeding in dumping Manny when they wanted to years ago, reluctantly accepting Lowell, who turned out to be much better than they realized).
But they’ve also been very shrewd. Best example: realizing that the the $50 million deposit on Dice-K was worth it because they’d have all the leverage in contract negotiations. Somehow they knew (and Yanks apparently did not) that Dice-K, even with Boras as his agent, would accept a low-ball offer. At something like $6 mill a year (and with Wakefield never earning more than $4 mill a year) Boston has managed to get valuable players at a discount time and again. Yes, they’ve made mistakes but on balance their front-office has outsmarted ours most of the time. I think they’ve out-researched us, if nothing else.
The biggest out of nowhere deal NYY has made in years was getting Rodriguez for Soriano.
Why is everyone so eager to trade Nady when he is an obvious solution in RF?
Even if he walks after this season, odds are he is a Type A free agent that gains us draft picks. He’s a Boras client, thus he won’t accept arbitration. Its win-win for the Yankees to keep him on board for 2009, at least until the trade deadline at which point we’ll know how he is doing at the plate.
From Starks article on CC, Manny, Tex:
survey of baseball people:
Player Earliest date Latest date Average date
A.J. Burnett Dec. 10 Dec. 15 Dec. 13
CC Sabathia Dec. 11 Dec. 28 Dec. 20
Derek Lowe Dec. 20 Dec. 31 Dec. 27
Mark Teixeira Dec. 22 Jan. 5 Jan. 1
Manny Ramirez Jan. 10 Feb. 2 Jan. 18
to ariel and the amazing cashman apologists.
the minute i read ariel’s post i scrolled down quickly to find the expected core of cashmanites trying to rip him.
you can spin it, play it, ignore it, deny it, flat out lie about it, but the FACT is that boston has a much better GM and front office. since cashman took office the yanks won one WS (with stick michael’s players) and have been on a constant decline all the way to missing the playoffs and having only 2 starters signed for the rotation, one of which has innings limits… that’s beyond terrible.
boston on the other hand won 2 WS in the last 4 years, have youngsters coming up and succeeding all the time (check out the 2008 MVP, for one), a solid rotation, and always seem to get the upper hand in trades.
ariel wrote the truth. theo is a great GM. cashman is less than adequate, at best. the numbers, the results, don’t lie.
Fredo Corleone
December 8th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
“Ed, I was actually referring to trading Nady for good, young minor league infielders/outfielders for have ready for use over the next couple of years”
You think Nady brings anything more than B-list prospects? Especially only one year of Nady?
————————————————————
For a close to playoff team in need of a right handed hitting outfielder, yes….especially if he goes to a team that’s located where he likes.
bottom line
Seems to me SJ44 cb and some others were arguing a while back that Cashman needed to imporve his support staff. Is that your take too? Or is the issue more top-down?
Brandon,
I agree: Teixeira is a monster at the plate, very talented, I’d love to have him, but he does not represent a need right now.
Like you said, there are plenty of other 1B options out there.
What I fear is a logjam at 1B in a couple years.
“The biggest out of nowhere deal NYY has made in years was getting Rodriguez for Soriano.”
I think Damon was pretty out of nowhere. Mussina was another guy nobody expected the Yanks to get. I think CC is different because at least Moose is from PA, there aren’t the same similarities with NY/LA.
Why don’t people instead ask thierselves how a team w/ Carlos Pena at 1B beat the defending champion Red Sox to go to the World Series or how a .251 hitter in Ryan Howard who played 1B made it to the World Series. There are too many things that our fanbase thinks that we need, we aren’t that far off, right SP is the focus. God land me CC and Sheets I swear I’ll go to my future mother in laws house for X-mas as much as I can’t stand that vieja.
Gil L
December 8th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
to ariel and the amazing cashman apologists.
the minute i read ariel’s post i scrolled down quickly to find the expected core of cashmanites trying to rip him.
you can spin it, play it, ignore it, deny it, flat out lie about it, but the FACT is that boston has a much better GM and front office. since cashman took office the yanks won one WS (with stick michael’s players) and have been on a constant decline all the way to missing the playoffs and having only 2 starters signed for the rotation, one of which has innings limits… that’s beyond terrible
———————————————————–
Yeah, yeah…whatever you say.
Gil/Ariel,
You’re attributing 96, 98, and 99 to Michael?
Cash has made some great moves as a GM including Roger Clemens and Chuck Knoblauch.
The decline of the team is not only Cashman’s fault…King George was calling the final shots up until something like the 2004 or 2005 season.
Bringing in guys like Sheffield when we could have had a Beltran or a Vladimir.
Cashman knows pitching wins and that is his focus now.
The championships in 99 and 00 are just as much Cashman’s as they are anyone else and I’d argue that 98 he shared at the very least.
Laura and Al with regard to the MLB Network there has been a lot of writing on the channel in both Neil Best’s Watchdog blog
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/
as well as on the Biz of Baseball
http://www.bizofbaseball.com/
Especially the Biz of Baseball site. They are putting together what seems like a really good team and they have the NFL Network beat already in terms of coverage across the country as they made deals with all of the cable outlets etc when they renegotiated the baseball package last year.
I don’t know why, but I’m not in the camp that thinks starting off the season with Gardner in CF is the worst thing that can happen and you all know how much I don’t fawn over prospects…but Gardner brings speed to the Yankees. Serious speed.
That kind of speed is something this team hasn’t had in a long time and I felt Gardner showed signs at the end of the season that he was starting to drive balls into the gaps. I remember in the final series in Toronto he looked like a different hitter to me.
Would I want Cameron on the team? Yes & no. There’s (shockingly) a part of me that wants to give Gardner a chance and there’s a part of me that knows Cameron is a very good CF who will out perform Garnder. If we only have to give up Melky and a reliever prospect for Cameron it’s too good a deal to pass up too.
“the minute i read ariel’s post i scrolled down quickly to find the expected core of cashmanites trying to rip him”
lol. Cashmanites. Kinda have a ring to it…
“The biggest out of nowhere deal NYY has made in years was getting Rodriguez for Soriano.”
And that is still high way robbery for what they got, I just can’t believe what has happened to Sori I thought he’d be better than what he is showing. Even Pinella is getting tired of him. IDK what happened to this guy such a young, promising, fast but lazy player.
From Rosenthal:
12:31 p.m. — Burnett shows interest in Yanks
A.J. Burnett seems more interested in pitching in New York than CC Sabathia, the Yankees’ other top free-agent target. While Sabathia sits on the Yankees’ offer of the richest-ever pitching contract and reportedly met with GM Brian Cashman, Burnett has reached out to former Yankee Carl Pavano, who did not steer him away from the Yankees. Pavano, who did not enjoy his New York experience, told Burnett “he has the stuff to pitch there,” according to a major-league source.
=======================================
What? Pavano didn’t enjoy his time in NY? Maybe cuz he was hardly in NY?
Al,
I’m pretty sure EVERYONE knew the Yankees would get Mussina…it was talked about throughout the 2000 season.
He was their primary focus that offseason.
Mad Prince — I wouldn’t trade Nady. He’s a Boras client in a contract year. That’s the kind of player I want. Motivated. Not to mention I think he seems like a good chemistry guy.
G Love,
Yes, I agree: Gardner’s speed is an asset the team has lacked for years.
And as a 9 hitter…all he has to do is focus on getting on base. No concern for power, driving in runs. Only OBP, runs scored, and I guess BA.
Give the guy a shot.
Kennedy made changes to his curve ball delivery with the help of his college coach and said Eiland “liked” what he saw with it.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12.....142910.htm
“By 1B you mean Teixeira.”
Is that what I wrote? No it’s not. Please don’t put words in my mouth. They could very well sign Adam Dunn to play 1b or make a trade for say Nick Johnson. They could sign Tex.
My main point was that Swisher’s flexibility allows them to upgrade the OF/ CF by not just getting a CF but by also getting a 1b.
“All Gardner needs to do in the nine spot is get on base. If he can do that, Damon, Jeter, Arod should do the rest. We don’t need an offensive machine 1 through 9″
I tried to be as clear as I could about this – but every time someone makes some kind of critique of gardner – the argument comes around to the same issue – which is essentially:
Gardner is only the #9 hitter. He doesn’t have to be an all star.
I never said Gardner needs to be an all star.
I’ll say it again very plainly – the yankees do not need an all star CF. They don’t even need a good CF.
All they need is a league average CF. That’s it.
Believe what you want to believe – but right there’s very little evidence that Gardner is going to be even league average.
The problem with Gardner is that he profiles right now to be considerably below average. Not average – below average. Not a little smidge below average – considerably below average.
This yankee line up is not great. They cannot afford to carry even one spot on the field that is going to be well below average. Not even one.
Average play at a position like CF would be fine. But not below average because then day in and out the other team has a significant advantage over your team.
Their have been studies done on this – carrying even one significantly below average player on a team has many times made the difference between a team making the playoffs and missing it. This is particularly true in a competitive division.
Can anyone know that Gardner will be below average? No of course not.
Is there a significant probability that he performs below average? Yes there is.
And when planning a team you need to balance probabilities and risks.
Outside of this much discussed “small sample” of major league play (from which he always seems to have derived the benefit of the doubt for some reason rather than an acknowledgment that he lacks experience…)Gardner has never, ever been considered much of a prospect at all.
Most people in baseball see him as a 4th outfielder. That’s the scouting assessment of Gardner.
The only people who see him as more than that are yankee fans.
Now I hope he becomes great – shows everyone wrong.
But he’s not Jay Bruce. He’s not a kid you just hand a job to and say, let’s just see what happens.
This has absolutely nothing to do with needing an all star at every position.
It has to do with trying to have at least a league average player at every position.
That’s a big difference.
LOL. Just had a vision of Jake Peavy walking the strip with a tin cup. Some ladies in a church group dropping money because of his “perty blue eyes”.
Further downtown, Varitek wandering around with a sandwich board: *Have glove, will play for food*
“God land me CC and Sheets I swear I’ll go to my future mother in laws house for X-mas as much as I can’t stand that vieja.”
LMAO.
“Al,
I’m pretty sure EVERYONE knew the Yankees would get Mussina…it was talked about throughout the 2000 season.
He was their primary focus that offseason.”
However much like CC he had no interest in coming here.
*Have mitt, will play for food*
“What? Pavano didn’t enjoy his time in NY? Maybe cuz he was hardly in NY?”
that can’t be right? I thought he wanted to come back so he could prove himself?
“Burnett has reached out to former Yankee Carl Pavano, who did not steer him away from the Yankees. Pavano, who did not enjoy his New York experience, told Burnett “he has the stuff to pitch there,” according to a major-league source.”
Why did this make me choke on my hot cocoa
G Love,
On Nady: yes. He looked pretty damned good last year for jumping from the NL East to the AL East. Has a good arm, will be motivated, could turn Type A into draft picks.
Another thing on the CF, Austin Jackson isn’t too far out. We only need a short term solution at CF until we at least see what Jackson can do when called up.
Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
December 8th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
“The biggest out of nowhere deal NYY has made in years was getting Rodriguez for Soriano.”
And that is still high way robbery for what they got, I just can’t believe what has happened to Sori I thought he’d be better than what he is showing. Even Pinella is getting tired of him. IDK what happened to this guy such a young, promising, fast but lazy player.
———————————————————–
He was a bit of a showboat, but, I never thought he was lazy. The last two years has been eaten up by hamstring injuries and a broken hand. He was a talent, and if NYY had had a better second baseman available, he may have been in left field well before Piniella convinced him to move. He’s not the most gifted left fielder around, but, he really racks up the outfield assists.
Brandon, Al –
Ready to get whopped by B-Lo, Harris, and the Nets? LOL
GB,
didn’t the Cubs want to get rid of him?
There’s a really good discussion regarding the pros and cons of putting a deadline on the offer to CC over at Waswatching.com. Check out the comments section on the Bill Madden thread. After reading it, I don’t want a deadline!
Obviously pitching is the compelling need known to anyone who has a passing interest in the Yankees. My comments were directed to the means adopted by Yankee management and ownership to address those needs, specifically, the all-consuming and open focus on CC and that everything else undertaken evolves around what CC does or does not do. Only an apologist for Yankee management can seriously spin the notion that CC has not held us hostage.
LTL
I have no hard data on this so I could be wrong. But it seems to me that Boston has always had some strong back-office help. Some (Joh Byrnes comes to mind) landed jobs elsewhere as GMs. But every now and then you learn they’ve got some whiz-kid running numbers and interference that you’d never heard of back there. And while I take Bill James with a grain of salt the simple truth is he’s probably a darn good source of input. As to Cash, one has to wonder about his judgment on pitchers. Still, the truth is Boston pursued many of the same guys and wound up being lucky the signed with us.
The other thing to remember is these guys are real gamesmen. And obviously very sharp statistically. John Henry, after all, made his mark charting futures. Of course, he’s lost a good chunk of his clientele in recent years because of poor performance. But he’d already made his stash. Lucchino has the reputation of an extremely slick cut-throat (and underhanded?) operator. Theo seems to be the nice guy in that group — but ultra-competitive and smart. I do think the Yankees have to beef up their brain trust to compete with these guys.
“Ready to get whopped by B-Lo, Harris, and the Nets? LOL ”
We play you guys next ?
Just hope that Burnett’s not reaching out to his other Florida buddy, Beckett.
Mad Prince,
Sorry, but I can’t assume that Austin Jackson will roam center field. At least not anytime soon. He’s very raw and needs seasoning. CF in Yankee stadium can be unforgiving.
Al,
What are you talking about?
Mussina didn’t want to come to NY? He chose NY because it was so close to his home in PA and gave him an opportunity to win a championship.
What would give you the impression that he didn’t want to pitch in NY?
Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
December 8th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
“Burnett has reached out to former Yankee Carl Pavano, who did not steer him away from the Yankees. Pavano, who did not enjoy his New York experience, told Burnett “he has the stuff to pitch there,” according to a major-league source.”
Why did this make me choke on my hot cocoa
———————————————————–
It was probably the chunks floating in the cup. Even the marshmallows can’t disguise the curds.
“Kennedy said he takes solace from the fact that Hall of Fame pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux struggled as youngsters before breaking through. Glavine was 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA his first full season while Maddux produced a 6-14 mark with a 5.61 ERA. Also, John Smoltz was 2-7 his first season with the Braves.”
Are people still comparing him to Greg Maddux ? Oh Boy.
“We play you guys next ?”
Yep, on Wed.
“Brandon, Al –
Ready to get whopped by B-Lo, Harris, and the Nets? LOL
”
Nah bro gottta disagree. The Knicks are gonna go nuts and have one of those 130 point blow out games.
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, outfielder Corey Patterson switched from Scott Boras to Jim Bronner and Bob Gilhooley. Crasnick figures Patterson will sign a minor league deal given his .205/.238/.344 line in ’08.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....erson.html
————-
looks like Arod won’t be the only one that left Boras, LOL.
Ed – patience isn’t a virtue to some people
December 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
GB,
didn’t the Cubs want to get rid of him?
————————————————————
Not that I know of, Ed. However, if the Cubs have money issues, I can see them trying to find a deal for him. They’re still trying to find a deep pocket sucker….err…gentleman to buy them. They have a lot of money on the payroll.
CB,
Sorry for putting Teixeira into your mouth…a lot of people on here are lobbying for him and it is tiring to read.
We need starting pitchers that is the bottom line.
Our offense is not as bad as people make it out to be.
Damon
Jeter
Nady/Matsui?
Arod
Nady/Matsui?
Posada
Swisher
Cano
Gardner
The one thing I will grant is injury concern between Matsui and Posada, but I doubt Cashman won’t do something in the way of providing replacements or decent alternatives on the bench.
I think we can at least expect some kind of increase in productivity out of Cano. And I think Jeter will be a better hitter this year (not to say 2008 was bad or anything). Damon is in a contract year so hopefully he’ll be doubly motivated.
I don’t mind the idea of Dunn or even Nick Johnson at the right price, but Johnson is always getting injured too so that is a tough decision there.
whats with that hop thing soriano does when he catches flies? is that for style points or what?
Ed =
I think ARod is still with Boras.
“Al,
What are you talking about?
Mussina didn’t want to come to NY? He chose NY because it was so close to his home in PA and gave him an opportunity to win a championship.
What would give you the impression that he didn’t want to pitch in NY?”
I read at least 2 articles this winter that said he was very hesitant and that his wife had to convince him to pitch on the big stage here in NY.
““Kennedy said he takes solace from the fact that Hall of Fame pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux struggled as youngsters before breaking through. Glavine was 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA his first full season while Maddux produced a 6-14 mark with a 5.61 ERA. Also, John Smoltz was 2-7 his first season with the Braves.”
Are people still comparing him to Greg Maddux ? Oh Boy.”
Oh boy is right. We need to trade this kid, now hes comparing himself to 2 HOF’ers. Greg Maddux was the greatest control pitcher in the modern era, IPK can barely hit a corner.
Gb,
I remember now, if the Cubs want Manny then they got to get rid of Soriano which I don’t think it’s the case anymore.
Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
December 8th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
“Kennedy said he takes solace from the fact that Hall of Fame pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux struggled as youngsters before breaking through. Glavine was 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA his first full season while Maddux produced a 6-14 mark with a 5.61 ERA. Also, John Smoltz was 2-7 his first season with the Braves.”
Are people still comparing him to Greg Maddux ? Oh Boy.
————————————————————
I think that the only comparisons are in style and the start to their careers. It’s not far-fetched that one day soon, things snap into place for Kennedy as it did for them, and he becomes a better than average pitcher.
“I think ARod is still with Boras.”
as friends, no?
Kennedy said he takes solace from the fact that Hall of Fame pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux struggled as youngsters before breaking through. Glavine was 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA his first full season while Maddux produced a 6-14 mark with a 5.61 ERA. Also, John Smoltz was 2-7 his first season with the Braves.”
———————
Hey Ian, both of those guys had at least one win in their first season. They did not goose-egg.
CC meeting classification has been upgraded to “very informational” according to Joel Sherman
“* A Yankees official described the meeting with CC Sabathia in Vegas on Sunday as “mostly informational.” Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi met with the big left-hander and no firm date was set for when there’ll be resolution. The Yankees privately believe that Sabathia is such a high-character guy that if he decides to play for them, he will be fully invested in the organization even if his initial desire was to play on the West Coast or in the National League.”
ok people, im off to my job interview. be back later!!
I need a miracle, and hoping for the Yanks to sign CC by the time I get home!
i’ve been noticing everybody seems to list the lineup with arod batting clean-up. im thinking i like arod behind jeter with matsui batting fourth better.
mel,
I mentioned Jackson because he is figured to be in the picture in a year or so. that is what I was referring to in terms of a short-term fill in at CF.
Who knows whether he’ll pan out, but we have to try, right?
Next offseason should be a focus of offense assuming everything goes as planned this offseason…god only knows if it will.
oops- “very informational” should be “mostly informational”
Ed, I’m pretty sure he’s still his agent. However, he did not allow Boras to negotiate his contract with the Yankees. Anyone?
GI Joe spoke w/ him ? hmmm..
Ed – patience isn’t a virtue to some people
December 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Gb,
I remember now, if the Cubs want Manny then they got to get rid of Soriano which I don’t think it’s the case anymore.
————————————————————
Good God….that would be great theatre, huh? watching Piniella waddling/running out to left field and strangling and beating Manny Ramirez to death.
Mad,
That’s fine. But I’d rather have Tex than Holliday.
LOL. Red Sox fans don’t want CC.
Doreen,
I think that Alex blew it off as a formality, saying that he’s not going to need another contract. Of course not! We’ve got him until he can collect social security!
CC’s Conscious
December 8th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Kennedy said he takes solace from the fact that Hall of Fame pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux struggled as youngsters before breaking through. Glavine was 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA his first full season while Maddux produced a 6-14 mark with a 5.61 ERA. Also, John Smoltz was 2-7 his first season with the Braves.”——————————-
Hey Ian, both of those guys had at least one win in their first season. They did not goose-egg.
————————————————————
Kennedy did have a win in his first season…just so you’ll know.
Al,
I agree on trading Kennedy right now. His stock is higher than it has been since he came up in 2007.
That might give us some offense, though I doubt much. He’d have to be packaged with someone else that is legit in order to get any kind of 2009 ready return.
The Big 3: Joba, Hughes, Kennedy
The Big Picture: if 2/3 pan out and stay on board then I am perfectly happy with that and it is indicative of success growing the farm. We don’t have to keep EVERYONE.
Mad Prince — Nothing undermines credibility more than make believe revisionism to try and reinforce your point.
The consnsus eight years ago was that Mussina would HATE NYC and would never go the Yankees. That signing is probably Cashman’s best in the FA market and to alter history to suit your point is proof that you are not offering critical analysis, you are simply an ANTI-CASHMANITE!!! (Jerry Seinfeld would be proud)
Is opening day next week? The way some of you are acting it must be. C’mon folks, take a Mydol.
WHOA….
A Black guy on the Red Sox?
They finished their ethnic clensing when they traded Coco.
CC wouldnt fit in there.
“We need starting pitchers that is the bottom line.”
I completely agree with that. And I think the team’s focus on going pitching first is the right one. Not only for need but for the dynamics of the market.
The pitchers are going to go off the board first. They usually do every year and it’s not going to be different this season. Coupled with a rotation that only has 2 starters in it – yes you have to look for pitching.
That said why are people turning this into an either or proposition?
The fact is that while pitching is their biggest need right now given the rotation – they also need to improve the offense because it’s not projecting to be all that great right now.
There’s no doubt that the team would benefit greatly from improving both the pitching and the offense. Both are needed. It’s not one or the other.
The offense could be upgraded through many more options than the pitching staff could.
The could try to sign Tex. They could sign Manny or Pat Burrell. They could trade for a guy like Cameron.
Whatever they decide – the offense need to be improved.
And right now they’ll get the most bang for their dollar by improving CF. That’s by far the weakest spot in the line up and even an upgrade to a slightly above average player there would be a benefit.
Just to take Cameron for an example. Right now Cameron projects to be around 30 runs better than gardner. That’s around 3 wins.
That’s enormous. The marginal value of one additional win for the yankees is $5.5M. So Cameron would be worth $16.5M to the yankees next season compared to Gardner.
Cameron is set to make $10M next season.
According to LA Times article 11/4/2008, Boras still represents Alex, for what it’s worth.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/.....6878.story
CC’s Conscious (Conscience?)
Nothing racial. “Porker”, “let his arm fall off in NY, not Boston”.
Sherman update his blog again-
“-The Yankees literally brought in a heavy hitter for their Sunday meeting with CC Sabathia. Reggie Jackson joined Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi in what was generally described as an informational meeting, mainly with Sabathia wanting to collect the information about the Yankees. Jackson is often used by the Yankees in these kind of high-profile scenarios.
At the meeting, no firm date was set for when there’ll be a resolution. The Yankees privately believe that Sabathia is such a high-character guy that if he decides to play for them, he will be fully invested in the organization even if his initial desire was to play on the West Coast or in the National League.”
Guess Reggie would be a CA guy who knows what it’s like to play on both coasts.
Dodgers and Yankees have resumed their discussions about second baseman Robinson Cano at the Meetings. The Dodgers also like Melky Cabrera, while the Yankees hope to get Matt Kemp and pitching from L.A.
——————————–
Kershaw or NO DEAL
wow no one elected to hall of fame for veterans committee
Rosenthal, via MLBTrade Rumors:
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers and Yankees have resumed their discussions about second baseman Robinson Cano at the Meetings. The Dodgers also like Melky Cabrera, while the Yankees hope to get Matt Kemp and pitching from L.A.
Former Yankee and Cleveland 2nd baseman, Joe Gordon was the only election for the HOF. He came from the pre-1942 class of electors. None of the post war players were elected.
“The consnsus eight years ago was that Mussina would HATE NYC and would never go the Yankees.”
This is true. The conventional wisdom was that Moose wasn’t going to sign with the yanks because he was a small town guy and “didn’t like” NY.
Then the yankees offerred him more money than anyone (and Joe Torre put in that now famous phone call) and the rest is history.
“Al,
I agree on trading Kennedy right now. His stock is higher than it has been since he came up in 2007.
That might give us some offense, though I doubt much. He’d have to be packaged with someone else that is legit in order to get any kind of 2009 ready return.
The Big 3: Joba, Hughes, Kennedy
The Big Picture: if 2/3 pan out and stay on board then I am perfectly happy with that and it is indicative of success growing the farm. We don’t have to keep EVERYONE.”
I agree 2 out of 3 aint bad.
“WHOA….
A Black guy on the Red Sox?
They finished their ethnic clensing when they traded Coco.
CC wouldnt fit in there.”
I’m glad someone has finally brought this up. Boston has the darkest racial history as a city. I doubt CC would want to sign with a team that has a noted history of segregation and discrimination.
ill still think were gonna sign cc and burnett and it looks like burneet is more intruge to pitch in the bronx and specially asking pavano how is it to pitch here
Again with the Dodgers and Yankees (Cano/Melky vs. Kemp and Pitching)???
Do not trade Cano!!!
And if we have Kemp, doesnt that make A-Jax expendable?
“Joel Sherman says Brian Cashman brought Joe Girardi and Reggie Jackson along for their recent meeting with Sabathia. Privately, the Yanks feel that Sabathia would be entirely invested in New York if he signs with them (despite his West Coast leanings).”
They need to bring in LeBron James
Torre did seem to believe in Melky.
Prince,
Of your proposed lineup (which will be the opening day lineup absent any deals) three of those mentioned are, at best DH. Matsui never was more than medicre, and now with two bad knees, he has diminished even more so. Damon’s skills have deteriorated even more so…he is certainly not the “fielder” he was when with the Red Sox. Posada, even if his surgery was successful, his defense, at best is dubious…..ask Moose, Pettitte, and all the other veterans who have opted (when they had enough senority to speak their mind) for “whoever else could catch” as his replacement. The roster, as currently constituted (even if augmented by CC) is not good enough to move above 3rd in the AL East. Remember, CC will only start one out of every 5 games or so.
Here’s the link on new HOFer, Joe Gordon.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....8;c_id=mlb
86w183,
I’m not even going to respond to your bit about Mussina.
But I will respond to you calling me an ANTI-CASHMANITE.
read the threads above. I whole-heartedly support Cashman. I love the guy.
“Sherman update his blog again-
”-The Yankees literally brought in a heavy hitter for their Sunday meeting with CC Sabathia. Reggie Jackson joined Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi in what was generally described as an informational meeting, mainly with Sabathia wanting to collect the information about the Yankees. Jackson is often used by the Yankees in these kind of high-profile scenarios.
At the meeting, no firm date was set for when there’ll be a resolution. The Yankees privately believe that Sabathia is such a high-character guy that if he decides to play for them, he will be fully invested in the organization even if his initial desire was to play on the West Coast or in the National League.”
Guess Reggie would be a CA guy who knows what it’s like to play on both coasts.”
Cash should have told CC that he would get his own candy bar ala Reggie
im very glad to hear that reggie was there. a bay area hero cant hurt the process. cash is going all george on this trip, wining and dining , flashing the bling, like a much younger steinbrenner wined and dined catfish and reggie back in the day.
the yankees do have some resources other teams just dont have.
im sure the candy bar story came up (over brandy and cigars?)
Knudson,
Matsui mediocre?
Alright, whatever you say.
Knudson wins the award for most generalizations without any empirical evidence to back it up in one post.
Anyone else find it interesting that Carl Pavano did not steer A.J. Burnett away from signing with the Yankees?
I wonder how a recruiting convo. w/ Reggie sounds like
“im very glad to hear that reggie was there. a bay area hero cant hurt the process. cash is going all george on this trip, wining and dining , flashing the bling, like a much younger steinbrenner wined and dined catfish and reggie back in the day.
the yankees do have some resources other teams just dont have.”
I agree 100%. A California guy like Reggie who played for the A’s, Angels and Yankees has to have the best take on it. CC probably took things from him a little differently than just coming from Cashman’s mouth.
“Anyone else find it interesting that Carl Pavano did not steer A.J. Burnett away from signing with the Yankees?”
I’m more concerned w/ Burnett reaching out to ICU-ANO, I mean that can’t be a good thing can it ?
Glad to see Joe Gordon finally get into the Hall. It was long overdue. Why did this take so long?
Another guy overlooked because he was playing in one of the most amazing line ups of all time I guess.
Gordon was a better all around 2nd baseman than Ryne Sandberg. A lot of pop for a middle infielder.
Another yankee from the 1940′s in the hall.
The Yankees will live to regret trading Cano if that deal ever goes down.
Knudson
December 8th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Prince,
Of your proposed lineup (which will be the opening day lineup absent any deals) three of those mentioned are, at best DH. Matsui never was more than medicre, and now with two bad knees, he has diminished even more so. Damon’s skills have deteriorated even more so…he is certainly not the “fielder” he was when with the Red Sox. Posada, even if his surgery was successful, his defense, at best is dubious…..ask Moose, Pettitte, and all the other veterans who have opted (when they had enough senority to speak their mind) for “whoever else could catch” as his replacement. The roster, as currently constituted (even if augmented by CC) is not good enough to move above 3rd in the AL East. Remember, CC will only start one out of every 5 games or so.
————————————————————
I suppose that since most pitchers didn’t want to throw when Posada was catching when they had the option, he could only catch 145 games a year over an 8 year stretch.
pavano did want to be a yankee, he’s a connecticut guy, i’m not shocked he didnt trash the yankees, he’s likely hoping that cash doesnt trash him to other gm’s.
Very true Brandon
Dan,
I did. Of course, when Carl told AJ he had the stuff to pitch in NY, “stuff” probably meant “health”.
Dan – actually Pavano had a good time here. He got paid for 4 years and made very few starts. He stayed away from NY and basically did what he wanted.
Doreen – I believe that I read that Boras helped Alex and Cynthia mediate their divorce and that was how they settled it so quickly.
CB,
I’m interested in your take on a potential Cano/Kemp trade with assorted pieces. Who would win in a straight swap? I’ve seen Kemp’s offensive numbers but does he cover CF well?
Also what would need to be thrown in to get a Billingsley or Kershaw with it? I assume very unlikely those two would be traded but there has been some speculation that they could be added to a package.
“I wonder how a recruiting convo. w/ Reggie sounds like
”
Reggie- Now listen son, you’re a great player and great players belong on the Yankees.
CC- I know Reggie I’m just trying to see if any California teams will get involved, I respect the Yankees but I like pitching at home.
Reggie- You’ll always have a chance to come home, but you’ll only get one chance to be a Yankee.
CC- I know Reggie its just hard.
Reggie- I know its tough, but we need you in NY. Those other teams haven’t even called you yet CC, how do you feel about that?
CC- They’ll come around I just wanna see whats out there.
Reggie- Alright CC I know you’ll make the right choice, I know I did.(Winks and pulls out a Reggie bar circa 1978)
CB
December 8th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Glad to see Joe Gordon finally get into the Hall. It was long overdue. Why did this take so long?
Another guy overlooked because he was playing in one of the most amazing line ups of all time I guess.
Gordon was a better all around 2nd baseman than Ryne Sandberg. A lot of pop for a middle infielder.
Another yankee from the 1940’s in the hall.
———————————————————–
He was definately at the top of the list as a 2nd baseman in the late ’30s and ’40s. He did bring a pretty fair pitcher back in the trade, though, in Allie Reynolds.
Knudson wins the award for most generalizations without any empirical evidence to back it up in one post.
____________
But his point is correct…the Yankees project to be pretty mediocre without any additions obviously
Here’s the way I see it….the rotation will look pretty weak w/o CC in 2009..yet will look a lot better in 2010 and beyond once our young pitching matures
On the other hand, our offense would be sufficient w/o Tex in 2009…but would look abysmal in 2010 and beyond (taking into consideration call-ups and those leaving in FA)
As a result, it makes more sense to add to the core of the lineup (Jeter, Tex, Arod, Cano) for the next 5+ years…while allowing our surplus of young pitching develop (Joba, Hughes, Kennedy, Brackman, Betacnes, etc…)
What does Cano, Melky, & Cano get you?
Andrew,
YES HE DOES
Andrew,
It was not my intention to set forth with any specificity evidentiary matter to support the conclusory allegations. I assumed that those who watch a sufficient number of games, should easily conclude that (i) the defensive prowess of Matsui is mediocre at best, (ii) Damon’s defensive skill sets have deteriorated with age and injury; thus he certainly is not the “centerfielder” he was during his salad days with the Red Sox, and, finally, (iii) Posada’s defensive shortcomings should be obvious, as should be the reactions of the senior members of the pitching staff during the last five years or so…certainly the pre-emininent base stealers on the opposing teams do indeed smile when they see Jorge’s designation as catcher in the starting lineup…his caught stealing percentage lights up the likes of Pedroia, Elsbury et al.
“The Yankees will live to regret trading Cano if that deal ever goes down.”
They won’t, Cash will ask for Kershaw or Kemp and Colletti will balk.
I like the intrest Burnett is showing in the Yankees .. Seems like he has honest intrest unlike someone else i’ll fail to mention
I also WANT the Kemp for Cano deal to go down ! . .Kemp is the MAN !!!
“specificity evidentiary matter to support the conclusory allegations”
How many words are there? 8? Look again….
YANKS IN 2010,
But you failed to mention the fact that the Yankees can be aggressive on the FA market for hitters next offseason. Sure, we have guys leaving (Damon, Nady), but there will be other guys available.
There are “ifs” with the current team’s ability to stay healthy, I know this. But if they do manage to stay healthy, our lineup is fine for 2009 so long as we get the deep rotation that Cashman is counting on.
I do agree that if we try to upgrade our team offensively, it should be in CF, not 1B.
From what I gather, Kemp is probably going to end up as a corner OF. He was about average in CF this year so at the very least he could stay there for 2009.
He’s a really raw player right now but he probably has more potential than Cano.
Kemp helps a position of need and there are 2B available, so if the trade was Kemp for Cano straight up I’d pull the trigger.
mel, ill see your 2 canos and a melky and raise you two albaladejos…
Knudson
December 8th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Andrew,
It was not my intention to set forth with any specificity evidentiary matter to support the conclusory allegations. I assumed that those who watch a sufficient number of games, should easily conclude that (i) the defensive prowess of Matsui is mediocre at best, (ii) Damon’s defensive skill sets have deteriorated with age and injury; thus he certainly is not the “centerfielder” he was during his salad days with the Red Sox, and, finally, (iii) Posada’s defensive shortcomings should be obvious, as should be the reactions of the senior members of the pitching staff during the last five years or so…certainly the pre-emininent base stealers on the opposing teams do indeed smile when they see Jorge’s designation as catcher in the starting lineup…his caught stealing percentage lights up the likes of Pedroia, Elsbury et al.
———————————————————–
Oh, Oh…watch out, folks. Knudson just whipped his Lawyer Speak Cliff Notes.
Cano is a better hitter than Kemp. Gee lets trade our star 2B to fill the void in CF, so we can open a new void in the IF.
But you failed to mention the fact that the Yankees can be aggressive on the FA market for hitters next offseason. Sure, we have guys leaving (Damon, Nady), but there will be other guys available.
There are “ifs” with the current team’s ability to stay healthy, I know this. But if they do manage to stay healthy, our lineup is fine for 2009 so long as we get the deep rotation that Cashman is counting on.
I do agree that if we try to upgrade our team offensively, it should be in CF, not 1B.
_________
Mark Teixiera is the best hitter on the market in 2009 and 2010. Unless of course you want Matt Holliday…who can’t seem to hit away from CO….
Who would you rather have?
So who would you rather have…Holliday or Tex?
“Kemp helps a position of need and there are 2B available, so if the trade was Kemp for Cano straight up I’d pull the trigger.”
Even though most people say that Kemp has the same “ethic” issues as Cano? You are just trading one problem player for another. Plus, we’ll get some mediocre guy covering 2B. This is a bad deal all the way around. I hope that Cash comes to his senses and gives Cano another year to prove himself.
If the Yankees can get Kemp AND Kershaw for Cano and Mely, you have to do that as the Yankees, but I highly doubt that the Dodgers would do that.
We’d have to throw in someone else…Kennedy? Is that too much?
“Cano is a better hitter than Kemp.”
thats an awfully generalized statement.
“I also WANT the Kemp for Cano deal to go down ! . .Kemp is the MAN !!!”
With a Plaxico Burress like attitude. Kershaw or NO DEAL !
“Cano is a better hitter than Kemp.”
That is yet to be seen.
“Gee lets trade our star 2B to fill the void in CF, so we can open a new void in the IF. ”
There are no decent CF options on the market but there are some viable 2B. (Orlando Hudson, Rafael Furcal)
“So who would you rather have…Holliday or Tex?”
Tex.
“Even though most people say that Kemp has the same “ethic” issues as Cano?”
who exactly are these “most people”?
Doreen
I believe Boras still represents Arod in legal (contractual) matters. But I recall Arod hired himself a Hollywood publicist just after he signed his last contract. My memory is a bit limited in range–well, all those late nights. But if I am correct on this, it might explain why Arod is having so many “photo-ops” and getting overexposed like his latest friend.
“Is that too much?”
Way too little. To get Kemp and Kershaw from the Dodgers it would probably take something like Cano, Jackson and Hughes.
Al,
That void could be filled by Hudson, but read my above thread…Kemp/Kershaw would have to be the deal and it won’t happen.
YANKS in 2010,
I’d rather have neither at this point.
“There are no decent CF options on the market but there are some viable 2B. (Orlando Hudson, Rafael Furcal)”
Neither of which are as good as Cano. Aren’t both of these guys coming off injury years?
In the quest to get younger, why not trade the 26 year old 2B who his over .300 three of his first four seasons?
Then you bring back a CF who will eliminate the need for our number one field prospect to come up and play.
Then you go sign a 2B who is over 30.
No way the Dodgers give up Kershaw or Billingsley. They need arms for when Schmidt goes back to the DL, Maddox retired, etc…. Unless along with Cano and Melky, we send Hughes or Kennedy (prefer kennedy but who wants him), then it isnt going to go down well for the Yankees.
Pitching wins games…everyone seems to agree; a poor defense loses games. What the Yankees will field, based on its current roster is an extremely poor defensive team, overall. Some seem to take exception to the description of Matsui as mediocre defensively. It is clear to me that:
…..Matsui does not go back well on a ball, poorly in fact, tho he does not suffer from the “Abreu Syndrome”.
….. Matsui does not hit the angles well, in fact horribly on balls hit into the gap.
….Matsui,is ok on balls hit to the foul line.
….Matsui’s arm, tho accurate is weak.
….Matsui does not come in well on balls hit in the forefront, tho he used to, prior to his wrist injury.
By my take, this is “medicre”. You will not see him in the outfield this coming year, absent an emergency.
“who exactly are these “most people”?”
All of LA, also this guy in CF would scare me, if this were football his route running would be worse than Sinorice Moss.
“To get Kemp and Kershaw from the Dodgers it would probably take something like Cano, Jackson and Hughes.”
agreed. Kemp and Kershaw are prob the two most prized pieces of the Dodgers farm system.
you probably arent getting either of them for Cano and Melky, let alone both.
“who exactly are these “most people”?”
The sports media. I’ve seen it written several times about how frustrated LAD was with Kemp and how they were having Mattingly work with him to get him on the right track. Heyman talked about it on WFAN not too long ago.
“All of LA”
another very generalized statement.
“I wonder how a recruiting convo. w/ Reggie sounds like”
Very one sided.
“Anyone else find it interesting that Carl Pavano did not steer A.J. Burnett away from signing with the Yankees?”
Cash went above and beyond in being supportive of Pavano publicly when others weren’t so inclined. Pavano had to respect that.
“Neither of which are as good as Cano. Aren’t both of these guys coming off injury years? ”
Yes they are coming off injury years. Ask yourself, would you rather have Cano and Gardner or Hudson/Furcal and Kemp? Hudson and Kemp is a far better duo and its not even close.
“I’m interested in your take on a potential Cano/Kemp trade with assorted pieces.”
Overall, I don’t believe these rumors at all. I think it’s probably someone in the dodgers leaking these rumors to make Ned Colletti look like a bigger idiot than he really is.
The dodger’s front office is bizarre. It’s filled with factional in fighting between McCourt, Colletti and Logan White, who runs their draft. Why White isn’t the GM yet I can’t fathom but that’ Frank McCourt.
Every time a Cano for Kemp trade get mentioned Dodger fans go ballistic as the trade is considered to be a joke – almost no one in baseball thinks cano is enough for kemp. But the many in the dodgers fan base panic when they hear these rumors as they have no confidence in Colletti. These rumors predate torre so it’s not likely to be him. I’d guess someone in the dodgers organization is trying to needle Coletti.
What makes me believe that even more is this stuff about the dodgers “liking melky.” And their willingness to trade Billingsley or Kershaw. That is just loony toons. There’s no way they are trading Billingsley – and absolutely forget kershaw. Even if the yankees threw in Joba they might not trade kershaw as he’s left handed. That’s why these rumors strike me as silly.
Either that or the yanks are leaking these rumors to motivate Cano. Less likely. Rosenthal is an LA based guy with a lot of connections to the dodgers and Angels.
I wrote some on Cano and Kemp as players yesterday. Cano is a supremely talented second baseman who lacks focus. That’s an unvbelievably difficult positon to fill and having him at 2b performing well would be a huge plus.
Kemp is a supremely talented player regardless of position who is still very raw.
In terms of talent there’s no comparison – Kemp is much more talented.
Kemp is a potential franchise player. He has enormous bat speed – amazing bat speed. He does things other humans just can’t with a bat. He runs very well. He’s truly a right fielder but is ok in CF right now as a young player. He was league average in CF last season.
I’m a big Cano guy. It would take a fantastic deal for me to move him. It’s tough but I would move him for Kemp. I’d make that trade.
One thing I would be concerned about with Kemp is how he’d do in NY. He’ll need a lot of patience and time. He just turned 24 and was rushed to the majors. Don’t know why the dodgers did it but they did. I’ve been very surprised that Kemp is as good as he is given how raw he is.
But yankee fans aren’t patient and many will hat kemp as a player. That could be a problem.
YANKS in 2010,
I’d rather have neither at this point.
_____________
That’s my point…if you just look at it short term…you’d rather have CC..if you look at it long term, we need hitters more than pitchers…so it makes more sense to get a hitter
Correctio.
****By my take, this is “mediocre”. You will not see him in the outfield this coming year, absent an emergency.****
“Heyman talked about it on WFAN not too long ago.”
Heyman isnt exactly a reputable source… well for me, anyway. Seems like he does an awful lot of guessing with very few results.
ive heard the whispers about Kemp that you mention, but nothing ever seen as concrete. Id be very wary to assisinate his character without a little bit of proof first.
Funny people want Cano traded because he can’t focus. Sounds like The Dodgers have the same issues with Kemp. Why would you trade the guy who already plays here and has proven to hit, for the LA guy who also has focus problems.
“Cash went above and beyond in being supportive of Pavano publicly when others weren’t so inclined. Pavano had to respect that.”
Plus Pavano might be looking for a contract?
A-Rod still has Boras as his agent for baseball matters. In non-baseball matters, he signed on with Guy Oseary and the William Morris Agency which also explains the Madonna connection.
Playing catch right now….Gardner is rally nothing more than a late inning defensive replacement and a pinch runner….I would like for him to evolve into something more, but at this stage it’s not likely…….We went through the whole KEMP thing yesterday and recieved bad reviews, so I’ll pass for now….He will be an incredible ballplayer in a few years…..I’m cetain the Hitman agrees
Thanks for the clarification Pat.
“Way too little. To get Kemp and Kershaw from the Dodgers it would probably take something like Cano, Jackson and Hughes.”
Cano, Jackson and Hughes would not be enough for Kemp and Kershaw.
I would not make that trade in a 100 years if I’m the dodgers.
You’d have to include Joba before I’d even think about it.
Kershaw is a once in a generation arm. He may have better stuff than David Price. Not a better pitcher right now. But better stuff.
You just never trade a player like Kershaw. They are not going to move him. They are not even going to seriously consider it.
“By my take, this is “medicre”. You will not see him in the outfield this coming year, absent an emergency.”
So then what is the point of ripping his defense, when you know the fact that he’s not playing the OF in 2009? He will play LF once in a while when Damon needs a break. Furthermore, Damon’s defense in left is fine–his pathetic arm isn’t as big of an issue, and he’s still fast enough to cover the necessary ground out there–so it makes no sense to bring up how he’s “not a center fielder anymore”, since as of now he won’t be asked to play center field. Posada defensively is not Johnny Bench, but his arm behind the plate pre torn labrum wasn’t as incompetent as you made it out to be. I get that you’re trying to say the Yankees defense should be worrisome, but it’s not at the top of the list of “major concerns as of now”, considering there are only 2 starting pitchers guaranteed to be in the rotation in 2009. Come back with the worries about Posada behind the plate and Damon and Matsui in LF when the identity of the team is actually more set. Who knows, one of those 3 guys might be on another team by April.
Also side note, Pedroia isn’t exactly a prolific base stealer, so that bit about him being real excited for Posada to be behind the plate doesn’t work as much as, say, Ellsbury. That is also premature, because nobody knows how Posada’s throwing will recover from the surgery–so before you declare him cooked, maybe wait to watch some more of those games that you apparently think I’ve never seen before.
“ive heard the whispers about Kemp that you mention, but nothing ever seen as concrete. Id be very wary to assisinate his character without a little bit of proof first.”
I’m not assassinating his character. Just repeating what I heard and read.
Make that catch-up…..
Thanks, CB. I had no idea about the internal struggles in the Dodgers organization. Very interesting and strange if they are scheming against each other
i would love to see the yankees do a cano,melky,kennedy for kemp & billingsley even though it won’t happen.
i would do a cano,melky,hughes for kemp & billingsley.
we then can sign furcal.
then we have wang,joba,billingsley.not bad as you’re 1,2,3.
do it cash.
“ive heard the whispers about Kemp that you mention, but nothing ever seen as concrete.”
I’m not sure whey this has become such an issue.
There’s been plenty of bad reports out of LA about Kemp.
Many dodger fans don’t like him as they find him frustrating.
They think he doesn’t exert maximum effort, he strikes out to much, undisciplined at the plate, etc. etc. I’ve also heard plenty of dodger fans suggest that kemp isn’t a “smart” player.
Very similar to what you hear about cano voiced by yankee fans. Now Kemp has never had a season like cano just had so sure it’s not to that level.
But fans are fans. Kemp makes mistakes and he’s very raw.
Fans everywhere are impatient – even in LA.
Now all of this may be untrue – just as these perceptions about cano may be untrue (I think they are overblown…)
But that doesn’t change the fact that those perceptions are there about Kemp. That’s widely said about him, right or wrong.
cc
wang
billingsley
joba
is downright nasty.
“Gardner is rally nothing more than a late inning defensive replacement and a pinch runner….”
I find it remarkable that many of the same people who can’t stand Hughes and Kennedy and want to dump them are all for handing the starting CF job for the 2009 season to Gardner – a player who has never been thought of as nearly as highly as either Hughes or Kennedy. Nowhere close to their class. But they should just hand a player who scouts consider to have fringe talent at best and struggled at the plate in the majors a starting job?
Yanks 2010,
I guess the point I am trying to make is that I don’t think we need to add offensive tools for 2009. 2010, yes, but that can be addressed next offseason.
I don’t know…I know we have a lot of money to play with but that doesn’t mean we HAVE to go back to 208 million. Why dump large sums of money via luxury tax if you don’t HAVE to?
I’m not opposed to an offensive upgrade in certain positions, BUT 1B IS NOT THE AREA OF NEED. CF, sure. 1B, No.
Andrew,
I have watched enough games over the past five years to formulate certain conclusions. Posada’s arm has been poor for a number of years; that should be obvious to anyone who watches a fair share of games.
Unless the Yankees acquire a centerfielder there is a very good chance Damon will patrol that position a substantial portion of the time unless Gardner or Melky emerges offensively, which I wouldn’t bet on. That’s the reason I focussed on CF for JD. He is not much better in LF, the only saving grace being that less of an arm is required.
YOu have your sense of what will happen giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, which to me is unbridled optimism; I do not.
bru,
terrible idea: inclusion of Hughes in your little trade.
Yeh I’m still not a big fan of Billingsley, it’s Kershaw for me. You get him I’ll say Robi who.
no way the yankees go with gardner/melky in cf.
this is why cash is discussing cano for kemp.
cash knows he can get an infielder easier than a cf.
the dodgers desperately wan’t to upgrade cf & 2nd base & torre loves cano & melky for his defense & arm.
the dodgers also know that kemp will be getting huge raises going forward.
cano,melky/gardner or ajax & hughes for kemp & billingsley.i would do it in a second.
billingsley will prevent us from having to sign another pitcher that will cost a lot of money and is way ahead of hughes & if we get cc we have an awesome 1-4.
“cano,melky/gardner or ajax & hughes for kemp & billingsley.i would do it in a second. ”
Well of course you would but the Dodgers would never do that deal because it would be terrible for them.
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes :
maybe.
we don’t know what hughes will be but we know what billingsley is.
he has great numbers & i know it is in the nl but i take that chance.
i might be wrong but we get a pitcher that slides right in the rotation instead of waiting on hughes.
if hughes turns into a better pitcher than bills then you are right but there is no way anybody can tell.
kemp & cano is a wash but it is obvious that cash will not go with melky/gardner in cf,not gonna happen.
if you do not like
cc
wang
billingsley
joba
then i don’t know what to tell you.
it makes tons of sense to trade cano for kemp when we can get furcal for 2nd base.this makes us much better instead of sitting still & doing nothing.
furcal when healthy is downright nasty,cano has nothing on him.
What’s this that the Dodgers wouldn’t, we didn’t initiate the talks, the Dodgers came to us. Look I like Kemp’s talent but he’s going to be ripped daily in NY, if you haven’t seen him in CF or RF then I suggest you ask someone. There are people in LA frustrated w/ his play, frustated ala Mets fans were w/ Milledge. Also he was described as a club house problem, these are multiple sources reporting that.
You know what let me find the links to those stories because people think it’s just rumors.
i’d rather have Kershaw
Patrick :
you might be right but a lot of people say that cano for kemp straight up is in the yankees favor & the rumors are cano,melky for kemp & pitching.
i would be happy with cano for kemp straight up & signing furcal.
this fixes cf,kemp is 2 yrs younger,a lot cheaper and is a very similar offensively to cano.
Kemp is an enormous talent, but remains a project in development. He is quite sensitive to the criticism and negative fan reaction which would be magnified in the Bronx. LA by comparison is a low-key place to play, with little overly aggressive fan criticism. New York would be very difficult for him at this stage of his career. Due to the team’s needs he was moved along much too quickly.
I would not include Cano in a trade for Kemp, certainly not even-up altho Kemp, if everything fell into place, might have a higher ceiling. If Kershaw were to be included, it would be different, but that will not happen. Kershaw is to the Dodgers what Joba is to the Yankees.
“i’d rather have Kershaw”
We all would I got to add one thing as a plus w/ Matt Kemp’s temper
http://www.fastclips.com/videos/1w7a9Nw1i7IE
i don’t think kemp/cano is a wash personally. Cano has done more to date. and he is a 2B, not an OF. 2Bs like Cano (when he plays up to his potential) are hard to come by.
If it’s Cano for Kershaw straight up, I can’t argue it. But I’m sorry Kemp great talent but for Cano I’d rather keep Robi.
I dont think you trade Cano for a CF unless you have plans to move Ajax. The only way you move Cano is for a blockbuster deal. Something that puts us over the top. Kemp is not going to do that. Sign CC. Package Hughes, Cano, Ajax and? for Peavey and Gonzalez,or Haren and Jackson or maybe Kemp and Billingsley. Are examples of moves I think you would have to consider. I like Cano and Hughes a lot. I have seen Hughes pitch up close in Durham, and he was a monster. But it takes something to get something. I really feel that Cashman has to go all out this year. We dont want Mystique and Aura to get lost crossing the street.
i’d love kershaw also but would take bills.
what i find amusing is that when most people here ripped me because they thought that there was no way the yankees trade cano are very quiet now.
i know no trade has been done but the point is that most ideas are not bad ones & you shouldn’t ever critisize people for having an imagination.
cano for kemp straight up probably doesnt upgrade us much or at all but trading cano for kemp & signing furcal does because we lose probably nothing with kemp replacing cano,fix the cf problem.
i think trading cano for kemp,signing furcal would make us much better & if we can get a billingsley or kershaw by adding some players it would be awesome.
this would give us more leverage with the fa pitchers.
I’m hearing Cano for Kemp straight up. Any thoughts?
I’m not a fan of Billingsley, I get Kershaw but not him.
“I’m hearing Cano for Kemp straight up. Any thoughts?”
Not in favor of it, the board I’d say is 60/40 against it.
Tarheelyank :
Sign CC. Package Hughes, Cano, Ajax and? for Peavey and Gonzalez,or Haren and Jackson or maybe Kemp and Billingsley.
i’d do any of these trades & then sign furcal or hudson.
cc
wang
peavey
joba
cc
wang
haren
joba
cc
wang
billingsley
joba all look good to me.
this team needs a change especially pitching & i like the direction cashman is going.
he has not traded many of our prospects & if he does we will get equall value,not older players in return.
it is not bad trading cano if we get a kemp,gonzalez,etc in return or trading a hughes & getting a billingsley,peavey,haren,etc… back.
a package of cano,hughes/kennedy,ajax/gardner/melky for kemp & billingsley or kershaw i think would put us back on top.
bru, put the controller down. None of those trades are realistic.
It’s kind of a catch 22 with Robbie. He still has trade value now because people view last year as a down season. That confidence could quickly erode away if he starts slow again. At the same time, we have seen what he can do and he is still young enough that he can right the ship. I am just concerned with his mental state and the constant supervision he needs. I have to look into Kemp more, but 290 with 35 steals in center is alot better then what we have on tap now
bru stop …just ..stop. Leave Jackson alone step away, step away…
Jay in the Roch
December 8th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I’m hearing Cano for Kemp straight up. Any thoughts?
————————————————————
i do it because for the most part you get the same numbers.very similar players & kemp could break out & probably will to a tune of 25 hr 90 rbi minimum.
it also allows us to sign a 2nd baseman so now cf is fixed and as a total team we are better.
if you look at cano & kemp only it is a wash but we would be better off overall.
bru stop …just ..stop. Leave Jackson alone step away, step away…
__________
Why is everyone so worried about trading unproven prosepcts?
When was the last time we traded someone really good away? Drabek? McGriff?
ya, bru, you sound like you’re playing MLB 2k7
I agree. I think Kemp on the Yankees next year would be a lcok for 25 hr and 90 rbi’s.
The scary part is if Robbie does his thing and hits .340 and grabs a batting title. But that is the chance you take I guess.
Yanks 2010,
Well, it may not be anti-trading prospects as much as the names bru is throwing out…Haren? Where the heck did that come from??? Plus, he’s back on the Peavy chatter again.
Patrick :
i heard the same things when i suggested trading cano.
now i hear rumors of cano & melky for pitching.
listen pat i am sure you are a good smart person but in reality you have no clue what is possible or not.
the funny thing is that if i posted the cano idea 5 minutes before the rumor came out again today i would be critisized.now the critics seemed to have disappeared.
so if any of my so called crazy scenarios come to fruition i will be sure to remember what you just said.
even if cano does not get traded for kemp i just wan’t to let gb know that he doesn’t know it all like he thinks he does because he was one who took cheap shots at the idea of trading cano.
hey gb go tell cashman that he is stupid for considering it & you are right & everybody else is wrong.
now i hear rumors of cano & melky for pitching
now i hear rumors of cano & melky for kemp & pitching,correction.
“listen pat i am sure you are a good smart person but in reality you have no clue what is possible or not. ”
Yes I do.
“so if any of my so called crazy scenarios come to fruition i will be sure to remember what you just said.”
GO for it champ.
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes :
Tarheelyank
December 8th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I dont think you trade Cano for a CF unless you have plans to move Ajax. The only way you move Cano is for a blockbuster deal. Something that puts us over the top. Kemp is not going to do that. Sign CC. Package Hughes, Cano, Ajax and? for Peavey and Gonzalez,or Haren and Jackson or maybe Kemp and Billingsley. Are examples of moves I think you would have to consider. I like Cano and Hughes a lot. I have seen Hughes pitch up close in Durham, and he was a monster. But it takes something to get something. I really feel that Cashman has to go all out this year. We dont want Mystique and Aura to get lost crossing the street.
————————————————————
i was responding to a post,pay attention instead of being so quick to critisize people just because you think it is easy to do.
try thinking before you say something.
i’ll slow it down for you to let you catch up.
i got killed for suggesting trading cano for kemp & now the critics are quiet.i do not know if you were a critic of my suggestion but would not be suprized if you were.
now all of a sudden the cano for kemp trade is being considered & critics quiet down.
it is funny that’s all.
everybodys ideas that you don’t agree with are crazy but you know it all.
you jump to critisize before you even know what you are critisizing.
my question to you is why is it crazy when cashman is considering the same thing.
you need to grow up,trust.
My buddy just called me with the Cano & Melky for Kemp + pitching, but he was talking prospects for pitching.
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes
It was me who mentioned both Haren and Peavey, as examples of the kind of trade Cashman should consider. But only if there is a second piece involved like Gonzalez or Jackson. Those names or Teams in particular because of the need to shed payroll. You tell me what are Hughes, Cano, Ajax, plus fill in the blank, are worth to a small market cash strapped team?
“now all of a sudden the cano for kemp trade is being considered & critics quiet down.”
Since when ?, there are people that still don’t like that deal.
Also Cashman is just listening to the options, I doubt he wants Kemp, my bet is he’s targeting Kershaw. That’s the guy we’d deal Cano for.
*Dodgers, Yankees haven’t talked*
“Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti knocked down a Foxsports.com report that he is “again talking” to the Yankees about acquiring second baseman Robinson Cano, with the Yankees interested in Matt Kemp and pitching.
“It’d be nice to talk first,” Colletti said.
The Dodgers do need a second baseman with Jeff Kent a free agent and possibly retiring, but Colletti has be consistently reluctant to deal Kemp because of his youth and potential. The Dodgers also are in no position to be dealing pitching, as they are looking to replace six free-agent pitchers, most notably Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, Greg Maddux, Joe Beimel and Chan Ho Park.
Dodgers interest in Cano is logical, as manager Joe Torre and third-base coach Larry Bowa had him with the Yankees. — Ken Gurnick”
http://hotstove.mlblogs.com/ar.....rId=rss_la
Cano for Kemp straight up is not worth doing. If Cashman can get MLB ready pitching back and he feels that Hudson can be signed or he can pull off a trade then it would be a good idea.
Cano had a bad year, but the reports are that he is working hard to start off with a bang. On top of that he finished the year at a good clip. Walking may never be a big part of his game, but he doesn’t strike out much for such a free swinger, he has unbelievable natural ability, he appears to be strong like an ox, he will probably develop better power numbers (basing this on reports that Long has been working with him to get a more compact swing). If filling cf long term really is going to be harder than 2b, then trading Cano is a good idea. I for one have enjoyed watching the team have some stability there for a few years.
I don’t see the Furcal thing happening. He probably does want to play SS as he says. On top of that there are teams that will pay him to play there instead of making him move to a second choice position.
OK, first things first:
bru,
I didn’t see Tarheelyank’s mentioning Haren and Peavy, so thanks for pointing that out so that I can redirect my mockery.
On the trade Cano front, I don’t really care if we trade him because I hate lazy players. Maybe that will change, who knows. If the return makes sense, trade him. I feel that way about pretty much any player.. If it makes sense, you do it.
I don’t think Cano for Kemp makes sense unless they are part of a larger deal mainly because 2B is a much more impacted position in terms of the offensive tools Cano brings to the plate when he puts out effort.
patrick:
my point was made already with the cano for kemp rumors.
it is not about being wrong or right it is about people like you and The Mad Prince in Pinstripes thinking you know everything wich you don’t.
anything can happen when the right players are involved that satisfies both teams.
i’ll take the lumps all day as well as dish them out when i feel i need to.
there are crazy rumors year round that you would think would never happen but they do.
you are supposed to be an older adult??? try acting like one.
Tarheelyank,
“It was me who mentioned both Haren and Peavey, as examples of the kind of trade Cashman should consider. But only if there is a second piece involved like Gonzalez or Jackson. Those names or Teams in particular because of the need to shed payroll. You tell me what are Hughes, Cano, Ajax, plus fill in the blank, are worth to a small market cash strapped team?”
So you’re lobbying for trading away our prospects for big time pitchers. Haren hasn’t even been mentioned ONCE in terms of being shopped this offseason and since he is relatively cheap compared to what CC is going to cost, he doesn’t fall in teh same line as those super high priced guys that trouble smaller market teams. Dbacks are not going to trade Haren and the price they’d ask would diminish our farm.
You say these prospects are highly valued by lower market teams…the same can be said for high market teams. Just because the can spend outrageous amounts of money doesn’t mean they have to or will if it makes zero sense.
bru,
you’re acting like a child throwing your pithy little insults around. go back to the monkey bars chico.
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes :
redirect you’re mockery?
i’ll accept you’re appology,lol j/k.
my point is simply that you obviously find it very easy to pick on me because you might thinki i am an easy target & that is fine but critisizing people for crazy trade ideas is silly when i am sure all of our ideas sound crazy to a lot of people.
nobody is right or wrong.
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes :
i’m sorry i hurt you’re feelings.
get over it.i did.
i made my point,act you’re age.
i’m sorry you are, 15
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes
Dbacks are not going to trade Haren and the price they’d ask would diminish our farm.
i didn’t say they would.
i said i would do any of those trades.
it is truly amazing that cashman didn’t hire you.
you are wasting you’re time trying so hard to prove me wrong.
it is not about being wrong or right it is about you and i or anybody else disagreeing with ideas & trying to justify it in there own minds.
i don’t come here to insult people i come here to read what other people are saying & thinking & giving my ideas.
i also don’t usually try at all costs to prove someone wrong when it is not possible.
i’m done with it.
there is no way to know what is a good move or a bad move or a good & bad trade unless you look back at it after years.
Some info on Matt Kemp.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.c.....9387/42814
By the way, to date, Kemp and Cano have about the same Career OPS+. I think positionally, that gives Cano a little hedge. Also, this includes a horrible last year for Cano, which we have to hope will never be replicated.
Kemp is very talented but definitely appears to have anger management issues. Cano, for all his ‘head troubles’, has shown he can play in NY. Like Milton Bradley, Kemp’s personal issues may make him a bad fit for NY.
Kemp may have a greater upside then Robbie, but also a greater downside. With all the improvements the Yankees could make, a Cano/Kemp swap seems like tossing a coin, so I say ‘Why bother’. Plus, as pointed out, at least we have some potential in CF with AJax.
Why take this kind of risk? The risk that Kemp can’t handle NY or that Robbie does become a stud…. especially with the recent good news on Cano. Cano is homegrown. I say stick with him and look to upgrade the team (next year) at the corner OF positions and catcher.